Remembering Dr. Ted Sanders

It is with a heavy heart that the entire NIET community mourns the loss of Dr. Ted Sanders, who served as a beacon for quality education on federal, state, and local levels. Dr. Sanders passed away on September 8, 2024. He is remembered as an esteemed leader in the national education community, as well as a longtime board member and treasured colleague to all of us at NIET. Today, we pause to remember the contributions he brought to our profession. 

Dr. Sanders was an invaluable advisor for NIET, leveraging his breadth of experience nationwide to help make our vision - to build educator excellence to give all students the opportunity for success - a reality across the country. He helped shape the organization from our early years and was a steady source of knowledge as NIET grew and expanded its work. Dr. Sanders ensured that the needs of each state and district were paramount. He shared NIET’s foundational belief that effective teaching was a core pillar in our profession and a way to achieve excellence and progress in our education system. 

“The most effective leaders create an environment that attracts and retains teachers by opening doors for teachers to grow their leadership skills and take on new roles.”

- Dr. Ted Sanders

Dr. Sanders was an enthusiastic participant in surprising teachers and school leaders with the Milken Educator Award and was one of the few state leaders who had the opportunity to present these awards in multiple states. His engagement with teachers and administrators continued through his role as a NIET board member, where he participated in annual national conferences and continued to meet and learn about the work taking place in their districts.

Born on September 19, 1941, in Littlefield, Texas, Dr. Sanders attended public school, where two teachers – his third-grade teacher and high school math teacher and basketball coach – would deeply influence his passion for education and set him on a lifelong path of service within the profession. He was a math teacher, served as the state chief of education in Nevada, Illinois, and Ohio, and served as Deputy Secretary of Education at the invitation of President George H.W. Bush. Dr. Sanders served as a President of Southern Illinois University (SIU) and, in 2000, Dr. Sanders was recruited by the Education Commission of the States (ECS), where he served as president for the next four and a half years. Dr. Sanders played an influential role in the seminal report issued by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. As co-chair, he helped to call attention to the urgent need to better support America’s classroom teachers and strengthen the teaching profession. 

Drawing on his experience and expertise, he served on a range of corporate and nonprofit boards, Dr. Sanders became Executive Chairman of the Cardean Learning Group, an education company, from 2005 to 2008. Since then, Dr. Sanders served on corporate and non-profit boards. 

Dr. Sanders will be greatly missed, but his spirit and contributions will live on in the continued progress and improvements in education that he helped shape. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family, friends, and all those who had the privilege of working with him.