St. Paul schools Superintendent Valeria Silva has been chosen to lead the board of directors of the Council of the Great City Schools.

The policy group, based in Washington, D.C., bills itself as "the nation's voice for urban education."

The board of directors has 134 members — the superintendent and school board chairperson from each of 67 member school districts — and meets twice a year to craft urban education policies. The board also elects a 24-member executive committee to govern the council when the board is not in session.

"Superintendent Silva has emerged as a recognized national leader in education, especially in pioneering English-language learner reforms," Michael Casserly, the council's executive director, said in a news release. "She will lead our efforts to improve student achievement as we are implementing higher academic standards in big-city schools."

Silva will begin her one-year term on July 1.

Anthony Lonetree