In the News
New York Times: Testing the Teachers
There’s an atmosphere of grand fragility hanging over America’s colleges. The grandeur comes from the surging application rates, the international renown, the fancy new dining and athletic facilities. The fragility comes from the fact that colleges are charging more money, but it’s not clear how much actual benefit they are providing.
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Houston Chronicle: Let’s unleash the talent of women in business
Over the course of my career – particularly on the campaign trail and serving at senior levels in the government – I’ve heard a lot about women in politics breaking through that proverbial glass ceiling. Today, I’d like to see more professional women break through the board room doors and serve in top executive ranks at much higher rates than we are currently seeing.
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U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Lessons of No Child Left Behind 10 Years Later
This Sunday, January 8th, will mark the ten year anniversary of President George W. Bush signing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) into law. Over the past decade we have learned a lot about the importance of collecting data, being accountable for the success of all students, and setting targets. We have also seen multiple attempts to reauthorize the law only to watch them die before reaching the President’s desk. This anniversary serves as a reminder that critical information has been gathered as a result of this law being passed, but we also need to take what we have learned and improve it through reauthorization.
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U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Margaret Spellings speaking at U.S. Chamber of Commerce entrepreneurship event
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The Tennessean: Spellings warns against dismantling ‘No Child’ law
Former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, a leading enforcer of the federal No Child Left Behind law, says she worries a proposal to dismantle that system would be a step backward for the nation’s 50 million students.
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The Tennessean: ‘Good, bad, ugly’ typical in K-12
While the Tennessee state slogan, “America at its best” is one of pride and achievement, when we look to the current state of Tennessee’s education system we are reminded of a common catchphrase: “the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
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The Huffington Post: What It’s Going to Take to Transform Our Schools
Remember the adage, “the only constant is change”? True — unless you’re talking about education. The number of people in the education system who have actually embraced change is so completely dwarfed by the number who resist it, that the impact our innovators have had in moving the dial on student outcomes is almost inconsequential when you look at the overall data.
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The Huffington Post: The Rub in Education: Federal v. Local Control
Among recent top stories: the Obama Administration’s move to remake K-12 education policy and significantly strengthen the hand of the federal government in the process. While policymakers on both sides of the aisle have been talking more than acting, the Administration has been diligently preparing its battle plans for an overhaul of No Child Left Behind. And it looks like they’re about to do an end run around the Congress.
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MSNBC: Survey finds skills gap leaves many US jobs unfilled
Margaret Spellings and the Apollo Group’s Rob Wrubel join Chris Jansing to discuss a new survey that shows why roughly 3.2 million available U.S. jobs are currently going unfilled.
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The Dallas Morning News: Tactics for a Turnaround
While policymakers have rightly paid attention to important issues in education, such as teacher and principal quality and school curricula based on sound research, they have too often neglected the role of school governance.
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