Margaret Spellings
Read our coverage of the eighth U.S. Secretary of Education, who served from 2005 to 2009
Margaret Spellings, Eighth U.S. Education Secretary: Biography and Achievements
Background and highlights of Margaret Spellings's tenure as the eighth U.S. Secretary of Education.
Education
Opinion
Spellings Press Event Tomorrow May Be Faked
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff are holding a press event tomorrow in Fairfax County on the issue of emergency preparedness. No word on whether it will be faked or not like last week's fake FEMA press conference (US disaster-relief agency stages fake press conference).
Education
Miller Says Spellings Has Let States Off Hook
Last week, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said the House NCLB draft would create "big loopholes" in the law's accountability rules.
School & District Management
Federal File
Will Spellings Labor for the Duration?
President Bush has only a few of his close Texas-connected aides, including Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, left.
Federal
A National Roundup
Spellings Hits Alaska
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings toured schools throughout Alaska for two days last week, promoting progress she said the state has made under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Education
Opinion
Spellings For President
...University of Houston president, that is. From an eagle-eyed reader I learn that the Houston Chronicle is trying to draft her into the search for a new head of the school (Margaret Spellings our nominee for UH chancellor-president). "The Chronicle's editorial board, which includes four UH alumni, thinks the best qualified potential candidate is a University of Houston graduate, as well as the highest ranking federal education official..." She is "well-respected by both Republicans and Democrats, public school officials and teacher union leaders. She understands the full spectrum of public education, from preschool to graduate study, and recently proposed the administration's Plan for Higher Education, which aims to improve accessibility and affordability of college education."
Education
Opinion
Spellings Off To UNESCO
"The President intends to nominate Margaret Spellings, of Texas, to be a Representative of the United States to the 34th General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, for the duration of the conference." (Personnel Announcement)
Education
Opinion
The Two Margaret Spellings
On your left, you have US EdSec Margaret Spellings -- complete with pearls, flag in the background, and that cute smile with her tongue. On your right, you have the somewhat frumpier Simpsons version of the Secretary, who looks (like many Simpsons characters) a little transgendered. Sorry, Madame Secretary -- it was the best I could do.
Reading & Literacy
A Washington Roundup
Spellings Criticizes ‘Reading First’ Cuts
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said the 61 percent reduction in funding would hurt the "nation's neediest students."
Education
Spellings and Jon Stewart Talk NCLB
She didn't exactly kill, but U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings handled herself well on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart last night. Well after the bedtime of most of the nation's students (hopefully), Spellings and Stewart chatted about No Child Left Behind, the "soft bigotry of low expectations," and Lunchables—which Stewart brought out along with No. 2 pencils and an apple just after Spellings sat down at the anchor/interview desk. Stewart told Spellings that she was the "only active member of our government—in terms of the executive branch—who is not allergic to me." "So far, so good," Spellings responded. Stewart and Spellings kept things dignified for the most part, although Spellings made a face when Stewart joked about playing education god and smiting teachers' unions. When Stewart inquired about the face, the secretary replied that, of course, she was joking. As for tweaking NCLB, Spellings acknowledged there are things she would change—specifically, the "growth model" for precisely measuring student achievement over time and paying more attention to high schools. Stewart ended the segment with what he called a "SAT-type quiz" and offered Spellings the following fill-in-the-blank analogy. "Alberto Gonzales is to 'I don't recall' as trees are to sunshine, oxygen, or 'I don't recall'." After a pause, Spellings gamely replied: "I don't recall."
Federal
Federal File
The Secretary’s Advice, to Go
Margaret Spellings gives her only scheduled graduation address for this year.
Education
Opinion
From The Huffington Post: Spellings Pulls A Gonzalez
My latest oeuvre from The Huffington Post: Is Education Secretary Spellings The Next Alberto Gonzales? "The only thing saving Education Secretary Margaret Spellings from drifting into Alberto Gonzales territory right now is, well, Alberto Gonzales." As always, please let me know if I've missed anything or gotten it entirely wrong.If it weren't for the fact that everyone's attention is focused on him, more folks would notice that Spellings has been up to some very Gonzales-like things over at the Department of Education.
Education
Spellings on Virginia Tech
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings made an appearance on Meet the Press with Tim Russert over the weekend to talk about the shooting of 32 people at Virginia Tech and lessons that can be learned about school security issues and the diagnosis and treatment of students with mental illness. Ms. Spellings shied away from a suggestion by Mr. Russert that schools might want to look at national security standards for some type of warning system, saying that a “one size fits all approach” isn’t the way to go. She also said the Department of Education is preparing a report on how children are effected by violent television and the type of violent video games the Virginia Tech gunman apparently spent a lot of time playing. Ms. Spellings mentioned last year’s school safety summit, which was quickly called for by President Bush after a series of school shootings in the fall of 2006. Education Week sums up the recommendations that came out of the summit.
Education
A Washington Roundup
Spellings Addresses Conference in Israel
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings traveled to Israel this month to take part in the seventh annual Herzliya Conference on the Balance of Israel’s National Security.