Bush Cabinet members actions and issues: on Education
Condoleezza Rice:
Started after-school program in East Palo Alto
Rep. Charles Rangel welcomed Condoleezza Rice as she visited Harlem's PS 154. Education's role in lifting people out of poverty has been a special focus of Congressman Rangel, who has been working to bring the private and public sectors together to ensur
that children are provided the educational resources they need.It's a message that resonates with the Secretary of State, both because of her current job as well as her past career in education. Years before she became a leader on the world stage,
Rice was instrumental in starting an after-school program in East Palo Alto. "There's a kind of bargain in America, that if you work hard and if you take the opportunities before you, then you can succeed," Rice told reporters. "A learning center like
this makes it possible for these children to have limitless horizons. When I leave this job I'll still be concerned about is that every child in America really has a chance to get a quality education."
Source: Rep Charles Rangel P.R. "Rice Visits PS 154" (Bush Cabinet)
Oct 2, 2007
Margaret Spellings:
Creationism should be taught along with Evolution
Q: How can creationism be taught from a factual basis? Are you implying that events in the Bible should be taught in the public schools as literal history? A: I can tell you that in Texas we did go through this issue, when Bush was
governor and I was working for him. The curriculum says basically that both points of view are taught from a factual basis. My recollection from my Texas days is that both points of view were presented.
Source: Interview with Deborah Solomon in NY Times on Bush Cabinet
May 22, 2005
Michael Chertoff:
Can’t afford to lose the competitive advantage of science
We have programs in terms of science and technology that deal with centers of excellence. We may also have programs that would try to encourage people to get into areas of research and study that have an application to the Homeland Security issues.
Obviously, the Department of Education is a separate department, but I could not agree more that the long-term advantage we have in this war is the advantage of our technology and our science. We can’t afford to lose that competitive advantage.
Source: Bush Cabinet Testimony to House Homeland Security Committee
Apr 13, 2005
Margaret Spellings:
No Child Left Behind works
In states all over our country, children are scoring higher on state reading and math tests, and the achievement gap between African-American, Hispanic and low-income students and their white peers is beginning to close. We must build on the policy
foundation that has been laid in NCLB. We must address the issues of affordability and accessibility by revamping the student aid system to better meet the needs of today’s college students, two thirds of whom are non-traditional students.
Source: Speech at Senate confirmation hearing for Bush Cabinet
Jan 6, 2005
Margaret Spellings:
NCLB act is modeled after her reforms in Texas
Spellings ties to Bush go back to the late 1980s, when he was first considering a run for governor of Texas and she was a lobbyist for the state school boards association. As Bush’s educational adviser in Texas, Spellings was responsible for overseeing
many accountability reforms that later served as a model for the No Child Left Behind legislation. One of those reforms was a campaign to order schools to stop 3rd-graders from moving up to 4th grade if they were unable to meet state reading standards.
Source: Washington Post on Bush Cabinet on 2000 election
Nov 18, 2004
Rod Paige:
No Child Left Behind: flexible non-extreme framework
- Bush’s proposed program, No Child Left Behind is, as the President has described it, “a framework from which we can all work together -- Democrat, Republican, and Independent-to strengthen our elementary and secondary schools.” This
means that within the context of principles like accountability for results, choice for parents and students, and flexibility for schools and teachers, we are open to your ideas on how to meet our shared goals.
- No Child Left Behind is
bold and ambitious, but it is not extreme in any sense of the word. Rather, it builds very deliberately on existing efforts at the Federal, State, and local levels to use standards, assessments, accountability, flexibility, and choice to improve the
quality of education for all of our children.
- It is uncomfortably clear that our system of elementary and secondary education is failing to do its job for far too many of our children -- a failure that the American people will no longer tolerate.
Source: Senate testimony, “No Child Left Behind” (Bush Cabinet)
Feb 15, 2001
Rod Paige:
Decentralize & focus on instruction & accountability
Secretary Paige coauthored “A Declaration of Beliefs and Visions,” a statement of purpose and goals for his school district that called for fundamental reform through decentralization, a focus on instruction, accountability at all levels, and development
of a core curriculum. A Declaration of Beliefs and Visions was the catalyst that launched an ongoing, comprehensive restructuring. He launched a system of charter schools that have broad authority in decisions regarding staffing, textbooks, and
materials. He saw to it that teachers were paid salaries competitive with those offered by other large Texas school districts. Paige made [his Houston district] the first school district in the state to institute performance
contracts modeled on those in the private sector. He also introduced teacher incentive pay, which rewards teachers for outstanding performance and creative solutions to educational problems.
Source: Education Dept. web site, “Secretary’s Bio” (Bush Cabinet)
Feb 3, 2001
Page last updated: Aug 24, 2020