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Ask the Education Secretary

Interviewing Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings

The Washington Bureau of Media General arranged an interview with Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings in August.

National correspondent Gil Klein invited teachers to provide the questions about the federal “No Child Left Behind” Act.

Click here to read Gil Klein’s story.

Click here to read the full transcript of the interview.

The No Child Left Behind Act (2001)

No Child Left Behind is a federal program that strives to improve the performance of America’s primary and secondary schools by increasing the standards of accountability for states, school districts and schools. It is focused on math and reading and re-authorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Read an overview of the act here.

NCLB Links and Resources

For Teachers:

Teacher-to-teacher Initiative – Dept. of Education site to enable teachers to share ideas and resources.
PowerPoint Presentations for the classroom – selected PowerPoint presentations from Teacher workshops sponsored by the Dept of Education.
Gateway Educational Materials – Thousands of educational resources found on various federal, state, university, non-profit, and commercial Internet sites.
For Parents:
Parents’ Guide to NCLB – Facts for parents.
Tools for Student Success – How to help your kids attain success in the classroom.
Against NCLB:
“A site advocating a sound approach to school improvement”
National Education Association
Margaret Spellings took over the office of Secretary of Education on January 20, 2005.

She served as Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy during President George W. Bush’s first term. In that role, she helped craft education policy, including the No Child Left Behind Act, passed in 2001.

Prior to her White House appointment, Spellings served as a senior advisor to then-Gov. Bush. Her achievements include the Texas Reading Initiative, the Student Success Initiative to eliminate social promotion, and what many have called “the nation’s strongest school assessment and accountability system.” She began her association with Bush when she served as a political advisor during his 1994 run for governor.

Spellings was born in Michigan in 1957. She moved with her family to Houston, Texas, when she was a grade school student. She graduated from the University of Houston in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in political science.

She has two daughters, ages 18 and 13.

Additional Resources

PBS’s “Frontline” took a look at the No Child law right after it went into effect in 2002.

Watch the show here.