Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings

1 secretary of education

1.1 postcards buster controversy
1.2 no child left behind
1.3 controversy overseeing student loan programs
1.4 commission on future of higher education

secretary of education

following rod paige s departure secretary of education, spellings nominated post of secretary of education george w. bush on november 17, 2004, confirmed u.s. senate on january 20, 2005, marked beginning of bush s second presidential term, , sworn in on january 31 same year. second female secretary of education.

postcards buster controversy

on january 21, 2005, 1 day after being confirmed secretary of education, spellings wrote letter public broadcasting system warning network not air episode of children s program postcards buster. in episode, animated bunny buster visits vermont learn maple sugar production , meets real-life children have lesbian parents. children tell buster have mom , stepmom. child explains 1 of women stepmother whom loves. no other comment made family.

spellings letter reminded pat mitchell, ceo of pbs postcards buster funded in part department of education , many parents not want young children exposed life-styles portrayed in episode. pbs decided not distribute episode, wgbh, public television station in boston, said air , offered station willing defy education department.

cusi cram, writer arthur, later wrote play titled dusty , big bad world, based on controversy.

no child left behind

spellings delivers speech @ ronald reagan presidential library; former first lady nancy reagan seated @ right.

in april 2005, on pbs s newshour jim lehrer, called connecticut s resistance no child left behind act soft bigotry of low expectations. according program s transcript, said:

in january 2007 speech @ u.s. chamber of commerce, spellings said,

controversy overseeing student loan programs

spellings @ lbj presidential library in 2014

on may 10, 2007, spellings testified before house education , labor committee responding criticism new york attorney general andrew cuomo education department had been asleep @ switch in overseeing student loan programs, allowing corruption , conflicts of interest spread. spellings has further gone on record disregarding suggestion inspector general hold loan companies accountable graft.

altha cravey , robert siegel wrote in news & observer spellings had been supporting for-profit colleges prey on students – , profiting off same students when default on loans. spellings served on board of directors apollo group, parent company of for-profit university of phoenix, paid more $300,000.

commission on future of higher education

in september 2005, spellings announced formation of secretary of education s commission on future of higher education, has been referred spellings commission. commission charged recommending national strategy reforming post-secondary education, particular focus on how colleges , universities preparing students 21st-century workplace. controversial recommendations included call colleges , universities focus on training students workforce , supporting research commercial applications.

it had secondary focus on how high schools preparing students post-secondary education. spellings described work of commission natural extension higher education of reforms carried out under no child left behind, , quoted saying: s time turn elephant around , upside down , take @ it.