69´«Ã½

Federal

Former ‘69´«Ã½ First’ Adviser to Leave Federal Post

By Sean Cavanagh — May 22, 2007 5 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Edward J. Kame’enui, one of the subjects of a highly critical congressional report that questioned whether he had gained financially by promoting certain commercial products as a federal adviser to the 69´«Ã½ First program, will leave his current position at the Department of Education at the end of a two-year term next month, the agency announced last week.

While critics of the department’s handling of 69´«Ã½ First called the move an appropriate response to recent revelations about Mr. Kame’enui’s ties to publishers, and the real or perceived conflicts of interest in his promotion of his reading products, some expressed disappointment that his term would not be cut short, but would be allowed to expire.

“Why is Edward Kame’enui still working for taxpayers?†a headline on an asked earlier this month. Mr. Millot is the founder of a consulting firm that provides research and analysis on the school improvement industry.

“Bottom line: While Kame’enui was working for the department as a key consultant on 69´«Ã½ First regulation and implementation—a matter that clearly required not only the reality of impartiality but the appearance of impartiality—he was also engaged in high-level lobbying on behalf of Pearson’s corporate position on 69´«Ã½ First,†the blog said.

Edward J. Kame'enui

Mr. Kame’enui will resign as the first commissioner of the National Center for Special Education Research at the Institute of Education Sciences, which is a division of the department, at the end of June, the IES said in a May 16 statement.

He had been serving under a two-year agreement at the institute, which was set to expire at the end of next month, and he had already planned to leave the institute at that point, according to its spokesman, Mike Bowler. Mr. Kame’enui will return to his faculty position at the University of Oregon, in Eugene, the statement released by IES Director Grover J. “Russ†Whitehurst said.

Controversy swirled over Mr. Kame’enui’s previous role as a technical-assistance adviser to the $1 billion-a-year 69´«Ã½ First program, which was established as part of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002 to improve reading instruction among disadvantaged low-achieving students in the early grades. , said that Mr. Kame’enui, while serving as a high-level federal adviser to states, was also under contract to the publishers of his early-reading program to promote the product. It is now widely used in 69´«Ã½ First schools.

During that time, Mr. Kame’enui was responsible for providing advice to states about the kinds of texts and assessments that would meet 69´«Ã½ First requirements. Between 2003 and 2006, he earned at least $150,000 a year in royalties and compensation from Pearson Scott Foresman, which publishes a textbook he wrote with another university professor, according to the congressional report.

Senate investigators described the financial gains of Mr. Kame’enui and three other researchers who served as regional service directors of 69´«Ã½ First. Overall, outside income “soared†for the researchers between 2001 and 2006, when they were serving as consultants to 69´«Ã½ First, according to the report released by Sen. Kennedy, the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

Following that Senate report, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee, called on Mr. Kame’enui to resign. Rep. Miller said Mr. Kame’enui had been “less than candid†in earlier testimony before his committee in April, which explored alleged improprieties in the implementation of 69´«Ã½ First.

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings was asked after a May 10 hearing by the House committee if she would ask Mr. Kame’enui to resign. “I don’t know,†the secretary responded. She made no mention at that time of any previous plans by Mr. Kame’enui to leave the department at the end of a two-year stint. (“Senate Report Cites ‘69´«Ã½ First’ Conflicts,†May 16, 2007.)

Work Praised

Mr. Kame’enui’s current supervisor, Mr. Whitehurst, praised his work at the Institute of Education Sciences, which oversees research on a broad range of school issues. Mr. Kame’enui helped arrange the staffing and organization and helped manage studies and grants at the National Center for Special Education Research, Mr. Whitehurst said. “These are significant accomplishments,†the IES chief said in his statement.

Mr. Kame’enui has been working at the institute for a two-year term under the federal Intergovernmental Personnel Act, which arranges partnerships between educational institutions and federal agencies, institute officials said.

Cindy Cupp, a Georgia-based reading-program publisher whose complaints about alleged conflicts of interest in 69´«Ã½ First helped spark investigations into the federal program, said she hoped the exposure given to Mr. Kame’enui’s activities would lead to stricter oversight of the program.

But she questioned why he was not asked to leave the department before the end of his term.

“It’s absurd that federal employees and consultants can have these kinds of ties to publishers,†she said. “What else does the secretary of education need to take action [against Mr. Kame’enui]? Congressional hearings are not enough, congressional reports are not enough, six inspector general’s reports are not enough, sworn testimony is not enough.â€

Meanwhile, a Washington legal watchdog group has asked the Education Department’s inspector general to investigate the use of personal e-mails by department employees to conduct official government business.

In March, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, had requested the e-mail records of department employees under the federal Freedom of Information Act. In a discussion with department FOIA officers this month, the group was told that some federal employees may use their personal e-mail accounts for official business and that the department could not access those documents, according to a CREW press release. CREW claims that doing so may violate the Federal Records Act.

“The use of private e-mail accounts to conduct official department business raises serious concerns about the adequacy of department searches in response to FOIA requests,†the letter states.

Associate Editor Kathleen Kennedy Manzo contributed to this report.
A version of this article appeared in the May 23, 2007 edition of Education Week as Former ‘69´«Ã½ First’ Adviser to Leave Federal Post

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69´«Ã½
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Federal Video Linda McMahon: 5 Things to Know About Trump's Choice for Education Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate former pro-wrestling CEO Linda McMahon to lead the education department.
1 min read
Federal The K-12 World Reacts to Linda McMahon, Trump's Choice for Education Secretary
Some question her lack of experience in education, while supporters say her business background is a major asset.
7 min read
Linda McMahon, former Administrator of Small Business Administration, speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee.
Linda McMahon speaks during the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. McMahon has been selected by President-elect Trump to serve as as the next secretary of education.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal What a National School Choice Program Under President Trump Might Look Like
School choice advocates—and detractors—see a second Trump term as the biggest opportunity in decades for choice at the federal level.
8 min read
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69´«Ã½," event in the East Room of the White House, on July 7, 2020, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69´«Ã½," event in the East Room of the White House on July 7, 2020, in Washington. He returns to power with more momentum than ever behind policies that allow public dollars to pay for private school education.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal 5 Things to Know About Linda McMahon, Trump's Pick for Education Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump’s selection, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment has long spoken favorably about school choice.
7 min read
Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018.
Linda McMahon speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Oct. 3, 2018, when she was serving as head of the Small Business Administration during President Trump's first administration. McMahon is now President-elect Trump's choice for U.S. secretary of education.
Susan Walsh/AP