69ý

Federal

Spellings’ Worldview: There’s No Going Back on K-12 Accountability

By Alyson Klein — December 08, 2008 4 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

No one in the nation’s capital is more closely identified with President George W. Bush’s education policies than Margaret Spellings.

Ms. Spellings has served in the administration for all eight years, first in the White House as domestic-policy adviser, and then during Mr. Bush’s second term as secretary of education.

During the president’s first term, Ms. Spellings helped push the administration’s ideas for what would become the No Child Left Behind Act, including accountability through standardized testing, consequences for schools that don’t meet achievement targets, and expanded public school choice.

BRIC ARCHIVE

Listen to Education Week reporters David Hoff and Alyson Klein interview Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

Ms. Spellings championed a stringent approach to accountability as a White House aide. But as secretary, she granted states broader flexibility in gauging student progress and in overhauling struggling schools.

As she prepares to leave office, Secretary Spellings said that she hopes the NCLB law will be viewed as an “important game-changer in American education.”

“It rightfully put before us the issues of the achievement gap,” she said in a recent interview in her office. She said she hopes she will be remembered as a “practical implementer of the law.”

Flexible Approach

Secretary Spellings took the helm of the Department of Education in early 2005, when states were beginning to rebel against what some viewed as the No Child Left Behind law’s unrealistic goals and the federal government’s overly strict implementation of its provisions.

The secretary sought to address some of those criticisms. She introduced a series of pilot projects designed to give states more flexibility in measuring student progress and overhauling struggling schools. (“Bush to have Lasting Impact on 69ý,” Dec. 10, 2008)

Kevin Carey, the research and policy manager at Education Sector, a Washington think tank, gives Ms. Spellings generally high marks for making the right regulatory adjustments to the law without undermining its core principles.

“I think she was very consistent throughout her tenure at drawing bright lines,” he said. “There were elements where she was willing to compromise and those where she was not. She drew the line in about the right place.”

Many of the changes Ms. Spellings helped implement had agreement from nearly all corners of the education community, Mr. Carey said.

But those moves were a marked departure from how Ms. Spellings’ predecessor as secretary, Rod Paige, chose to enforce the law, said Eugene W. Hickok, who served as the Education Department’s deputy secretary and undersecretary under Mr. Paige.

“The first term was all: Hold the line, hold the line, hold the line,” Mr. Hickok said. “When she came in, she saw the need to be more flexible.”

Mr. Hickok has criticized Ms. Spellings for granting states too much leeway when she moved to the Education Department. He contends that she has overstepped her authority as secretary.

Although Mr. Hickok acknowledges that the changes Ms. Spellings sought had broad support, he believes that she has opened the door for President-elect Barack Obama’s education secretary to water down the law further through waivers and regulations. That is something NCLB’s critics will welcome, Mr. Hickok said. (“Commentary: Secretary Spellings’ Unintended Legacy,” Dec. 10, 2008)

Samara Yudof, a spokeswoman for Ms. Spellings said “Absent a reauthorization to further improve the law, the administration has used its existing authority to strengthen the law in a sensible and workable way.”

David L. Shreve, the senior education committee director for the National Conference of State Legislatures, saw Secretary Spellings’ willingness to permit states leeway in implementing the law as a move to salvage public opinion and states’ support for the measure.

“I think you see someone who was willing to do anything it took to save their policy child,” he said.

Global Traveler

Ms. Spellings may have racked up more international frequent-flier miles than any past U.S. education secretary. During her tenure, she has made multiple trips to nearly every continent.

Because of her close association with President Bush, Ms. Spellings was asked to participate in a number of delegations, including accompanying first lady Laura Bush on a 2005 visit to Afghanistan, where they met with women learning to teach in their villages.

Much of the foreign travel was related to the U.S. decision in 2003 to rejoin the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, as well as other international forums, Secretary Spellings said. The U.S. had withdrawn from the Paris-based UNESCO in 1984.

Ms. Spellings has also led delegations of university presidents to help bolster connections, including student exchanges, between American postsecondary institutions and their foreign counterparts. She hopes her successor will be able to continue such global outreach.

“The university community is wildly enthusiastic about the U.S. government being for the first time ever their partner and helping to sell American higher education,” she said.

But Barmak Nassirian, the associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, said some U.S. universities have difficulty attracting foreign students because of “totally dysfunctional visa policies. ... If the secretary wanted to be helpful to recruitment efforts, [she should] stay here and talk to” her counterpart at the Department of Homeland Security.

Secretary Spellings didn’t give much of a hint about her future plans. She plans to stay in the Washington area, at least for a while, in part because her youngest daughter is still in school here.

And she indicated that she will continue to advocate, in some capacity, for using strong accountability systems to close the achievement gap.

“I plan to continue to be a warrior in this battle,” she said.

A version of this article appeared in the December 10, 2008 edition of Education Week as Spellings’ Worldview: There’s No Going Back on K-12 Accountability

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 69ý
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 69ý," 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 69ý," 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