Eric.ed.gov – Talking with U.S. Secretary of Education: Margaret Spellings

This summer, “Instructor’s” Editor in Chief, Bernadette Grey, traveled to Washington, D.C., for an exclusive one-on-one meeting with the U.S. Department of Education’s high-profile leader, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. Appointed by President Bush, Spellings is responsible for the overall direction, supervision, and coordination of activities and functions as the Chief Operating Officer for the entire Department. Spellings, who replaced the controversial Rod Paige earlier this year, has been focused thus far on implementing No Child Left Behind and on sharing the stories of improved test scores in many American school districts. Charming and tenacious, she also made it clear that she feels a special bond with teachers and wants and needs them on her side. This article presents the conversation between Grey and Spellings wherein they both discussed parenting, math and science, the arts, test prep, merit pay, and closing the achievement gap.