Annoy a Teachers Union Boss – Point to Romney’s Education Policy Advisory Group

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Nothing illustrates the President’s double-speak better than when asked if the President was ready to denounce the Occupy Wall Street Movement.  White House Speaker Carney spent some three minutes saying nothing.   Likewise, the mainstream media paints President  Obama is a serious education reformer because  he supposedly supports educational choice, merit pay for good teachers, charter schools, and so on,  but the facts say that rhetoric and policy are diametrically opposed. 

 The President’s  notion that his education reforms, not unlike his economic reforms,  will actually improve public schools is naïve and  downright foolish.  We like to point out that the Teachers Union coupled with the SEIU spent some $500,000,000 in a ten year period trying to buy lawmakers in Sacramento.  Not surprising, the teachers union was involved in Obama’s campaign, the National Education Association (NEA) endorsed Obama and worked hard for his election and now  the teachers’ union wild  so much political power not only in Sacramento but in Washington that  lawmakers in the far left are the union’s beck and call.

Jo Anderson Jr.,  was executive director of the Illinois NEA affiliate prior to being appointed  advisor at the Department of Education.  Not to mention that the President served as the first chairman of the board of the Annenberg Challenge Education Initiative. During this time, his former Weather Underground terrorist mentor, Bill Ayers essentially ran the program…..you get the idea.

.

un-repented self-described terrorist Bill Ayres

In contrast, this week, presumtive GOP Presidental Nominee, Governor  Mitt Romney announced the members of his Education Policy Advisory Group. The group is composed of individuals with deep and diverse experience in a variety of roles across K-12 education, postsecondary education, and workforce training in both the public and private sectors. We have failed to find any   connections between this group and  the teachers union, the Weather Underground or any other terrorist and or Marxist organization , or even connections to anti-Bullying czar Dan Savage.   Savage is founder of the “It Gets Better” project, an anti-bullying campaign that has reached more than 40 million viewers with contributors ranging from President Obama to Hollywood stars. Savage also writes a sex advice column called “Savage Love.” Savage, and his husband, were also guests at the White House for President Obama’s 2011 LGBT Pride Month reception. He was also invited to a White House anti-bullying conference.  Recently, as many as 100 highschool students walked out of a national journalism conference after Savage  began cursing, attacked the Bible and  calling those who refused to listen to his rant as “pansy assed.”

We often argue that the government should get out of the public education business, and focus instead on higher education, but specifically research and development and leave liberal arts education to for-profit organizations.  While Governor Romney's advisory group is unlikely to endorse our ideas, given the choice between the President's rhetoric and policies, and Governor Romney's, we prefer to annoy a union boss.

Governor Romney's Education Policy Advisory Group

“I am proud to announce the support of this impressive group of policy leaders who are devoted to expanding educational opportunities for students,” said Governor Romney. “Our education system is failing too many of our kids, and I look forward to working closely with these leaders to chart a new course that emphasizes school choice and accountability, the importance of great teachers, and access to quality, affordable higher education."

“It is an honor to work with Governor Romney and his team to help develop innovative solutions to our nation’s education challenges,” said Nina Rees, a group co-chair for K-12 education.  “He established an extraordinary track record of results during his time as governor of Massachusetts, and I am confident that with his leadership and his focus on achievement we can ensure that all students have access to the education they deserve.”

K-12 Education Co-Chairs

Nina S. Rees
Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Knowledge Universe; Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education (2002-06).

Dr. Martin R. West
Assistant Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Executive Editor, Education Next.

Higher Education Co-Chairs

Phil Handy
Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Industries; Chairman of the Florida State Board of Education (2001-07); Twice appointed by President George W. Bush to the National Board of Education Sciences, served as Vice Chairman; Member of the Florida Governor’s Council of 100 (1987-present), Board of Directors, and Chair, preK-14 Education Committee; Director, Foundation for Educational Excellence.

Bill Hansen
Chairman & CEO of Madison Education Group; Chairman & President of Scantron/Global Scholar (2009-11); Deputy Secretary of Education (2001-03); President of the Education Finance Council (1993-2001); Assistant Secretary of Education for Management and Budget & CFO (1991-92); serves on numerous corporate, university, and philanthropic boards.

Workforce Training Co-Chairs

Dr. Carol D'Amico
Vice President of Project Lead the Way; Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education (2001); Chair of National Advisory Council on Institutional Quality and Integrity (2004-07); Board Member, Institute for Education Sciences (2003-07); Director, Center on Workforce Development, Hudson Institute, and co-author of Workforce 2020, Published Hudson Institute (1997); Executive Vice President, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana (2004-07).

Emily Stover DeRocco
President of the Washington, D.C.-based Manufacturing Institute (2008-present); Assistant Secretary for Employment & Training at the U.S. Department of Labor (2001-08); Senior Advisor to Secretaries of Energy and the Interior (1981-88); holds two University Board of Trustees positions.

Special Advisor

Dr. Rod Paige
U.S. Secretary of Education (2001-05); Dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University, established the University's Center for Excellence in Urban Education; Superintendent of the Houston Independent School District; 2001 National Superintendent of the Year; Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Committee

John Bailey
White House Domestic Policy Council; Deputy Policy Director to the Secretary of Commerce; Director of Educational Technology for the U.S. Department of Education; currently works with education entrepreneurs, philanthropies, and private sector investors. 

Dr. Robert M. Costrell
Professor of Education Reform and Economics, Endowed Chair in Education Accountability, University of Arkansas; Chief Economist, Commonwealth of Massachusetts (2003-06); Education Advisor to Governor Mitt Romney (2005-06).

Christina Culver
President of CH Global Strategies; Acting Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs at the U.S. Department of Education (2003-06);  Co-Author, “Virtual Schooling: a Guide to Optimizing Your Child’s Education.”

Dr. John E. Chubb
Interim Chief Executive Officer, Education Sector; Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution.

Dr. Bill Evers
Research Fellow, Hoover Institution; Assistant Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Education (2007-09); Senior Adviser for Education, Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq (2003); National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board (2001-02).

Scott Fleming
President and Vice Chairman of Madison Education Group; former Senior Vice President at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Scantron; Senior Education Policy Advisor and Professional Staff to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (2002-06). 

Julio A. Fuentes
President & CEO of Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (Hispanic CREO).  Hispanic CREO’s mission is to improve educational outcomes for Hispanic children by empowering families through parental choice in education.

Tom Luna
Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction (2007-present); President of Council of Chief State School Officers (2011-present); Senior Advisor to U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige (2003-05); Chair of Idaho’s Assessment and Accountability Commission (2000-02); Chair of Nampa School Board (1997-2000).

Dr. Paul E. Peterson
Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Government, Harvard University; Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Editor-in-Chief, Education Next; Member, Independent Review Panel, No Child Left Behind, U.S. Department of Education (2002-06).

Jim Peyser
Managing Partner with New Schools Venture Fund and Chairman of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers; Former Chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Education (1996-2003); Former Executive Director of Pioneer Institute (1993-2000).

Dr. Herbert Walberg
Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution.

Dr. Grover (Russ) Whitehurst
Senior Fellow and Director of the Brookings Institution’s Brown Center on Education Policy; Director of the U.S. Institute of Education Sciences (2002-08); Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education (2001-02); Board of Directors of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2004-07).