So Mitt Romney has released his list of education policy advisors. As he says:
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.
Well the system maybe “failing too many of our kids” but many of these people are very familiar to the GOP education types. These guys have “charted a new course that emphasizes school choice and accountability” before; a number of them are veterans of the last Bush administration and were architects of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Here’s the list:
1. John Bailey
(Department of Education official under George W. Bush)
2. John Chubb
Interim Chief Executive Officer of Education Sector; fellow at the Hoover Institution.
3. Robert Costrell
Professor of Education at the University of Arkansas
Education advisor to Mitt Romney as governor of Massachusetts (2005-06).
4. Christina Culver
President of CH Global Strategies
(Department of Education official under George W. Bush)
5. Bill Evers
fellow at the Hoover Institution
(Department of Education official under George W. Bush)
6. Scott Fleming
President and Vice Chairman of Madison Education Group
7. Julio Fuentes
President & CEO of the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options
8. Carol D’Amico
Vice President of Project Lead the Way
(Department of Education official under George W. Bush)
9. Emily Stover DeRocco
President of the of Manufacturing Institute
(Department of Labor official under George W. Bush; official at the Departments of Energy and the Interior under Ronald Reagan)
10. Phil Handy
Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Industries
11. Bill Hansen
Chairman & CEO of Madison Education Group
(Department of Education official under George W. Bush)
12. Tom Luna
Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction (2007-present)
(Department of Education official under George W. Bush)
13. Rod Paige
(Secretary of Education under George W. Bush)
14. Paul Peterson
Professor of Government at Harvard University; Editor-in-Chief, Education Next
15. Jim Peyser
Managing Partner, the New Schools Venture Fund
16. Nina Rees
Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Knowledge Universe
(Department of Education official under George W. Bush)
17. Martin West
Professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education; executive editor of Education Next.
18. Herbert Walberg
Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution.
19. Grover (Russ) Whitehurst
Senior Fellow and Director of the Brookings Institution’s Brown Center on Education Policy;
This list doesn’t necessarily indicate any particular direction in terms of policy. While the group understandably leans to the right, it’s diverse enough that there are probably many disagreements within the faction.
