Margaret Spellings facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margaret Spellings
|
|
|---|---|
Spellings in 2016
|
|
| 8th United States Secretary of Education | |
| In office January 20, 2005 – January 20, 2009 |
|
| President | George W. Bush |
| Deputy | Raymond Simon |
| Preceded by | Rod Paige |
| Succeeded by | Arne Duncan |
| Director of the Domestic Policy Council | |
| In office January 30, 2002 – January 5, 2005 |
|
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | John Bridgeland |
| Succeeded by | Claude Allen |
| President of the University of North Carolina | |
| In office March 1, 2016 – March 1, 2019 |
|
| Preceded by | Thomas W. Ross |
| Succeeded by | William L. Roper (interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Margaret M. Dudar
November 30, 1957 Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | Gregg LaMontagne (divorced) Robert Spellings (divorced) |
| Children | 2 daughters |
| Education | University of Houston (BA) |
Margaret M. LaMontagne Spellings (born November 30, 1957) is an American leader in government and non-profit organizations. She is currently the president and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center, a group that works on public policy.
Before this, she was the eighth United States secretary of education from 2005 to 2009. This means she was in charge of education for the entire country. After her time in government, Spellings led the University of North Carolina System from 2016 to 2019, overseeing 17 different college campuses. She also served as president and CEO of Texas 2036, a group focused on the future of Texas, from 2019 to 2023.
Margaret Spellings worked for George W. Bush when he was Governor of Texas and later when he became President. She was a key supporter of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. This law aimed to improve schools for all students. As Education Secretary, she also created a group called the Commission on the Future of Higher Education. This group looked at ways to improve colleges and universities.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Margaret M. Dudar was born on November 30, 1957, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her family moved to Houston, Texas when she was in third grade. She finished high school at Sharpstown High School in 1975.
In 1979, she earned a degree in political science from the University of Houston. She worked for an education reform group under Texas Governor William P. Clements. She also worked for the Texas Association of School Boards. Before joining President George W. Bush's team, Spellings was a political director for his first campaign for governor in 1994. Later, she was a senior advisor to him when he was governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.
Secretary of Education
After Rod Paige left his role, President George W. Bush chose Margaret Spellings to be the next Secretary of Education. She was approved by the United States Senate on January 20, 2005. This was also the day President Bush started his second term. She was officially sworn in on January 31, 2005. She was the second woman to hold the position of Secretary of Education.
No Child Left Behind Act
In April 2005, Margaret Spellings discussed Connecticut's approach to the No Child Left Behind Act. She said that it was like "the soft bigotry of low expectations." She explained that the difference in achievement between different groups of students in Connecticut was large. She felt it was wrong for them to try to avoid the law. Instead, she believed they should focus on helping all students succeed. This idea, "the soft bigotry of low expectations," means not expecting enough from students. The No Child Left Behind Act aimed to change that.
Student Loan Programs
On May 10, 2007, Spellings spoke to the United States House Committee on Education and Labor. She responded to concerns that the Education Department was not doing enough to oversee student loan programs. Some critics said this allowed problems to grow.
Spellings later served on the board of directors for the Apollo Group. This company owns the University of Phoenix, which is a for-profit college.
Commission on the Future of Higher Education
In September 2005, Spellings announced a new group. It was called the Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education. This group was also known as the Spellings Commission. Its job was to suggest a national plan for improving colleges and universities. They especially focused on how well these schools were preparing students for jobs in the 21st century.
The commission also looked at how well high schools prepared students for college. Spellings said this work was a natural next step after the reforms of No Child Left Behind. She wanted to take a close look at higher education to make it better.
Post-Government Work
After leaving her role as Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings started her own education consulting firm. It was called Margaret Spellings & Company and was based in Washington, D.C.. She also worked as a senior advisor for the Boston Consulting Group and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Currently, Spellings is a co-chair of the Future of Tech Commission. This group focuses on technology and privacy rules.
President of the University of North Carolina (UNC)
On October 23, 2015, Margaret Spellings was chosen to be the president of the University of North Carolina system. She started this job on March 1, 2016. She took over from Thomas Warren Ross, who had left the position. Spellings was the second woman to become president of the University of North Carolina. In this role, she was in charge of 17 different colleges and universities within the UNC system. Each of these schools has its own leader, called a chancellor. Her starting salary was $775,000.
Confederate Statue Removal
On August 20, 2018, protesters pulled down the Silent Sam statue at the University of North Carolina. Margaret Spellings released a statement saying that "The actions last evening were unacceptable, dangerous, and incomprehensible." She added that "We are a nation of laws and mob rule and the intentional destruction of public property will not be tolerated."
Resignation
In October 2018, Spellings announced that she would be leaving her position. Her resignation became effective on March 1, 2019.
Future of Tech Commission
Margaret Spellings launched the Future of Tech Commission in April 2021. She co-chairs this commission with Common Sense Media founder Jim Steyer and former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. This commission works to create solutions for technology policy. They focus on topics like privacy, fair competition, digital access for everyone, and how online platforms manage content.
See also
In Spanish: Margaret Spellings para niños
- List of female United States Cabinet members
