Posted on 06/14/2013 11:38:15 AM PDT by drewh
As a Republican, I never expected to be working with Hillary Clinton. But, because I’ve been through the partisan microwave so many times, I care more these days about problem-solving than scoring political points (which is why I helped cofound No Labels. I care more about what works than who wins).
I’ve spent the better part of my career in politics and public policy working on and fighting for education reforms. I worked for a Texas governor in the mid-’80s who passed the infamous “No Pass, No Play” rule, which meant if a student didn’t pass their courses, they couldn’t play football. You can imagine how that went over in Texas: it got the governor un-elected.
And it was work I was doing to support charter schools in Texas that was the focus of my initial meeting with George W. Bush, who went on to enact significant charter laws as governor of Texas. I later went to work for him when he ran for reelection, then worked on his campaigns for president, where we spent a lot of time talking about "No Child Left Behind," an idea which became landmark federal education legislation.
But as I’ve recently reflected on almost 30 years of working on this issue—after the billions of dollars that have been spent and hundreds of programs and pilots that have been tried—the fact is that we have made remarkably little progress. In fact, we’ve gone backward. I was shocked to see that while some innovative charter schools that represent very poor students are sending almost 100 percent of their students to college, nearly three-quarters of them are dropping out.
Then I began reading Republican David Brooks’s columns about emerging research and science revealing the wisdom of very early intervention strategies. It is increasingly clear that if learning and nutrition strategies are implemented with very young children, they will be significantly more likely to succeed in life—and less likely to need costly remediation later.
Folks on my side of the aisle will say it is heresy to be working with Hillary Clinton. Fortunately, at this stage of my life, I don’t care. Says Brooks: “millions of parents don’t have the means, the skill, or, in some cases, the interest in building their children’s future. Early childhood education is about building structures so both parents and children learn practical life skills.”
Seems like a very conservative approach to me. Invest a little early and save lots later.
“We’ve got big challenges; our students are falling further and further behind in math and science,” says Sara Martinez Tucker, CEO of the National Math + Science Initiative and the former undersecretary of education under President George W. Bush. “But we can fix it. The research shows that the early years really matter. Getting them excited. Getting them to want to learn about what’s out there. If we get it right there, hooked on either math or science, that’s huge. Not just for our kids, but for the future of our country.”
A year ago or so, I was connected with a nonprofit organization, The Next Generation, which is dedicated to precisely these issues. Since then I have been working closely with the organization’s professionals, who have been developing smart strategies on these topics.
Then a few months ago, Hillary Clinton expressed an interest in what we were doing. She wanted to learn more, which was not entirely surprising, given her early and long history of working on related issues. As she learned more about the Next Generation, we learned more about her thinking on the subject, which was insightful and intellectually penetrating. It became clear there was a lot of potential synergy and that a partnership made a lot of sense.
It pleased my conservative instincts to see Secretary Clinton’s push for a focus not on government solutions, but on personal responsibility and behavior, supported by private-sector approaches to the problem. To provide American parents with the resources they need to help their children succeed, Too Small to Fail will work to: • Promote new research on the science of children’s brain development and on the effect of early nutrition on childhood development; • Launch a personal action campaign aimed at encouraging parents and caregivers to take simple actions that are proven to improve learning and health; • Launch a private-sector action campaign designed to secure business commitments that will improve conditions for families; and • Convene childhood-development experts, parents, private-sector leaders, and other stakeholders in a major, national discussion that helps advance understanding of the science of early childhood development.
I know I’m going to take a lot of heat from some folks on my side of the aisle who will say it is heresy to be working with Hillary Clinton. Fortunately, at this stage of my life, I don’t care. More to the point, if hyper-partisans will look at these issues and the remarkable science and research surfacing now about the wisdom and efficacy of these strategies, I believe they will recognize it is the smart thing to do. It is the right thing to do. And it is the conservative thing to do.
Hey Mark! You want to “fix” education in America? How about we stop using schools as experiments on how to socially reconstruct America!!! Schools should do one thing, and one thing only! That is teach children, first how to learn, and then how to think (without giving them indoctrination into a particular ideology). How about we require educators to be educators, not indoctrinators? Let’s stop this nonsense of expecting every child to attend college! Let’s include vocational training for children who either don’t want to attend college, or who are not going to make it to college! Let’s demand that those who teach are qualified to actually teach. Too many of this nation’s children are stuck in classrooms with “teachers” who are so completely out of touch with their students that the students tune them out. Too many people who work in cubicles in some office miles and miles away from any classroom are making decisions on how and what teachers are to teach, and then force teachers to maintain some artificial timeline for presenting material, and then expecting ALL children to keep up with that pace. There is little, if any, differentiated instruction for students who are gifted compared to average compared to slow learners. So, teachers are made to teach to the middle. This only results in the gifted becoming extremely bored, and the slow learners completely lost. The decisions for how and what is taught needs to be brought down to the level of the school district, and the parents of those being taught, instead of being decided upon by people who work in an office building that often is hundreds of miles from the classrooms.
Early childhood intervention through private business might be exactly the solution we need to get inner-city and minority children interested in their education/future and off perpetual government assistance.
Working with Hillary Clinton to do it? Not so much.
I hope he doesn’t hug her. He might get the blood of at LEAST four dead Americans on HIS hands too.
What difference does it make?
Looking at the whole picture from the perspective of low information voters, it is without a doubt better for a dem liberal to win and run the country into the ground than a liberal republican who will still run the country into the ground. The blame goes to the party in power, and low information voters will only acknowledge that simple equation.
So, anyone who advocates Rubio as the GOP candidate in 2016 is a fool, IMO. Wanting a liberal Hispanic heading the GOP ticket who can attract Hispanic voters is insane and a blatantly transparent "gimmick". Hispanic voters will vote for the handout. If he were to run as a dem he would likely primary Clinton and would be the next POTUS, IMO.
The incestuous nature of politics and the one party (read progressivism) politics we see today are whats the cause of this. Your guy wins today and tomorrow the other guy wins but they are all reading from the same prompter. There are a small number of true patriots but they are drowned out by the hive.
“I don’t blame Rubio for seeking the Hispanic vote....he sure can’t please a group of holier than thou “conservatives” so he might as well try for a new foundation... “
and what makes you so superior?
LOL Some folks just don’t know when to quit and become democrats.
Mark Mckinnon is a liberal.
“I don’t really care how or why President Obama got to the right place on gay marriage. I’m just glad he got there.”
“Barack Obama was gifted with a voice and the moment. But the opportunity was lost. We can argue about why and who was to blame, but there is plenty to go around.”
“But now he has another chance to lead. I applaud and respect his victory. I hope he will take full advantage of the moment.”
‘I care more about what works than who wins’
Can’t...stop....laughing....pundit....in...the...political. ..class...wants.....us...to...believe....it’s...about....solutions!
Ha! must be the money! Hillary Clinton is toxic. If America votes her into the White House. Clearly, the UNITED States is OVER!
That was Democratic Governor Mark White. So in the opening salvo he paints a picture of how he worked in Texas under Democrats till the Republicans took over and "surprise surprise" he realized he was a Republican. Now that Republicans are out of power he realizes he's not a Republican.
A political whore, in short.
Republicans need to stay away from such.
I guess that makes me smarter than you.
Because as a conservative, I would expect the guy who created the organization that apparently only cares about 'partisan politics' when conservatives assert themselves would eventually come out of the closet.
Don’t blame the Conservatives for Milk Romney or Juan McCain’s ass kicking.
That prize goes to the RINO Establishment who hand picked these turds.
The Tea Party and the Conservatives told the Establishment clearly that they were done supporting Central Office picked RINOS. They didn’t Listen. They pushed their primaries, they pushed their rules.
They Pushed their luck and got smeared. So what do they do.
Yeah RE-appoint Pee Wee Pribus as their chair. Cowards afraid to call the rats what they are.
Look at what is happening in the Senate now. They RINOS Are selling out this Country’s culture and openly lieing to the public while they do it.
Point your fire at the source. The RNC and the liars who play in their Sandbox! Marco Rubio, Juan McCain, Carl Rove, Lindsey Graham, etc.
I’ve spent the better part of my career in politics and public policy and therefore have no real world experience working on and fighting for education reforms.
"No Child Left Behind," an idea which became landmark federal boondoggle of epic proportions education legislation.
But as I’ve recently reflected on almost 30 years of working on this issue—after the billions of dollars that have been spent and hundreds of programs and pilots that have been tried—the fact is that we have made remarkably little progress. In fact, we’ve gone backward. I was shocked and realized that the only solution to government instituted problems is more government money
It is increasingly clear that if learningbrainwashing and nutrition strategies are implemented with very young children, they will be significantly more likely to succeed in life
Hillary couldn’t handle being Sec of State.
NO WAY she could or should be the next POTUS.
That would be Democrat Mark White, if the writer was interested in facts.
But, of course, a move from Bush/McCain to Hillary isn't really a defection, is it?
Guy sounds like a career liberal.
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