William+Bennett

William Bennett:

"Accountability is the linchpin, the keystone, the //sine qua non//, of the reform movement...Schools that produce good results should be rewarded; those that do not should face penalties that will spur them to improve." --William Bennett U.S. secretary of education, April 5, 1987

Born in Brooklyn July 31, 1943. Grew up in Washington D.C. Attended Catholic schools K-12 and graduated from Gonzaga College High School, graduated from Williams College and was a member of Kappa Alpha Society, got a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in political philosophy. He also obtained a J.D. from Harvard Law School. 1986 switched from the Democratic party to the Republican party.. He is now a member of the National Security Advisory Council of the Center for Security Policy (CSP). He is very active in the Republican party and since April 5, 2004 he has his own radio show in Texas called Morning in America. He was a co-director of Empower America. He is the Washington Fellow of the Claremont Institute, and chairman of Americans for Victory Over Terrorism (AVOT). He is also a political analyst for CNN. Executive Director of the National Humanities Center (1976-1981) Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (1981–85) Secretary of the Department of Education (1985–88) Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (1989–90) Bennett has a conservative position on affirmative action, school vouchers, curriculum reform, and religion in education. As Secretary of Education he asked colleges to better enforce drug laws, supported a classical education rooted in Western Culture, and derided multicultural courses. He criticized schools for low standards. He called the educational establishment: "The Blob" or bloated educational bureaucracy. His reform ideas: 1. Competency testing for teachers 2. Opening the teaching profession to knowledgeable individuals who have not graduated from "Schools of Education". 3. Performanced based pay for teachers 4. Holding educators accountable for how much kids learn. 5. A national examination to find out exactly how much our children know. 6. Parental choice of schools. Supported Reagan's student loan program cuts, saying that some individuals should not go to college. Focus was on Three C's: Content, Character, and Choice.
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**Contributions**: Wrote 12 books including:
 * //A Century Turns: New Hopes, New Fears// (2010)
 * //The American Patriot's Almanac: Daily Readings on America// (2008 with John Cribb)
 * //America: The Last Best Hope (Volume II): From a World at War to the Triumph of Freedom// (2007)
 * //America: The Last Best Hope (Volume I): From the Age of Discovery to a World at War// (2006)
 * //Why We Fight: Moral Clarity and the War on Terrorism// (2003)
 * //The Broken Hearth: Reversing the Moral Collapse of the American Family// (2001)
 * //The Educated Child: A Parent's Guide from Preschool through Eighth Grade// (1999)
 * //The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators// (1999)
 * //Our Sacred Honor// (1997, compilation of writings by the Founding Fathers)
 * //Body Count: Moral Poverty...and How to Win America's War Against Crime and Drugs// (1996)
 * //Moral Compass: Stories for a Life's Journey// (1995)
 * //The De-Valuing of America: The Fight for Our Culture and Our Children// (1992)

In 1993 Bennett published //The Book of Virtues,// a collection of stories, poems, and fables intended to teach values to children

//Bibliography:// //Saving Schools: From Horace Mann to Virtual Learning// (2010)

//The Educated Child: A Parent's Guide from Preschool through Eighth Grade (//1999).

//First Lessons: A Report on Elementary Education// (1987)\

http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ba-Be/Bennett-William.htm

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