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Shaking Schools Up in an Already Tumultuous Year - School of Thought: 11 Education Activists for 2011
With budget cuts looming, and with more states considering radical changes to teacher tenure and other important policies, 2011 looks to be a big year for education, for better or for worse. Here are 11 reformers who are poised to shake things up even more in these tumultuous times. These activists are political and apolitical, working to change school systems from within and without, and can be found in the for-profit, nonprofit and governmental sectors. Some are big names in the education world, while others are more behind-the-scenes players. But what they all have in common is the potential to change how Americans think about education and how kids experience school in 2011 — and beyond. Next Michael Bennet: The Senator
She won't be answering the White House telephone at 3 a.m., but Hillary Clinton may still play a powerful role in the next administration. On Monday, President-elect Barack Obama introduced Clinton as his choice for Secretary of State, ending a weeks-long saga of rumors, press leaks, political back-biting and negotiations with Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, who eventually agreed to release the long-secret list of donors to his charitable foundation to avoid any conflicts of interest. Bitter campaign rivalry aside, pundits and politicians have praised the choice, noting that Clinton's high-profile status is well-suited to the role of America's top diplomat — a daunting post made more difficult by deteriorating relations with Iran, North Korea and Pakistan. Still, some wonder if her outsized ambitions might be too much for the job.
