Spellings Travels Abroad

Today numerous newspapers are running a story from the AP entitled, "Spellings Goes Overseas to Tout Education." Since taking office in 2005 Spellings has taken seven trips at a cost of $36,981 to the tax payers. The Department of Education claims that Spellings travels because she has a need to understand both the countries that we are competing against and the countries that we aid. I'm not so sure that I agree that international travel is the way that the United States Secretary of Education should be spending her time.

What are Secretary Spellings's responsibilities? Under No Child Left Behind, the primary purpose of the U.S. Department of Education is to oversee the ways in which states serve as educational watchdogs, setting educational standards and managing standardized tests. Why is it important for the Secretary of Education to understand other nations and the global context, at the expense of taxpayers?

Certainly the highest quality educational programs take global perspectives in the Twenty First Century. It is essential for students to understand cultures, and political and economic structures beyond our own. However, the department has no authority to develop curriculum. Curriculum is developed at state and local levels. Secretary Spellings does not need to travel the world to develop an understanding of international affairs so that she can infuse it into curricula. She doesn't develop curriculum.

The U.S. Depatment of Education issues grants to states and local grantees under a variety of different programs, such as foreign language, science and math, and history. Certainly the staffers who oversee these grants should understand the global context, since the best educational programs teach students about the entire world. Grantors should ensure that the programs they fund have global perspectives and have the ability to help program managers infuse their projects with this content. However, I hardly think that Secretary Spellings spends much time selecting grantees and overseeing grants.

The AP cites the cost of Spellings travel at $36, 981. However, the cost is actually higher since the AP doesn't consider the opportunity cost. When Spelling travels overseas she is not in the United States. She cannot pursue her domestic duties. Secretary Spellings should be spending her time touting the importance of educational standards. She should be spending her time leading the department as it figures out how to assist educators around the nation in both setting and fulfilling educational standards. When she is out of the country she can not do these things.

Secretary Spellings, please stay in the United States and do your job, instead of travelling the world at my expense.