America's Educational Future - Another Sign of Change?

Very excited and interesting changed going on in Washington. This is one that I think will do us well. Check out this interview with Jackie Norris, Michelle Obama's Chief of Staff (found on a National Education Foundation Blog):

Iowa Teacher Named Michelle Obama’s Chief of Staff

When government and history teacher Jackie Norris agreed to work for the Obama campaign in 2007, she knew she was working for change, she just didn’t know how much that decision would change her future. Norris was named the First Lady’s Chief of Staff late last year and is joining the new Administration in Washington, DC, this month. The ISEA Communiqué staff asked the former Iowa State Education Association member about her views on education and her new role.


Why did you become a teacher?

My background was in political science. In 2000, I decided that I wanted to combine my two passions: my love of working with young people, specifically high school students, and the content knowledge that I so enjoyed—politics, government, U.S. history. I returned to Iowa State to work through the teacher certification process and went on to teach at Perry High School, Ames High School, and then Johnston High School.


How did you become involved in the Obama campaign?

When I was teaching at Johnston High School, several friends of mine that I had worked with in the past, approached me when they thought Sen. Obama might be considering running for President. This was in January 2007….I kind of laughed and thought, well, you know I’m a mother of three, I’m teaching full-time. I’m so interested but what does this look like, how does it work, could I ever do it?

I spent some time reading speeches and learning a little bit more about Senator Obama and, really, talking to my students. They were, in some respects, the way I got a better sense of how and why I wanted to do this. I saw young people excited about Sen. Obama, more interested in the political process, and for me that was the turning point. I recognized that it didn’t necessarily mean they would vote, it didn’t necessarily mean they would vote for Barack Obama, but there was interest in the office of the President that I had not seen in the past several years.

What did you do for the Obama campaign?

I served as the senior advisor through the Iowa Caucus process. What that means is somebody who is an integrated member of the team without a specific job description whose sole purpose is to look long-term, look at all of the pieces of the puzzle and see how they fit together. [My job was to] think through how to maximize the organization, the candidate time, communications plan, field plan, things like that. In doing so, I also spent a lot of time with Sen. Obama and Mrs. Obama.


What will you be doing as Chief of Staff?

Well, a lot of the job as Chief of Staff is management of three different aspects of Mrs. Obama’s office. One is the White House residence, the second is management of her personal office, and the third is management of the social office, which handles all of the social functions. And, really, thinking through the role she will play to support her husband and support the Administration.

Are there any life lessons you learned in teaching that you will take with you to this new career?

One of the things I learned from teaching is listening. It’s really important. We teach our students to listen, to respect different opinions, and to use all those thoughts and opinions as you come up with an idea…. [Recognizing] that everybody learns differently is something that applies to the public and private sector anywhere you go.

Will education continue to play a role in your new position?

One of the most interesting things I saw was how Sen. Obama developed his education policy. A lot of it was shaped by Iowa teachers. We had policy experts come in and talk to Iowa teachers; Senator Obama sat and talked with Iowa teachers and listened to them. I think education is an issue that will be talked about and that will be moved forward in the public policy dialogue in the next four years. …It’s something I know Mrs. Obama’s very passionate about, especially as it relates to young people 0-5 and then onward. My sense is that we’ll also be paying some attention to the D.C. public schools and thinking of ways we can support D.C. public schools while we’re residing there.

Do you think you’ll have any influence with Obama on education issues?

Sen. Obama listens to a lot of different people. It’s important for him to hear from the trade, from the profession, from the people who walk in those shoes each day. So whether it’s me or it’s other teachers, I know that teachers will have a voice in the discussion about education policy.

What is your opinion of No Child Left Behind and what influence, if any, do you feel you might be able to have?

With influence, I don’t think I can speak to that. With regards to what I’ve heard, and what I’ve seen, and what I’ve experienced myself, is there really does need a to be a thought process about how we accurately measure a child in terms of academic skills. I think we all recognize that an individual test is not the solution. That’s one thing that Sen. Obama heard loud and clear—that assessing a child needs to be not just an individual test. It needs to be a compilation, whether it’s a portfolio or a variety of different things. It needs to be a conversation that includes teachers, principals, and people at the local level making those decisions about the best way to assess a child. So the concept is assisting our children in doing better in the schools, but I think the specifics need to be thought through again in a different way.