Contributor
Arthur J. Rothkopf, Senior Vice President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Related Link:
http://www.chamberpost.com/
Biography provided by participant
Arthur J. Rothkopf serves as senior vice president and counselor to the president of the U.S. Chamber and is responsible for the Chamber's Education and Workforce initiative. Rothkopf is a member of the Commission on the Future of Higher Education established by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. Before joining the Chamber, Rothkopf served as president of Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, was secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and was a senior partner in the Washington law firm of Hogan & Hartson.
As part of the Education and Workforce initiative, Rothkopf oversees the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW), a 501(c)3 affiliate of the U.S. Chamber. ICW works to ensure that businesses have access-today and tomorrow-to an educated and skilled workforce. Through policy initiatives, business outreach, and a strong grassroots network, ICW finds solutions to preserve the American workforce as this country's greatest business asset and its strongest resource.
Recent Responses
September 14, 2009 09:21 AM
The responses of Rick and Jamie are right on target. There are a myriad of steps that colleges can take and they enumerate them. I would especially stress the poor quality of the education received by college-bound students before they enter higher education. With remediation rates in excess of 40 percent, far too many students are behind before they take their first class and they never catch up. We must be committed to the goal of having all high school graduates college-ready and career-ready. This requires a much more rigorous K-12 curriculum and assessments that ensure that students are actually learning. Student counselling…
Read moreAugust 10, 2009 09:10 AM
I will confess to being old-fashioned on this question. I would exhaust every other available option before even considering payments to students to learn. It demeans education to pay youngsters to study and achieve in school. Is there a point at which the payments stop? Do the students then stop studying? My guess is that this is a short-term gimmick that cannot withstand close scrutiny. Let's put our taxpayer money to better use. …
Read moreAugust 3, 2009 10:15 AM
The guidance issued by the Department of Education on the Race to the Top Fund is remarkable for its whole-hearted support of reform principles. Arne Duncan is to be commended for standing firm in endorsing principles of linking teacher and principal compensation to student achievement, support of charter schools, and requiring that states adhere to the reform standards enunciated in ARRA. If states have laws that prohibit taking student achievement into account in setting teacher and principal compensation, they should not be eligible for RTTT money. The same should apply to states that limit charter school growth through caps or other means. The right principles are…
Read moreJuly 6, 2009 10:00 AM
I agree with those who say that mayoral control is not a panacea for the ills that confront our public education system. At the same time, the successes achieved in Chicago, New York, and Boston can be attributed in substantial part to the fact that the chief executives of those cities have taken responsibility for improving the quality of public education and are willing to be held accountable for success or failure. The finger-pointing that accompanies our traditional school board model is highly unlikely to lead to systemic change. At the same time, the mayoral control model must be accompanied by the selection of…
Read moreJune 29, 2009 09:05 AM
There is no doubt that education stimulus funding will be used by the states that are in great financial difficulty to prevent large-scale teacher layoffs and to offset some of the draconian cuts in education spending created by the recession. At the same time, Congress intended through the “assurances” required of states before they are to receive State Fiscal Stabilization funds, that they agree to significant reform efforts. These assurances include creating a robust K-16 data system; developing college and career-ready standards, and the assessments to accompany these standards; improving teacher effectiveness and placing our best teachers in our most challenging schools; and…
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This Education Blog is funded by support provided, in part, by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the purpose of creating an educational forum for sharing research, ideas and opinions regarding issues related to college readiness and college completion. The Blog may not be used to post partisan political statements supporting or opposing candidates for public office. All statements and materials posted on the Blog, including any statements regarding specific legislation, reflect the views of the individual contributors and do not reflect the views of National Journal or the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation. National Journal and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation take no positions regarding any legislation discussed in the Blog. National Journal reserves the right to monitor material placed on this site and to remove any posting they may deem inappropriate.
