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{{Short description|American politician and educator (born 1957)}}
[[Image:Margaret_spellings.jpg|thumb|185px|Margaret Spellings]]
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2018}}
'''Margaret Spellings''' (born '''Margaret Dudar''', [[1958]]) is the current [[United States Secretary of Education|Secretary of Education]] under the administration of [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]] and was previously a [[Domestic Policy Adviser]] to Bush. She was one of the principal authors of the [[2001]] [[No Child Left Behind Act]].
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Margaret Spellings
| image = Official Photo of Margaret Spellings.jpg
| office = 8th [[United States Secretary of Education]]
| president = [[George W. Bush]]
| deputy = [[Raymond Simon]]
| term_start = January 20, 2005
| term_end = January 20, 2009
| predecessor = [[Rod Paige]]
| successor = [[Arne Duncan]]
| office2 = Director of the [[United States Domestic Policy Council|Domestic Policy Council]]
| president2 = George W. Bush
| term_start2 = January 30, 2002
| term_end2 = January 5, 2005
| predecessor2 = [[John Bridgeland]]
| successor2 = [[Claude Allen]]
| office3 = President of the [[University of North Carolina]]
| term_start3 = March 1, 2016
| term_end3 = March 1, 2019
| predecessor3 = [[Thomas Warren Ross|Thomas W. Ross]]
| successor3 = [[William L. Roper]] (interim)
| birth_name = Margaret M. Dudar
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|11|30}}
| birth_place = [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse = Gregg LaMontagne (divorced)<br />Robert Spellings (divorced)
| children = 2 daughters
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| education = [[University of Houston]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| caption = Spellings in 2016
}}
 
'''Margaret M. LaMontagne Spellings''' (née '''Dudar'''; born November 30, 1957) is an American government and non-profit executive who serves as president and
The eldest of four daughters, she was born in Michigan and moved with her family to Houston when she was in third grade.
CEO of the [[Bipartisan Policy Center]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Daniels |first1=Eugene |last2=Lizza |first2=Ryan |last3=Ross |first3=Garrett |first4=Rachael |last4=Bade |date=June 5, 2023 |title=Playbook: Christie. Pence. Burgum? |url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2023/06/05/christie-pence-burgum-00100169 |work=[[Politico]] |___location=Washington, DC |access-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605101955/https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2023/06/05/christie-pence-burgum-00100169 |url-status=live }}</ref> She previously served as the eighth [[United States secretary of education]] from 2005 to 2009. After leaving the government, Spellings served as president of the [[University of North Carolina System]], overseeing the seventeen campus system from 2016 to 2019. She then served as president and CEO of [[Texas 2036]] from 2019 to 2023.<ref>{{cite news |website=Houston Chronicle |date=Sep 25, 2019 |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Texas-2036-founder-says-planning-for-Texas-14465600.php |title=Texas 2036 founder says planning for Texas' future can't wait |first1=Erica |last1=Grieder |access-date=February 28, 2020 |archive-date=December 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206113446/https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Texas-2036-founder-says-planning-for-Texas-14465600.php |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
Spellings worked in several positions under [[George W. Bush]] during his tenure as Governor of Texas and President of the United States. She was one of the principal proponents of the 2001 [[No Child Left Behind Act]] that aimed at reforming primary and secondary education. She served as education secretary for the entire second term of Bush's administration, during which time she convened the [[Commission on the Future of Higher Education]] to recommend reform at the post-secondary level.
Spellings earned a bachelor's degree from the [[University of Houston]] and worked in an education reform commission under [[Governor of Texas|Texas Governor]] [[Bill Clements|William P. Clements]] and as associate executive director for the Texas Association of School Boards.
 
==Early life and education==
Before her appointment to George W. Bush's presidential administration, Spellings was the political director for Bush's first gubernatorial campaign in [[1994]], and later became a senior advisor to Bush during his term as Governor of Texas from [[1994]] to [[2000]].
Margaret M. Dudar was born on November 30, 1957, in [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]], and moved with her family to [[Houston|Houston, Texas]] when she was in the third grade. She graduated from [[Sharpstown High School]] in 1975.<ref name="hisd">{{cite web |url-status=dead |url=http://www.houstonisd.org/HISD/portal/article/front/0,2731,20856_67359489_94477637,00.html |website=Houston Independent School District |title=Distinguished HISD Alumni |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060203093117/http://www.houstonisd.org/HISD/portal/article/front/0%2C2731%2C20856_67359489_94477637%2C00.html |archive-date=February 3, 2006 }}</ref>
 
She earned a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[political science]] from the [[University of Houston]] in 1979 and worked in an education reform commission under Texas Governor [[Bill Clements|William P. Clements]] and as associate executive director for the Texas Association of School Boards. Before her appointment to George W. Bush's presidential administration, Spellings was the political director for Bush's first gubernatorial campaign in 1994, and later became a senior advisor to Bush during his Texas governorship from 1995 to 2000.
Following [[Rod Paige|Rod Paige's]] departure as Secretary of Education, Spellings was nominated to the post of the Secretary of Education by George W. Bush on [[November 17]], [[2004]], confirmed by the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] on [[January 20]], [[2005]], and sworn in the same day.
 
==Secretary of Education==
[[File:Margaret Spellings, official ed photo 3.jpg|thumb|Spellings's official Secretary of Education portrait]]
Following [[Rod Paige]]'s departure as Secretary of Education, Spellings was nominated to that position by President George W. Bush on November 17, 2004,<ref>{{cite news|title=Bush Taps Spellings For Education|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bush-taps-spellings-for-education/|work=CBS News|agency=Associated Press|date=November 17, 2004|access-date=July 26, 2008|archive-date=October 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022070449/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/17/politics/main656209.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> confirmed by the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] on January 20, 2005, which also marked the beginning of Bush's second presidential term,<ref>{{cite news|title=Rice confirmation vote delayed|url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/01/20/rice.confirmation/index.html|work=CNN|date=January 20, 2005|access-date=July 26, 2008|archive-date=September 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921135400/http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/01/20/rice.confirmation/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and ceremonially sworn in on January 31 the same year.<ref>{{cite news|author=Feller, Ben|title=Spellings touts role as first education chief with school-age children|url=http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/education/spellings-touts-role-as-first-education-chief-with-school-age/article_cc7bb45e-c672-531a-8b86-9eb5d43a9f3c.html|agency=Associated Press|date=January 31, 2005|access-date=July 26, 2008|archive-date=October 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017211318/http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/education/spellings-touts-role-as-first-education-chief-with-school-age/article_cc7bb45e-c672-531a-8b86-9eb5d43a9f3c.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She was the [[List of female United States Cabinet Secretaries|second female Secretary]] of Education.
 
===''Postcards from Buster'' controversy===
 
On January 21, 2005, one day after being confirmed as Secretary of Education, Spellings wrote a letter to the [[Public Broadcasting Service]] warning the network not to air an episode of the children's program ''[[Postcards from Buster]]''. In that episode, the animated bunny Buster visits Vermont to learn about [[maple sugar]] production and meets real-life children who have [[lesbian]] parents. The children tell Buster they have a "mom and stepmom." A child explains that one of the women is her stepmother whom she loves. No other comment is made about the family.<ref name="wpost-0127">Lisa de Moraes. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40188-2005Jan26.html "PBS' 'Buster' Gets An Education"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030230731/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40188-2005Jan26.html |date=October 30, 2019 }} (TV column), ''Washington Post'', January 27, 2005.</ref>
 
Spellings's letter reminded [[Pat Mitchell]], CEO of PBS, that ''Postcards from Buster'' was funded in part by the Department of Education and "that many parents would not want their young children exposed to the life-styles portrayed in the episode." PBS decided not to distribute the episode, but [[WGBH-TV|WGBH]], the public television station in [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], said it would air it and offered it to any station "willing to defy the Education Department."<ref name="wpost-0127"/>
 
[[Cusi Cram]], a writer for ''Arthur'' (from which that program was spun-off), later wrote a play titled ''Dusty and the Big Bad World'', based on the controversy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/125718-Controversial_PBS_Cartoon_Is_Focus_of_Denver_World_Premiere_Dusty.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912052847/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/125718-Controversial_PBS_Cartoon_Is_Focus_of_Denver_World_Premiere_Dusty.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 12, 2012|title=Controversial PBS Cartoon Is Focus of Denver World Premiere, Dusty – Playbill.com|access-date=April 28, 2017}}</ref>
 
In a 2022 statement about the show's 25th and final season, Spellings told [[NPR]] that "the world is very different today" and that the government "now reflects a greater openness to the multi-faceted, diverse stories that Americans can tell about themselves, their lives, and the country we share."<ref>{{cite news |last=Blair |first=Elizabeth |date=February 21, 2022 |title='And I say, Hey! HEY!' Aardvark Arthur's wonderful new days are ending |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/01/25/1075381867/and-i-say-hey-hey-aardvark-arthurs-wonderful-new-days-are-ending |work=[[NPR]] |access-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103142453/https://www.npr.org/2022/01/25/1075381867/and-i-say-hey-hey-aardvark-arthurs-wonderful-new-days-are-ending |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
===No Child Left Behind===
[[Image:Nancy Reagan Margaret Spellings speech 2008.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Spellings delivers a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library; former first lady [[Nancy Reagan]] is seated at the right]]
 
In April 2005, on PBS's ''[[The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer]]'', she called [[Connecticut|Connecticut's]] resistance to the [[No Child Left Behind Act]] the "soft bigotry of low expectations". According to the program's transcript,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan-june05/spellings_4-7.html |title=Online NewsHour: Margaret Spellings Discusses New Guidelines for the No Child Left Behind Law |date= April 7, 2005 |publisher=PBS |access-date=February 14, 2011 |archive-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110119143635/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan-june05/spellings_4-7.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> she said:
 
{{quote|I think it's regrettable, frankly, when the achievement gap between African-American and Anglo kids in [[Connecticut]] is quite large. And I think it's unfortunate for those families and those students that they are trying to find a loophole to get out of the law as opposed to attending to the needs of those kids. That's the notion, the soft bigotry of low expectations, as the president calls it, that No Child Left Behind rejects.}}
{{clear left}}
 
===Controversy overseeing student loan programs===
On May 10, 2007, Spellings testified before the [[United States House Committee on Education and Labor|House Education and Labor Committee]] responding to criticism from New York Attorney General [[Andrew Cuomo]] that the Education Department had been "asleep at the switch" in overseeing student loan programs, allowing corruption and conflicts of interest to spread.<ref name="cnn-050407">{{cite web |url-status=dead |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/04/student.loans.education.reut/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070508193141/http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/04/student.loans.education.reut/index.html |archive-date=May 8, 2007 |title=New Jersey issues subpoenas in student loan scandal |website=CNN |date=May 6, 2007 |agency=Reuters }}</ref> Spellings has further gone on record to say that she is disregarding the suggestion by the Inspector General to hold the loan companies accountable for their graft.<ref name="Chronicle Higher Education">{{cite web|last=Lipka|first=Sara|url=http://chronicle.com/news/article/3735/secretary-spellings-stands-up-to-senator-clinton?nb|title=Secretary Spellings Stands Up to Senator Clinton|publisher=Chronicle.com|date=January 10, 2008|access-date=February 14, 2011|archive-date=January 13, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113115528/http://chronicle.com/news/article/3735/secretary-spellings-stands-up-to-senator-clinton?nb|url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
Altha Cravey and Robert Siegel wrote in the ''News & Observer'' that Spellings had been "supporting for-profit colleges who prey on students – and then profiting off those same students when they default on their loans." Spellings served on the board of directors for the Apollo Group, the parent company of the for-profit [[University of Phoenix]], which paid her more than $300,000.<ref name=Strauss>"[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/11/14/naming-of-margaret-spellings-as-unc-system-president-called-a-disturbing-new-low/ Naming of Margaret Spellings as UNC system president called 'a disturbing new low']", by Valerie Strauss, ''Washington Post'', November 14, 2015. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115202522/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/11/14/naming-of-margaret-spellings-as-unc-system-president-called-a-disturbing-new-low/ |date=November 15, 2015 }}.</ref>
 
===Commission on the Future of Higher Education===
In September 2005, Spellings announced the formation of the Secretary of Education's [[Commission on the Future of Higher Education]], which has also been referred to as the Spellings Commission.<ref>{{cite web|title=In Focus: The Spellings Commission|url=http://www.insidehighered.com/news/focus/commission|work=Inside Higher Ed|access-date=July 27, 2008|archive-date=August 29, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829225735/http://www.insidehighered.com/news/focus/commission|url-status=dead }}</ref> The commission was charged with recommending a national strategy for reforming post-secondary education, with a particular focus on how well colleges and universities were preparing students for the 21st-century workplace. Controversial recommendations included a call for colleges and universities to focus on training students for the workforce and supporting research with commercial applications.<ref name=Strauss/>
 
It had a secondary focus on how well high schools were preparing students for post-secondary education. Spellings described the work of the commission as a natural extension into higher education of the reforms carried out under No Child Left Behind, and is quoted as saying: "It's time we turn this elephant around and upside down and take a look at it."<ref name="ihe2006">{{cite web|author=Doug Lederman|url=http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/08/measure|title=The Secretary Offers a Preview|publisher=Inside Higher Ed|date=September 8, 2006|access-date=February 14, 2011|archive-date=September 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905141419/http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/08/measure|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
==Post-Government tenure==
After leaving her role as Secretary of Education, she founded Margaret Spellings & Company, an education consulting firm in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{cite web |website=Fox News |url-status=live |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ex-bush-team-acclimates-to-private-life/ |title=Ex-Bush Team Acclimates to Private Life |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023043030/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/08/ex-bush-team-acclimates-private-life/ |archive-date=October 23, 2012 |access-date=August 9, 2009 |first1= Cristina |last1=Corbin |date=March 8, 2009 }}</ref> She was a senior advisor to the [[Boston Consulting Group]]<ref>The Boston Consulting Group (July 16, 2009). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090911142108/http://www.bcg.com/media/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?id=tcm:12-20271 Former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings Named Senior Advisor to The Boston Consulting Group]". Retrieved August 9, 2009.</ref> and the [[U.S. Chamber of Commerce]].<ref>{{cite web|date=April 3, 2009|title=U.S. Chamber Names Margaret Spellings as Senior Advisor &#124; U.S. Chamber of Commerce|url=http://www.uschamber.com/press/releases/2009/april/us-chamber-names-margaret-spellings-senior-advisor|access-date=January 23, 2013|publisher=U.S. Chamber of Commerce |archive-date=February 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217044425/http://www.uschamber.com/press/releases/2009/april/us-chamber-names-margaret-spellings-senior-advisor|url-status=dead}}</ref> Spellings is currently co-chair of the Future of Tech Commission alongside [[Jim Steyer]] of [[Common Sense Media]], an organization that focuses on technology and privacy policy.<ref>{{Cite news|last=McKinnon|first=John D.|date=2021-09-23|title= Voters Want to Curb the Influence of Big Tech Companies, New Poll Shows|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/voters-want-to-curb-the-influence-of-big-tech-companies-new-poll-shows-11632405601 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2021-09-23|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=September 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923175644/https://www.wsj.com/articles/voters-want-to-curb-the-influence-of-big-tech-companies-new-poll-shows-11632405601|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
===President of the University of North Carolina (UNC)===
[[File:Margaret Spellings in April 2014.jpg|thumb|Spellings at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2014]]
On October 23, 2015, Spellings was elected as the president of the [[University of North Carolina]] system by the board of governors, effective March 1, 2016.<ref name="charlotteobserver.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/education/article41183529.html |url-access=subscription |website=Charlotte Observer |date=Oct 23, 2015 |first1=Jane |last1=Stancill |title=Margaret Spellings chosen as next UNC system president|access-date=April 28, 2017|archive-date=January 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131081213/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/education/article41183529.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She succeeded [[Thomas Warren Ross|Thomas W. Ross]], who was fired by the Board of Governors in a controversial move that some believed was motivated by politics.<ref>{{cite news|title=UNC system head Tom Ross pushed out of job, leaves in 2016|date=January 16, 2015|newspaper=ABC11 Raleigh-Durham |access-date=May 7, 2019|url=https://abc11.com/education/unc-system-head-tom-ross-forced-out-of-job/477549/|archive-date=May 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507220043/https://abc11.com/education/unc-system-head-tom-ross-forced-out-of-job/477549/|url-status=live}}</ref> She is the second woman to serve as president of the University of North Carolina.<ref name="charlotteobserver.com"/> In her role as president, she oversaw the seventeen constituent institutions that make up the UNC system, each having its own chancellor that serves as the chief executive on the local campus. Her base salary was $775,000.<ref>{{cite news|title=Spellings Elected Unanimously Following Divisive Search Process|date=Oct 23, 2015|newspaper=[[Chapelboro]]|access-date=November 1, 2018|url=https://chapelboro.com/featured/spellings-elected-unanimously-following-divisive-search-process|archive-date=November 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113171309/https://chapelboro.com/featured/spellings-elected-unanimously-following-divisive-search-process|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
==== Selection controversy ====
Spellings's election as president of the university was controversial because of the way the secretive search process was conducted. At the Board of Governors meeting at which she was selected, several faculty attempted to read a statement before being escorted out by campus police. Over 100 faculty protestors outside the room shouted loud enough to be heard through the closed doors. According to the protestors, Spellings represented "everything that is troubling in the direction of public higher education in this country." "Faculty leaders said they were ignored during the process."<ref name=facultytrust>{{cite news
|title=Next UNC president faces faculty skepticism
|first=Jane
|last=Stancill
|newspaper=[[News & Observer]]
|date=October 22, 2015
|url=https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article41079447.html
|access-date=November 13, 2018
|archive-date=November 13, 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113170655/https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article41079447.html
|url-status=live
}}</ref> Outgoing President Ross described the environment Spellings was entering as "hostile".<ref>{{cite news
|title=UNC Board of Governors Elects New Chair and Interim President Amid Protest
|first=Blake
|last=Hodge
|date=Dec 11, 2015
|access-date=November 1, 2018
|url=https://chapelboro.com/news/unc-board-of-governors-elects-new-chair-and-interim-president-amid-protest
|newspaper=[[Chapelboro]]
|archive-date=November 13, 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113170108/https://chapelboro.com/news/unc-board-of-governors-elects-new-chair-and-interim-president-amid-protest
|url-status=live
}}</ref> On her first day, March 1, 2016, students and faculty walked out of their classes on six campuses. In Chapel Hill, demonstrators gathered on the steps of [[Wilson Library]].<ref>{{cite news
|title=As UNC-system President Margaret Spellings walks in, students walk out
|first=Sierra
|last=Dunne
|date=March 1, 2016
|newspaper=[[Daily Tar Heel]]
|url=https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2016/03/as-unc-system-president-margaret-spellings-walks-in-students-walk-out
|access-date=November 13, 2018
|archive-date=November 13, 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113170028/https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2016/03/as-unc-system-president-margaret-spellings-walks-in-students-walk-out
|url-status=live
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|title=Protest Held on Margaret Spellings' First Day as UNC System President
|first=Blake
|last=Hodge
|date=Mar 1, 2016
|newspaper=[[Chapelboro]]
|url=https://chapelboro.com/featured/protest-held-on-margaret-spellings-first-day-as-unc-system-president
|access-date=November 16, 2018
|archive-date=November 16, 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116215946/https://chapelboro.com/featured/protest-held-on-margaret-spellings-first-day-as-unc-system-president
|url-status=live
}}</ref>
 
Several board of governors members called on Board Chairman John Fennebresque to resign for what they viewed as a mishandled and secretive search process. Chairman Fennebresque resigned the next business day following Spellings's election.<ref name=bogfight>{{cite web|url=http://www.wral.com/unc-bog-schedules-emergency-meeting-to-discuss-search-for-next-president/14973939/|title=Contentious UNC board meets for hours without update on president search |website=WRAL |date=October 16, 2015|access-date=April 28, 2017|archive-date=January 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111023732/http://www.wral.com/unc-bog-schedules-emergency-meeting-to-discuss-search-for-next-president/14973939/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Fennebresqueout>{{cite web|url=http://www.wral.com/chairman-quits-unc-board-of-governors/15022111/|title=Chairman quits UNC Board of Governors |website=WRAL|date=October 26, 2015|access-date=April 28, 2017|archive-date=January 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111020958/http://www.wral.com/chairman-quits-unc-board-of-governors/15022111/|url-status=live}}</ref> System-wide faculty also offered up criticism of the process, declining to prejudge the new president, but saying that she would need to work hard to overcome the distrust built by the selection process.<ref name="facultytrust" /> Controversy surrounding Spellings comes on the back of controversy surrounding the unexplained firing of her predecessor, which some have accused of being politically motivated, though this has been denied by Fennebresque.<ref name="rossfired">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article10223801.html |url-access=subscription |website=Raleigh News & Observer |date=January 16, 2015 |first1=Jane |last1=Stancill |first2=Lynn |last2=Bonner |title=Tom Ross asked to leave UNC system presidency|access-date=April 28, 2017|archive-date=January 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131081333/http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article10223801.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
====LGBT issues and Response to House Bill 2====
On October 23, 2015, Spellings was heavily criticized for making a comment about members of the LGBT community, suggesting it was a "lifestyle."<ref name="dailytarheellgbt">{{cite news|last1=Saacks|first1=Bradley|last2=Fowler|first2=Haley|date=October 26, 2015|title=UNC-system's president-elect criticized for word choice: Spellings called LGBT a lifestyle Friday|newspaper=[[The Daily Tar Heel]]|url=http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2015/10/unc-systems-president-elect-spellings-criticized-for-word-choice|access-date=October 27, 2015|archive-date=October 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027143318/http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2015/10/unc-systems-president-elect-spellings-criticized-for-word-choice|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, many UNC campuses, in early 2016, were plastered with leaflets by discontented students, decrying Spellings as a "corporate educator", among other criticisms, such as her closeness to right-wing political figures.
 
On April 7, 2016, Spellings sent instructions to all elements of the University of North Carolina system to comply with the controversial new North Carolina law, the [[Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act]] (HB2), which requires transgender people to use the bathroom of their birth sex. Spellings said the next day that her instructions to comply did not imply her endorsement of the law. Students around the state protested the law.<ref>"Spellings: Heeding HB2 not acceptance," ''News & Record'', Greensboro, NC, April 9, 2016, p. A-4</ref>
 
On May 4, the U.S. [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] informed Spellings that the University of North Carolina system was in violation of [[Title IX]] of the [[Education Amendments of 1972]] because of her previous declaration that she would enforce HB2.<ref>"{{cite web |url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article75601912.html |title=US Justice Department: HB2 violates Civil Rights Act |access-date=May 4, 2016 |archive-date=May 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504220255/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article75601912.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 31, the [[News & Observer]] of Raleigh reported that Spellings reversed her position and said she would not enforce HB2 to avoid a possible loss in federal funding for North Carolina.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article80992557.html |title=Spellings takes right course on HB2 |date=May 31, 2016 |access-date=June 1, 2016 |archive-date=June 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602104459/http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article80992557.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
====Removal of Confederate Statue====
On August 20, 2018, anti-racist protesters toppled the [[Silent Sam]] statue at [[University of North Carolina]]. Ms. Spellings in a joint statement said that "The actions last evening were unacceptable, dangerous, and incomprehensible." "We are a nation of laws and mob rule and the intentional destruction of public property will not be tolerated."<ref>{{cite news |title=Police seek protesters who toppled Confederate statue in North Carolina |website=[[Reuters]] |date=August 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207173717/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-protests-silentsam/police-seek-protesters-who-toppled-confederate-statue-in-north-carolina-idUSKCN1L60A6 |archive-date=2022-12-07 |url-status=live |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-protests-silentsam/police-seek-protesters-who-toppled-confederate-statue-in-north-carolina-idUSKCN1L60A6}}</ref>
 
====Resignation====
In October 2018, Spellings announced that she was resigning, effective March 1, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wral.com/unc-president-margaret-spellings-resigns-all-leaders-are-for-a-time-/17948469/ |title=WRAL.com: UNC President Margaret Spellings resigns: 'All leaders are for a time' |access-date=October 31, 2018 |archive-date=October 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026220008/https://www.wral.com/unc-president-margaret-spellings-resigns-all-leaders-are-for-a-time-/17948469/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
===Future of Tech Commission===
Spelling launched the Future of Tech Commission with [[Common Sense Media]] founder [[Jim Steyer]] and former [[Governor of Massachusetts|Massachusetts Governor]] [[Deval Patrick]] in April 2021. As co-chairs, this commission will compile solutions for a comprehensive tech policy agenda under President Biden and Congress on topics as privacy, antitrust, digital dequity, and content moderation/platform accountability.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-tech/2021/04/13/the-commission-to-shape-bidens-tech-agenda-794632|title=The commission to shape Biden's tech agenda|website=Politico|date=April 13, 2021|author=Emily Birnbaum|access-date=January 29, 2022|archive-date=January 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129201423/https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-tech/2021/04/13/the-commission-to-shape-bidens-tech-agenda-794632|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
==In popular culture==
Spellings appeared on ''[[List of Jeopardy! tournaments and events#Celebrity Jeopardy!|Celebrity Jeopardy!]]'' (episode airing November 21, 2006). She was the first sitting Cabinet member to appear as a contestant on the show. She came in second with a score of $11,100, losing to actor [[Michael McKean]]'s $38,800.<ref name="j-archive">{{cite web|url=http://www.j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=1384|title=J! Archive, Show #5107|publisher=J-archive.com|access-date=February 14, 2011|archive-date=February 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215033625/http://www.j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=1384|url-status=live}}</ref> She was the only active member of the [[George W. Bush administration|Bush Administration]] to appear on [[Comedy Central]]'s ''[[The Daily Show]]'', as of her appearance on May 22, 2007.<ref name="dailyshow">{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=87387&title=margaret-spellings|title=The Daily Show, May 22, 2007|publisher=TheDailyShow.com|access-date=February 14, 2011|archive-date=April 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406020834/http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=87387&title=margaret-spellings|url-status=live}}</ref> She also appeared on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' on July 22, 2008.<ref name="tv.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/the-colbert-report/show/45593/episode_guide.html?season=4&tag=season_dropdown;dropdown;3|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204224630/http://www.tv.com/the-colbert-report/show/45593/episode_guide.html?season=4&tag=season_dropdown;dropdown;3|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 4, 2013|title=''The Colbert Report'' Episode Guide |publisher=TV.com|access-date=February 14, 2011}}</ref> She appeared over the phone on [[NPR]]'s News Quiz ''[[Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!]]'' on March 8, 2008.<ref name="wait,wait">The topic she was grilled on was the Roleplaying Game [[Dungeons & Dragons]] owing to the death of D&D co-creator [[Gary Gygax]] that week. [https://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=35 Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! : NPR] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217132908/http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=35 |date=December 17, 2013 }}</ref>
 
==See also==
{{Portal|Texas|Biography|Education}}
* [[List of female United States Cabinet members]]
 
==References==
{{Reflist}}
 
==External links==
{{Commons category|Margaret Spellings}}
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A2951-2001Mar27&notFound=true Bush's Schools Guru Expands Her Education Portfolio], ''Washington Post'', 28 March 2001.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180728131319/https://www.northcarolina.edu/unc_president_spellings University of North Carolina Biography]
* [http://www.results.gov/leadership/bio_414.html Official White House bio]
* [https://www2.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/spellings.html U.S Department of Education Biography]
* [http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/08/measure Doug Lederman, "The Secretary Offers a Preview," ''Inside Higher Ed'' September 8, 2006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905141419/http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/08/measure |date=September 5, 2008 }}
* [http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2007/01/01082007.html Secretary Spellings's remarks on the fifth anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act]
* [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gerald-bracey/margaret-spellings-an-ar_b_37741.html Gerald Bracey's ''Huffington Post'' article, ''Margaret Spellings: An Argument for Abolishing the Federal Department of Education'']
* [http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/08/opposing-view-o.html Opposing view: One approach can't fit all]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} By [[John Strassburger]], US today
*{{C-SPAN}}
 
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[[Category{{DEFAULTSORT:1958 births|Spellings, Margaret]]}}
[[Category:U.S.1957 Secretaries of Education|Spellings, Margaretbirths]]
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[[Category:Bipartisan Policy Center]]
[[Category:Boston Consulting Group people]]
[[Category:George W. Bush administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:Presidents of the University of North Carolina System]]
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[[Category:Politicians from Ann Arbor, Michigan]]
[[Category:Texas Republicans]]
[[Category:United States secretaries of education]]
[[Category:University of Houston alumni]]
[[Category:Women members of the Cabinet of the United States]]
[[Category:Women heads of universities and colleges]]
[[Category:21st-century American politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century American women politicians]]
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