Former Gov. John Engler on panel discussing role of business in public education
by Dave Murray
Grand Rapids Press
October 4, 2012
Former Michigan Gov. John Enlger is part of a panel discussion debating whether schools can be run as a business but stay true to their humanitarian vision.
Engler, a three-term governor who oversaw the start of charter schools and school choice opportunities in the state, is discussing the growth of private companies in American public education at the event, hosted by the Center for Education Reform and SABIS, an international education provider.
The discussion is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on October 10 in Washington, D.C., but is planned to be streamed live on the Center for Education Reform’s website,staging.edreform.com.
Engler is expected to be joined by the panel by Jeanne Allen, the center’s president,Brian Jones, chairman of the D.C. Public Charter School Board, and James Tooley, author of “From Village School to Global Brand: Changing the World Through Education,” which examines SABIS’ growth.
‘The role of the private sector in education is enormously promsing. The concepts of innovation and scale that business acumen can and does bring to education is often overlooked and misunderstood,” Allen said.
“Understanding the example set by an international group like SABIS is just one way to learn about best practice. Another is to look someone who has both been an education pioneer, a policy maker and a business leader for insight. Gov Engler is uniquely qualified to discuss the intersection of these areas given his experience and now as head of the Business Roundtable which has long been in the forefront of education change.”
The Center for Education Reform, founded in 1993, is an advocacy organization for changes in education structure.
SABIS operates in 15 countries on four continents, including two charter schools in Detroit and one in Saginaw and Flint.
In addition to his with charter schools, Jones is senior vice president and general counsel of Strayer University, which offers classes aimed at working adults on 96 campuses in 26 states. He was the U. S. Education Department’s general counsel between 2001 and 2005.
