Experts Available to Discuss Commission's Recommendations to Revamp U.S. School System.

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TOPIC: The Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce is calling for the U.S. school system to be revamped, according to an article by The Associated Press. The group, which consists of business and education leaders, issued a report that recommends ending high school at the 10th grade. The commission proposed that after completing the 10th grade, students would take tests. Students would then go on to community college or could stay in school to study for more advanced tests in order to attend a four-year university. The report also advises raising the salaries for new teachers to $45,000. The commission suggests replacing conventional pension plans with 401(k)s.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

Dr. Daniel A. Domenech is a bilingual and experienced educational leader available for interviews in English and Spanish. He is senior vice president of National Urban Markets at McGraw-Hill Education, a leading global provider of pre-school through secondary education solutions that enhance teaching and learning for the K-12 market. Dr. Domenech brings more than 34 years of experience as a public school educator and administrator and has a unique understanding of the challenges facing urban educators. Throughout his career, Dr. Domenech has implemented strategies that have led to significant growth in student achievement and greater funding support for public schools. He has served on the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for National Assessment of Educational Progress, the Nation's Report Card. He is a Consultant for the Department of Defense for its schools and the State Department for the American International Schools. He is the founder of the New York State Association for Bilingual Education. He has been interviewed by every news outlet and television station in New York, Washington and Los Angeles. He has been a speaker at the Conference of Latino Television Network. He was the Superintendent of Fairfax County Schools, 1998-2004; past president of the American Association of School Administrators, 1998-1999; District Superintendent of the Secondary Supervisory District of Suffolk County, 1994-1997; Superintendent of Schools for the South Huntington School District in Long Island, 1981-1994; and Superintendent of Schools for Deer Park Schools in Long Island, 1978-1981. He holds a Ph.D. in Education Research from Hofstra University and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Hunter College. PR Contact: Karen Twinem 614-224-8114 [e-mail]

Garrard McClendon, president of the McClendon Report, is an expert on reading, minority students and literacy and education. He can discuss the following topics, including No Child Left Behind, charter schools and technology in schools. 219-588-2461 [e-mail]

Despite the popularity of trendy red-herring reforms like standards, testing, vouchers and charters, Steve Peha, president of Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc., knows that the only way to improve learning is to improve teaching. He has taught thousands of kids and hundreds of teachers in the United States and Canada. A well-researched and experienced education "myth buster," Peha's work belies the traditional notion that increased funding is a requisite for results. He knows that the money we have isn't nearly as important as what we do with it. As he often points out, "It costs just as much to teach poorly as it does to teach well." An avid researcher, he can speak authoritatively on current best practices, how kids learn and what teaching methods are truly effective. His in-school work with teachers and kids, real-world orientation from his years as an entrepreneur, and in-depth investigation of education issues and current research enable him to offer an informed and unique perspective on what we're doing right - and wrong - in education in America. Peha is the author of "Be A Writer: Your Guide to the Writing Life," a book for 12- to 18-year-old kids and their parents. PR Contact: Margot Lester 919-967-3712 [e-mail]

Dr. Merrill Vargo, executive director of Springboard Schools, is both an experienced academic and a practical expert in the field of school reform. She can address NCLB, standards-based teaching, best practices in K-12 education, and a wide variety of other educational topics. Before founding Springboard Schools (as the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative, BASRC) in January 1995, Dr. Vargo spent nine years teaching English in a variety of settings, managed her own consulting firm, and served as executive director of the California Institute for School Improvement, a Sacramento-based nonprofit that provides staff development and policy analysis for educators. She also served as Director of Regional Programs and Special Programs and Special Projects for the California Department of Education, where she provided leadership to several key school reform efforts, including the SB 1274 School Restructuring Initiative, Charter Schools, Goals 2000 and the School Improvement Program. Dr. Vargo's experience at the helm of Springboard Schools places her in the top ranks of the nation's school reformers. Hand-picked by an elite group of Bay Area educators and philanthropists to create BASRC (now Springboard Schools), one of nine urban school reform initiatives funded by the Philadelphia-based Annenberg Foundation, she is one of only two executive directors to have survived the politics and vicissitudes of the reform process for the duration of the "Annenberg Challenge." Under Dr. Vargo's leadership, BASRC became one of only four of the 19 Challenge sites to show achievement strong enough to win renewed grants from its original funders, the Annenberg Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation of Menlo Park, California. The Hewlett Foundation is the largest donor to Springboard Schools, and it was the largest single donor in matching grants for the Annenberg Challenge. A tireless advocate for learning as central to the human experience and for public schools as the cornerstone of democracy, Dr. Vargo consistently champions the needs of children including children growing up in poverty, children of color, and English Language Learners. A former teacher of English and an impassioned advocate for both standards and inspiring teaching, she has been both a student and a teacher in a variety of innovative programs and settings. Dr. Vargo is a product of the public school system and received her BA and Ph.D. in English literature as part of Cornell University's Ford Foundation-funded "Six Year PhD Program." She began her teaching career as part of the interdisciplinary "Freshman Honors Program" at the University of Delaware, a program that set out to serve bright high-school age students in a university setting. She also taught for three years at Deep Springs College, one of nation's oldest and most successful "small schools." Deep Springs students - all 24 of them -- spend two years studying liberal arts courses while operating both the college and a high-desert cattle ranch. PR Contact: Ben Delaney 415-348-5508 [e-mail]

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