Keeping Secrets

There's something to be said for starting with a blank page.

But the U.S. Department of Education is taking this to new levels and violating the spirit, or perhaps even the letter, of the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). And they're being secretive about an important issue: how our youngsters should be taught to read.

Making sure the public's business is done in public is an issue that transcends education. This recent tug-of-war over public records regarding a new reading commission, being sought by my newspaper, Education Week, illustrates how the presidential race isn't just about what kind of policies the candidates stand for, but also how they would run the bureaucracy of the federal government in general.

The FOIA is supposed to ensure that government business (which is funded by you, the taxpayer) is conducted out in the open. There are exceptions, of course, for things like national security and records on juveniles, for example. As this recent Dallas Morning News story points out, all of the candidates are pledging openness.

But how open are they now, as candidates?

John McCain has promised to reveal his health records, but so far, hasn't. There have been issues surrounding Hillary Clinton's schedule as First Lady, and her activities while in Congress, such as which earmarks she's sought. And Sen. Barack Obama has been criticized for not revealing more records about his time in the Illinois State Senate.

So what does this say about how they would do business if elected President?

To show how important openness can be, consider the recent case in which EdWeek reporter Kathleen Kennedy Manzo sought public information from the education department about a new panel that's supposed to examine reading research. As part of her coverage of reading issues, Manzo asked for e-mail records in search of more insight into the Commission on Reading Research--such as what kind of expertise this panel would have, what the purpose of it is, etc. Reading has been a hot topic for the ed department. President Bush's flagship reading program, Reading First, was at the center of one of the biggest education scandals of his administration.

The records Manzo got in response to her request were laughable. Here's a sample of some of the e-mails I had scanned in so you could see for yourself. Lots of salutations and "have a great weekend" but absolutely nothing of substance about the reading commission was contained in dozens of pages turned over to EdWeek. And these examples contain more words than many of the pages, which were turned over completely blank.

It's not like this is a first for the Bush administration.

Here, Manzo details the plight of a foundation wanting records on the Reading First program. And this September 2004 report on behalf of Democrats to the House Committee on Government Reform details how the Bush administration reversed the Clinton administration's presumption that all records should be disclosed if possible. (Advance to page 14 of the file to read more about this.)

Manzo isn't giving up on her quest for more information about this reading commission, so she's filing an administrative appeal with the agency.