3 Republicans seek to succeed Horne as Ariz. schools chief

Margaret Dugan

Hometown: Bisbee

Family: Married; one adult son.

For the last six years, Margaret Dugan, 60, has served as second in command to the Arizona superintendent of public instruction.

She said she is now ready to make a move for the top spot - after all, she has sat "in every chair in education," having worked as a school administrator, principal and teacher.

Though Dugan has often sided with her current boss, Tom Horne, she said she has ideas of her own.

• Dugan on AIMS and high-stakes assessment: "It's no longer a high-stakes test, in my opinion. The accountability is no longer as high as it should have been. We need testing at every grade level so we know what students are learning and what teachers are teaching. We need to hold students and teachers accountable."

• Dugan on ethnic studies and their place in the classroom: "I am not supportive of the kind of ethnic studies being taught in Tucson. I think we should just offer U.S. history. Have all students in there and teach them the contributions from all groups. It's more healthy than going on about how bad it was and how everyone hated a particular group."

• Dugan on working with English-language learners: "I co-authored the English-immersion law, and I think it is absolutely effective. There are school districts where it's working beautifully, and that's because people believe in it. If they don't believe, they won't send their teachers to training, and it's not going to work. You can make anything not work if you don't want to."

• Du-gan on the greatest challenge in public education: "The biggest challenge is dispelling the myth that all education in Arizona is abysmal and that we have to look elsewhere to help us. We have the brainpower in Arizona to get the job done. We have great schools, great teachers and great leaders, and all we have to do is take the best practices and share that with those who need help."

John Huppenthal

Hometown: Tucson

Family: Married. Two daughters, ages 17 and 18.

As a lawmaker, Sen. Huppenthal, 56, has authored and passed more than 200 bills, many of which were related to education.

But Huppenthal said he knows that great laws don't always make for a great school system. What is needed, Huppenthal said, is a great leader in the Department of Education.

Accountability for school districts is at the top of the candidate's list, as is recognizing top-performing schools and focusing on improving those at the bottom.

• Huppenthal on AIMS and high-stakes assessment: "My preference is not to have a high-stakes, centralized exam, but the consensus is that we're going to have one, so we need to make it the very best. One problem with the AIMS test is it doesn't have a history or Constitution component. Secondly, it's completely inaccurate at the lower end and at the upper end."

• Huppenthal on ethnic studies and their place in the classroom: "You don't have to undermine American values to connect with kids. I think the focus has to be on the strength of America and the melting pot. When I go into a classroom and they're teaching these students that our Founding Fathers are racist but not teaching that they put their lives on the line for our freedom, I have a real problem with that."

• Huppenthal on working with English-language learners: "We know that English immersion is a powerful force. We have the data. As a result of going to English immersion from bilingual education, we were able to do a huge reclassification of students moving out of the English-language-learner status and moving on to mainstream."

• Huppenthal on the greatest challenge in public education: "We can't get this system going if there's no accountability. We have to hold school districts accountable for engaging parents and for supporting teachers. It's not only about the academics."

Beth Price

Hometown: Casa Grande

Family: Divorced. One 54-year-old son

After years of watching students moved through the educational system regardless of whether they are ready, Price, 73, wants to see change.

Price said she has seen what isn't going on in schools in terms of learning, and she said she believes the answer is setting the bar higher for teachers and students.

Since 1989, Price has worked in institutional research, assessments and grants in community colleges throughout Arizona.

• Price on AIMS and high-stakes assessment: "AIMS is a good test. I give the Department of Education kudos for constantly revising the AIMS, because that's what you've got to do - give the assessment, look at the results and revise it to make it more effective."

• Price on ethnic studies and their place in the classroom: "I believe in cultural studies. You need to appreciate your roots, . . . but you don't obsess about one particular direction or advocate overthrow of the government. There's no need to take it to that extreme. It has a bad effect on our society."

• Price on working with English-language learners: "Immersion is good to a point. I haven't defined a particular process on how to get students proficient."

• Price on the greatest challenge in public education: "Our biggest problem is working together. Teachers should be working with parents, and both should be working with students, counselors and administrators. I'm really advocating teamwork, because when students are not performing, everybody blames someone else."

Contact reporter Alexis Huicochea at 573-4175 or ahuicochea@azstarnet.com