In an article from January 2004 in the Glendale Star (
http://www.glendalestar.com/articles/2004/01/23/news/news02.txt), former Executive Director of the Arizona Republican Party, Nathan Sproul was additionally identified as Regional President of Voyager Learning.
Voyager (www.voyagerlearning.com)is a Dallas-based "learning" company whose primary reason for being is to provide cram courses for kids so they can pass the standardized tests mandated by the "No Child Left Behind" Act. (Not coincidentally, this company was started in Texas in the late 90's---when Bush pushed his education "reforms" through.)
According to Voyager's news releases, the company has grown exponentially over the last few years due to their innovative curriculum and leading-edge teaching methods.
However, according to a Press Release from the Public Advocate for the City of New York from May 6, 2003 (http://www.pubadvocate.nyc.gov/press/050603.shtml), "Voyager reading products provide little results" and were described by one expert as "the best example of the worst reading programs for young children."
The Public Advocate goes on to say that Voyager's success to date is chiefly attributable---not to the quality of their products---but to their use of political connections to gain lucrative contacts. Specific examples/persons cited were:
--Voyager SVP,Jim Nelson is a former Bush appointee, who headed of the Texas Education Agency. As Texas Governor, George W. Bush pushed a proposal giving $25 million in state money to after school programs that would aid Voyager, which had contributed more than $45,000 to Bush and over $20,000 to Bush's lieutenant governor running mate
--Voyager President Randy Best worked with current Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld when the two were appointed board members of Westmark Systems, an Austin-based holding company specializing in acquiring military electronics companies. Randy Best has even said that politics was "a major part of the decision-making process."
The Public Advocate additionally claims "that schools have been pressured to use Voyager.
The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act specifically states that only curricula and teaching methods that are scientifically proven to work will be funded. Yet, despite criticism that the research used to justify Voyager's claims to success were unscientific and produced very little results, the U.S Education Department led applicants for federal reading funds to believe that approval of their application would be speeded up if they indicated a preference for particular commercial programs, including Voyager.
Furthermore, the New York State Department of Education was also said to be following the federal government's guidelines by mandating the use of a Voyager program. In July 2002... School officials were told that they had to use an online program being developed by a Texas-based company, Voyager Expanded Learning."
This raises many questions, chief among them . . .
Is Sproul still employed by Voyager Learning and how did he get the job?
If he still works for them, why is he running a registration drive?
What exactly are his ties to Mr Nelson and the other execs?