Tag Archives: Rita Ferrandino

Common Core – For Our Kids

Note: This column ran in the August 16, 2013 edition of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune: What do economic development, better jobs, and our kids’ future all have in common? Good schools. In a few days schools will be back in session. But are those schools good enough? The education our kids get will determine how well […]

Next Generation Science Standards Released

The final Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were released on Tuesday, April 9th and they call for some dramatic changes to the way science is taught in the United States. The NGSS guidelines are rigorous:  they are intended to combat widespread scientific ignorance, provide a set of internationally benchmarked standards for K-12 science education and […]

“Raising the Bar: Reviewing STEM Education in America”

On April 10, I attended a Hearing of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, chaired by Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN), where they reviewed the need to evaluate the federal government’s STEM investment to ensure it is helping students complete for jobs in these high-demand STEM fields. By 2018 the United States will […]

One of 29 Votes

In Tallahassee this week I had the great honor of casting one of Florida’s 29 Electoral College votes to re-elect Barack Obama as President of the United States. It was a simple procedure – almost mundane – as we signed our names to the ballots. But my thoughts were not mundane, and they echoed what […]

Building a Sales Pipeline to Meet Your Targets – And Making Sure It Succeeds

With school back in session and fall in the air, most companies have turned (or should be turning) their attention to building leads and getting people engaged so that you can close deals in the winter and the spring, as our sales cycle chart to the right shows. At this point, for whatever your goal […]

September Government Relations Update

Education Highlights from Democratic and GOP Platforms With the nominating conventions behind us, both the Republican and Democratic parties laid out further their stances on education in their respective party platforms: Democratic Party – The 2012 Democratic platform emphasized the importance of education throughout the document, echoed by President Obama’s acceptance speech. Education was cited […]

June Government Relations Update

FY13 Education Budget and STEM Funding On June 14, the Senate Appropriations Committee released its version of the FY13 education budget. (As of this writing, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies had yet to finish its version of the bill). Under the Senate version, the Department of Education would receive […]

May Government Relations Update

Your Ticket to the 2012 Elections With another election season in full swing, Rita Ferrandino will be in the middle of all the excitement. In addition to her work with Arc and as the CEO of Chicago Educational Publishing Company and as a founding partner of Arc Capital Development, Rita also serves as the Chair of […]