§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on what date Professor Michael Barber was appointed as Standards and Effectiveness Adviser; when Professor Barber has travelled on official business to the United States of America since his appointment; and what meetings he held with members and officials of the United States Government during each visit. [93887]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisMichael Barber was appointed as Head of the Standards and Effectiveness Unit on 2 May 1997.
Michael Barber visited San Diego to speak at the National Centre on Education and the Economy's conference in January 1998. He met various state level officials but no representative of the US Government. He visited Washington DC in December 1998 to present to the World bank on education reform in the UK. While he was there, he met Bruce Reed, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. He visited the USA again in August 1999 to speak at the International Principals' Institute conference in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and on that occasion met Bruce Reed again and Andrew Rotherham, who shortly afterwards took up a post as education adviser to President Clinton's administration. He also gave a presentation to a group of officials in the Education Department in Washington DC.