Word: bennette
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...Senate's approval of the nominee reflected a widespread support for Cavazos and what he represents. If one is to believe his testimony before the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources last month, Cavazos's style and philosophy differ quite dramatically from those of his predecessor, William J. Bennett...
Unlike the flamboyant and outspoken Bennett, Cavazos does not come to the post with an ideological axe to grind or a constituency to alienate. Unlike Bennett, who seemed to take pleasure in refusing to meet with leaders of the education community and asserted that they were merely interested in obtaining more federal money for their programs, Cavazos says he is ready to build a new consensus with Congress and educators...
...While Bennett became the vocal point man for the Reagan Administration as it attempted to slash student loan programs and shift the burden from grants to loans, Cavazos has publicly disagreed with such a policy and has said that he will "do everything I can to get the best funding possible for the Department of Education." He has also advocated an increase in Pell Grants to low-income students--a move that most experts view as vital to reducing defaults on federal loans...
Cavazos' recent agreement with Congress to delay cuts in federal funds to schools with high default rates indicates a far more conciliatory and cooperative attitude toward Congress than Bennett ever showed. Such cuts--Bennett's parting shot in his last week in office--would unjustly punish schools with high percentages of lower-income students...
...Bennett's allies deny such charges of parochialism. "You can't make those kinds of criticisms if you've read Allen Bloom's book, if you've read Secretary Bennett's speeches," Walters said. "The issue is not ethnocentrism, the issue is what are the best works" for a liberal college education...