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Robert Krulwich
Beloved host of Radiolab, Robert Krulwich has a deep understanding of deep understanding, and could not only explain the intricacies of teachers' contracts in a way that make immediate sense, he would do so in dulcet tones over experimental music. In addition to science, Krulwich has done in-depth reporting on business, politics, economics. He also briefly hosted the PBS program NOVA scienceNOW, videos of which comprise 10% of the average public school science curriculum.
Purdue
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Lloyd Morrisett
Lloyd Morrisett is one of the original creators of Sesame Street and has an impressive resume in nonprofit management, education, and child psychology. At 82, he might be a little out of touch, but he's cozy with super money managers the Blackstone Group, since Sesame Street co-founder Joan Ganz Cooney is married to founder Pete G. Peterson.
Freesouls.cc
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Kanye West
Not only do West's album titles (College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation) reflect a sensitivity to the challenges of education, the Kanye West Foundation sponsors three education programs: Loop Dreams, a music industry curriculum, College Drop In, a college exposure program for LA middle schoolers, and S.H.O.W., a Chicago concert tickets for attendance exchange. "It's a process."
Dr. Jay's
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Clifford the Big Red Dog
The Scholastic spokesman is already a fixture in American classrooms, most likely because Scholastic (owner of Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and The 39 Clues) has a virtual monopoly on the hearts and minds of young readers. Why not cut out the middle man? Plus, he has unparalleled access to education expert Ms. Frizzle.
American Statesman
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Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch just snagged newly free former chancellor Joel Klein for Newscorp, but Murdoch himself isn't a bad candidate for the position. You don't get to be worth $6.7 billion (the equivalent of a $50,0000 bonus for every public school employee) without being a good manager. Plus, the Oxford alum has been vocal about his education reform ideas like global testing standards, school choice, and transparency in performance reviews.
Free Williamsburg
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Atoosa Rubenstein
Black's former Hearst colleague Atoosa Rubenstein is at home amid the school-age demographic. Her service-y reign at teen titles Seventeen and CosmoGIRL! made her unofficially responsible for an entire generation of girls' sex ed.
Getty
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Nick Denton
It's hard to imagine Nick Denton ever was a child, let alone knows anything about educating them, but he certainly knows a thing or two about keeping tabs on employee performance. Can't you just picture Bloomberg and Denton before an enormous leaderboard of ranking teachers and their class's state test scores?
Flickr
