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Obama Chooses Arne Duncan to be Secretary of EducationDecember 18, 2008—Today, President-Elect Obama announced that he has selected Arne Duncan, CEO of the Chicago school system, for Secretary of Education. Arne Duncan, whom insiders considered early on to be a leading candidate, has won respect and praise in the education community for his focus on teacher quality and improving graduation rates. Previous statements about No Child Left Behind indicate he would favor keeping it, albeit with significant revisions. "When it comes to school reform, Arne is the most hands-on of hands-on practitioners. For Arne, school reform isn't just a theory in a book - it's the cause of his life," said Obama during his press conference. "And the results aren't just about test scores or statistics, but about whether our children are developing the skills they need to compete with any worker in the world for any job. Both graduates of Harvard, Duncan and Obama have known each other for about 15 years. Duncan's successes in the Chicago school system include boosting elementary test scores from 38 percent of students meeting the standards to 67 percent and lowering the dropout rate every year. "While there are no simple answers," Secretary-designate Duncan said in his remarks, "I know from experience that when you focus on basics like reading and math, when you embrace innovative new approaches to learning, and when you create a professional climate that attracts great teachers, you can make a difference for children." Full text of President-Elect Obama's speech about Arne Duncan. | |||||
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