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Obama's Education Secretary Pick Gets Ready for Confirmation

January 12, 2009 RSS Feed Print

Education Secretary-designate Arne Duncan testifies on Capitol Hill while his wife Karen and son Ryan watch.

Arne Duncan, head of Chicago's public schools, will likely be confirmed as U.S. secretary of education, according to the general consensus among a diverse group of education observers that has responded enthusiastically to his nomination. The 44-year-old Chicago native and onetime pro-basketball player goes to a Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday.

President-elect Barack Obama nominated Duncan on December 16, saying he was someone who doesn't blink when faced with tough decisions. Obama and Duncan are longtime friends. Beyond the Windy City connection, they both graduated from Harvard University and play basketball together. If confirmed, Duncan will leave his post as head of the nation's third-largest school system and take over the federal Department of Education. As education secretary, he will oversee 4,200-employees and inherit a host of challenges, mostly in the K-12 education policy arena.

Frederick Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, says Duncan will likely sail through tomorrow's confirmation hearing. Hess's real concern is whether Duncan, as education secretary, will be able to usher in thoughtful and lasting education reforms. It's not clear whether he will recreate the same relationships in Washington that helped him overhaul Chicago schools, Hess says. As the chief of Chicago schools for seven years, Duncan enjoyed a reputation as a collaborative leader and was able to implement controversial reforms such as expanding charter schools and altering teacher salaries.

Margaret Spellings, the outgoing secretary of education, seems to thinks Duncan can be a transformative leader. In a letter to Duncan in the Washington Post today, she offers him some advice, urging him above all to capitalize on the overwhelming goodwill directed at Obama and his team and "treat education reform as a bipartisan issue. You have a tremendous number of friends and allies on both sides of the aisle willing to fight for reform—including me. Call on us," she says. Will he?

Tags:: Arne Duncan,; U.S. Department of Education,; Obama administration,; Obama transition,; Barack Obama,; education

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Recently I sent a letter to President Barack Oboma regarding the children of America and their education. While we want everyone to have equal opportunities, every one is not created equal. Many of our children are not academically inclined and are placed in situations where they have no chance of success.
There are many students who could become the crafts people of the future. As we rebuild the inner cities and infrastucture we are insuring that we havr productive members of society.
My plan is to have multiple levels of testing; college preparatory, special education, vocational programs.
Some children will not be able to further their education and will graduate with low skills or decide to drop out of school.Many of our children end up at fast food restaurants earning the minimum wage, which puts them behind the eight ball, and they see no hope in their lives. Those who do not wish to work in low paying jobs, become a burden on our society.
The alternative plan is to train our students in various vocations so that we are able to stimulate their minds and create productive members in our society.By creating apprenticeships in those vocations in need, we not only help our kids, we help our community and country. The children who are in this proghram will be working in their community, fixing the cars, garages, and homes.
If the students fail or exhibit inappropriate behavior, these students will not be allowed to continue in program. Utlizing retired personnel to train out students will reduce program costs. The government will monitor the bricklayers, carpenters, electricians, mechanics, and plumbers who are accepted into the program.Grants and funds from the Federal Government will reduce unemployment and problems within the community. Students will become contributing members of our society, paying taxes and being able to purchase needed items for their families and health care upon graduation. This will reduce the drain on our budgets.
The neighborhoods will be spruced up. Only those who can not afford to fix their homes would be eligible for the program,(low income) so that students would not infringe on union and non-union workers.
This could be the start of the United States Restoration Project.

Daniel M Russakov of TX 3:43PM January 20, 2009

I am just so glad that he did not pick Linda Darling-Hammond, as many were suggesting some months ago. The charter school she helps run near her home base of Stanford University is an amalgam of everything that is wrong with the direction public education is heading. That being said, I worry when any politician talks about working with "urgency," as that sounds to me like a call to pass legislation quickly without a careful analysis and dialogue of and about the issues. In our hurry to reform education, in our desperation, we may inadvertently make things worse, all because we did not take the time to really look at issues, to peel away the hurt feelings, damaged egos and political correctness that have become the hallmark of failing American schools. That is an urgent mission, but it will take time, and if done so with care, the solutions Mr. Duncan and his team come up with will be well thought out, not knee-jerk "out-with-NCLB" reactions. I agree that NCLB, while noble in spirit, is an absolute train wreck, and like all wrecked vehicles, needs to be scrapped, not salvaged. But what is chosen to replace NCLB is just as important. I like Duncan's quote about "smart" being "cool," and I think I would like for Obama to be a Jeb Bartlett-style president ("West Wing" reference, for the culturally impaired, ha ha ha) with that kind of raw intellect, and the chutzpah to use it. Good luck, Mr. Obama.

Withheld by request of CA 12:40PM January 14, 2009

Arne Duncan, President-elect Barack Obama's choice to lead the Department of Education, pledged Tuesday to work with an "extraordinary sense of urgency" to improve the nation's public schools.
During a Senate confirmation hearing, Duncan said he would focus on expanding early childhood education programs, improving the quality of teaching, and making college more affordable. But the secretary-designate offered few specifics about these initiatives
Still, Democratic and Republican senators praised his appointment and all but assured him that he would face an easy confirmation.
Duncan said the Obamas' success has motivated school leaders, students, and other education stakeholders and added that he would capitalize on that enthusiasm to bring about change in schools.
"Never before has being smart been so cool," Duncan said.

Eddy Ramirez of DC 3:36PM January 13, 2009

Obama's Education Secretary Pick Gets Ready for Confirmation

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