President-elect Barack Obama has named his Secretary of Education, current Chicago superintendent of schools Arne Duncan.So – who is this guy?What does his appointment mean in terms of Obama’s priorities and direction on education policy?
Duncan is generally considered a consensus-builder, who can bring groups that don’t always agree (teacher’s unions, school boards, parent associations, and other leadership) to the table and work out a deal.He’s held his Chicago position since 2001, presiding over the third-largest school district in the country and improved graduation rates.
He’s a strong advocate of early childhood education, a key initiative of Obama’s and no doubt a reason why Duncan was picked for the job. Obama’s pledge to devote $10 billion to improving pre-kindergarten programs and expanding their reach has been echoed by Duncan.
Duncan’s signature program in Chicago is Renaissance 2010, the goal of which was “to increase the number of high quality educational options in communities across Chicago.” The plan is an ambitious one for turning around Chicago’s education system by closing low-performing schools and replacing them with “smaller, entrepreneurial schools.” Under his watch, “high school graduation rates improved…(up to 55 percent from 47 percent), as did college-going rates (up to 50 percent from 44 percent).”
However, he also “helped craft a five-year teacher contract that promised significant raises each year in exchange for long-term stability.” Furthermore, he worked with the unions “to introduce a pay for performance program that offers bonuses for great teachers” through a federal Teacher Incentive Fund grant.
We look forward to seeing what Arne Duncan will prioritize at the Department of Education, and how he will work to make key education policies part of the overall stimulus plan President-elect Obama is putting together.
President-elect Barack Obama has named his Secretary of Education, current Chicago superintendent of schools Arne Duncan. So – who is this guy? What does his appointment mean in terms of Obama’s priorities and direction on education policy?
Duncan is generally considered a consensus-builder, who can bring groups that don’t always agree (teacher’s unions, school boards, parent associations, and other leadership) to the table and work out a deal. He’s held his Chicago position since 2001, presiding over the third-largest school district in the country and improved graduation rates.
He’s a strong advocate of early childhood education, a key initiative of Obama’s and no doubt a reason why Duncan was picked for the job. Obama’s pledge to devote $10 billion to improving pre-kindergarten programs and expanding their reach has been echoed by Duncan.
As for his work in Chicago, here’s what the education experts at the Center for American Progress have to say:
Duncan’s signature program in Chicago is Renaissance 2010, the goal of which was “to increase the number of high quality educational options in communities across Chicago.” The plan is an ambitious one for turning around Chicago’s education system by closing low-performing schools and replacing them with “smaller, entrepreneurial schools.” Under his watch, “high school graduation rates improved…(up to 55 percent from 47 percent), as did college-going rates (up to 50 percent from 44 percent).”
Like Obama, Duncan is a supporter of the accountability standards laid out in the often controversial No Child Left Behind program. And as the Chicago Tribune notes, he “isn’t afraid to rankle the teachers union.”
However, he also “helped craft a five-year teacher contract that promised significant raises each year in exchange for long-term stability.” Furthermore, he worked with the unions “to introduce a pay for performance program that offers bonuses for great teachers” through a federal Teacher Incentive Fund grant.
We look forward to seeing what Arne Duncan will prioritize at the Department of Education, and how he will work to make key education policies part of the overall stimulus plan President-elect Obama is putting together.