Obama’s Secretary of Education

by

by David Safier

It's all but official that Arne Duncan will be the next Secretary of Education. While no one is ecstatic about the choice, no one is angry about it either. That seems to be the watchword for Obama's cabinet picks. It may be a great strategy, choosing people who can work with all sides rather than picking polarizing figures. We'll have to see.

He represents a compromise choice in the debate that has divided Democrats in recent months over the proper course for public-school policy after the Bush years.

In June, rival nationwide groups of educators circulated competing educational manifestos, with one group espousing a get-tough policy based on pushing teachers and administrators harder to raise achievement, and another arguing that schools alone could not close the racial achievement gap and urging new investments in school-based health clinics and other social programs to help poor students learn.

Mr. Duncan was the only big-city superintendent to sign both manifestos.

[snip]

“Obama found the sweet spot with Arne Duncan,” said Susan Traiman, director of educational policy at the Business Roundtable. “Both camps will be O.K. with the pick!”

According to the article, Duncan has been an effective superintendent in Chicago who has managed to maintain good relations with the unions while being tough on teachers and schools — not an easy task. He's an advocate of early childhood education, possibly the most important missing link in our school systems, increasing the number of 3 and 4 year olds in school by at least 1000 each year.

And most important, he played professional basketball in Australia and is only 44. So Obama can knock on his door and say, "Hey Arnie, can you come out and play?"

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