This is a lousy choice, bu it just occurred to me that as New Yorker, Obama sought the approval of Senator Schumer, unless senatorial courtesy is dead, which I doubt.
So, really this is another gift from Chuck, the putative Democratic Senate leader.
God help us!
So, really this is another gift from Chuck, the putative Democratic Senate leader.
God help us!
1
The Republican Congress begins its "Push to the Bottom." in Education funding.
2
GOOD. OL. BOYS'. CLUB. Hope ur havin' fun, boys! Meanwhile, I'm actually effectively teaching math and special education. What have you boys ever taught, again? And where? Cuz I'm teaching in Hawaii now and started teaching in the South Bronx. Those of us in the actual business of teaching at-risk children are painfully aware of your emperor-has-no-clothes era of education "reform." You can fool some people sometimes. The rest of us see how you're making millions off the backs of children in need. Enjoy your career, Arne. Sleep well while teachers and children insuffer. Sleep well, my friend.
2
Better late than never. His support of charter schools has deeply damaged public school systems all over the country.
7
I suspect that Duncan resigned because he was overwhelmed by the stench of his own incompetence. He is the perfect argument for defunding the Department of Education entirely. His vision was bland, he lead by the federal bribes, not the merit of his ideas, and his intellectual abilities left worlds to be desired. His primary qualification was that he played ball with the President and let him win.
Good riddance to this professional bureaucrat!
Good riddance to this professional bureaucrat!
8
It appears that the nomination of King is another effort to take the relationship component out of teaching. I voted for Obama but have been completely disappointed in his educational focus: testing, testing, testing. I am a successful adult, not because of the tests I took, but because of the caring relationships, motivation and world of possibilities my wonderful teachers provided me.
5
Dr. King was a disaster -- it's worth capitalizing, a DISASTER -- in NY. Unless you consider increased standardized testing, increased/endorsed "separate and unequal" (with black brown youth being separated and left to fail), infantilizing parents, lack of empathy for the impoverished and diverting funding/resources to outside contractors (see standardized testing) instead of actual struggling students/schools as proof of a successful leader then Dr. King is the man...
4
Arne Duncan was arguably Pres. Obama's worst appointment. He has no qualifications for the job and was clueless about how children learn and what comprises a rich learning environment. We need to stop appointing managers and business people to run our schools and turn to professional educators who understand what many decades of research and experiments have shown lead to successful neighborhood, public schools with outstanding teachers.
6
I head a school in NYC and find this pending appointment a farce.
Public education is a sacred trust and will now pass from a corporate sycophant enabler of "school choice" and the test industry to , well, just cut and paste.
If you care about education, please read this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-nelson/education-reform-is-anti_b_82...
Public education is a sacred trust and will now pass from a corporate sycophant enabler of "school choice" and the test industry to , well, just cut and paste.
If you care about education, please read this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-nelson/education-reform-is-anti_b_82...
8
All the teachers yelling about Duncan ( not a fan ) but really it is about accountability, they just don't want any!
1
Students of history know that countries often appoint rich or influential people to positions that are deemed unimportant. Therefore the appointed person does not need to know much, if anything about the position to which he is assigned. He doesn't even have to know the language.
And so it is with the position of Secretary of Education in our country. The person has no particular experience or expertise in the field? No problem. (Try appointing John King as Surgeon General.)
One of these days, a president will appoint an accomplished and successful EDUCATOR to be Secretary of Education. When that happens we can expect authentic improvements for the children of America and not the nonsense we've been getting.
And so it is with the position of Secretary of Education in our country. The person has no particular experience or expertise in the field? No problem. (Try appointing John King as Surgeon General.)
One of these days, a president will appoint an accomplished and successful EDUCATOR to be Secretary of Education. When that happens we can expect authentic improvements for the children of America and not the nonsense we've been getting.
13
Right on. It's laughable that he was in charge of education policy given that his only experience in education was that he once tutored at his mom's after school program. All the good educators are busy teaching.
5
This is the man who said, "Hurricane Katrina was the best thing to happen to New Orleans," because he was able to dismantle the public school system and get rid of all the union teachers, most of whom were African American veteran teachers, and replace them with charter schools and Teach for America temps sent in from other states. The results are disastrous. This is the man who recently started a campaign to dismantle U.S. colleges of education, with more insulting comments. This is the man whose "Race to the Top," was a complete flop and a waste of millions of dollars. One day, soon I hope, an intrepid journalist will uncover this blight on Obama's presidency. He is a shill for the billionaires who see education as a profit making venture (Walton Family, Bill Gates, etc.). They are following the model of for-profit prisons.
15
Neither Arne Duncan, nor John King, or any other political pontificators and charter schools operators would last five minutes in my high poverty special education classroom or general ed high needs schools.
14
From a shill for the charter schools industry (and "industry" is what it is!) to a stalking-horse for the test prep industry?
How about someone with actual experience as an EDUCATOR?
Obama's choices are utterly jaw-dropping here!
Shell Oil drilling in the Artic and education-for-profit running the nation's Dept of Ed? Remind me again, WHY am I a Democrat?
How about someone with actual experience as an EDUCATOR?
Obama's choices are utterly jaw-dropping here!
Shell Oil drilling in the Artic and education-for-profit running the nation's Dept of Ed? Remind me again, WHY am I a Democrat?
13
John King?? Education Commissioner?? The guy responsible for the laughably atrocious rollout of the common core in New York State? What a joke. The guy is nothing but a political hack. Obama is really skimming the bottom of the barrel now.
17
I am a public school teacher. 34 years old, in my 13th year. I am now good at this gig. Arne Duncan, President Obama, and all the other proselytizers of privatization cannot be shewed away fast enough. They are political veterans with no true realization of the classroom. They have bureaucratized my life, slowly but methodically stripping away my creativity and my drive to become as good as I could be. They have mired me in anxiety and crippled my financial future. And they have done so to serve their masters in the private (and predatory) sector who seek to profit from a society that is ripe to be bamboozled into a boondoggle that promises better results for their corporate masters, but will truly calcify the elasticity and doggedness of this populace. Shame on these profiteers. SPREAD THE WORD FOR BERNIE.
27
Michelle Rhee, John King, Arne Duncan -- those who have spent little time in the classroom and are recycled through jobs as they are the "rising stars" of education reform, underwritten by the Walton family, hedge funders, and charter operators who are siphoning off public funds for education. John King failed in NY as Commissioner of Education, so it's a curious thing why Obama would appoint him.
16
Why core knowledge? So that each child can become all he is capable of being. America needs its best and its brightest to compete in today's marketplace and to govern this great nation of ours. Equal educational opportunity for all will ensure the natural selection, not the artificial selection, of students for postsecondary education. Private schools and charter schools produce good results but fail to ensure that we have a national system in place that will nurture the best minds in America regardless of familial situation; the state, county, or city they live in; or their socioeconomic background. We as a nation cannot achieve our potential unless our children achieve theirs.
President Obama continues to get a failing grade from this teacher for his ill-conceived appointments to the position of Secretary of Education. His decisions reflect a failure to understand the problems facing schools today resulting from his failure to do his homework on this topic.
The work his administration has completed on this topic appears to be plagiaristic as it is taken completely from the lobbyists who represent corporations that profit from closing public schools and selling of testing products. To improve his grade in this subject he should start to listen to real teachers and not corporate spokespersons.
The work his administration has completed on this topic appears to be plagiaristic as it is taken completely from the lobbyists who represent corporations that profit from closing public schools and selling of testing products. To improve his grade in this subject he should start to listen to real teachers and not corporate spokespersons.
13
Good riddance to Duncan. What a horrible "leader" in education. His replacement is no better. I'm a New York State teacher, and King is responsible for the disastrous role out of the common core in our state. He's also part of the idiot cabal of hedge fund managers who want to privatize education. I've never been so disappointed in this president, and I voted for him twice. His education policy has been a disaster.
20
Arne Duncan routinely accused America's hard working teachers of being biased against minorities by citing data the Dept of Education that showed African-Americans are suspended three times the rate of whites. But for some reason he ignored the data he collected that showed white kids are suspended three times the rate of Asian-Americans. Guess attacking teachers was more important than honesty.
13
Americans' response to the Common Core is very similar to their response to the Obama Care and the gun control:
Who is to say about my choice of healthcare, education, and guns?
As a result, we just saw another rampage of gun violence. And the U.S. has the worst healthcare system among the developed nations. And so the public education of the U.S has long been paralyzed.
No gun control, it should be entirely up to people.
No universal health care, it should be entirely up to personal choice.
No minimal common standard in education, it should be entirely up to individual teachers and parents.
Look how other countries, such as Germany, Finland, France, etc., run their educational system. Much more common standards.
And Americans complain about educational inequality.
Who is to say about my choice of healthcare, education, and guns?
As a result, we just saw another rampage of gun violence. And the U.S. has the worst healthcare system among the developed nations. And so the public education of the U.S has long been paralyzed.
No gun control, it should be entirely up to people.
No universal health care, it should be entirely up to personal choice.
No minimal common standard in education, it should be entirely up to individual teachers and parents.
Look how other countries, such as Germany, Finland, France, etc., run their educational system. Much more common standards.
And Americans complain about educational inequality.
4
Read a little. Those countries don't start testing kids at age 5. No one is saying it should be entirely up to the teachers and parents. Quit characterizing the response to the terrible common core TESTING to a rejection of any standards whatsoever.
You sound like a shill from the testing corporations who are getting very, very rich with money that would actually help improve education for at-risk kids. But hey, why spend money on smaller class size when you can pay a testing corporation to prove that a teacher in a class of 35 at-risk kids isn't getting all the 5 year olds to read at 2nd grade level! Great expenditure of money, especially if that money pays your salary at your "education corporation".
You sound like a shill from the testing corporations who are getting very, very rich with money that would actually help improve education for at-risk kids. But hey, why spend money on smaller class size when you can pay a testing corporation to prove that a teacher in a class of 35 at-risk kids isn't getting all the 5 year olds to read at 2nd grade level! Great expenditure of money, especially if that money pays your salary at your "education corporation".
5
Good riddance.Duncan doubled down on failed No Child Left Behind policies, and spearheaded the rollout of the near universally hated Common Core. Those of us from NY know that John King probably the worse choice to replace Arne other than Jeb Bush.
i am a big supporter of President Obama, but I just do not understand his Educational policies. They are obliterating public education, contributing to segregation in our schools, and destroying the teaching profession. Huge disappointment in this area.
i am a big supporter of President Obama, but I just do not understand his Educational policies. They are obliterating public education, contributing to segregation in our schools, and destroying the teaching profession. Huge disappointment in this area.
31
For all the strengths of the Obama administration, Arne Duncan and his education policies have been a persistent weakness (and that’s putting it kindly) during this president’s tenure. Secretary Duncan is the component of Obama’s psyche that I’m not a fan of – the part that’s technocratic and Spock-like, the part that believes an Excel spreadsheet can communicate nuance, subtlety, and humanity. Watching Arne Duncan reminds me of watching Richard Nixon in the first presidential debate against John Kennedy – he smiles and sounds reasonable, but beneath the exterior there’s something unsettling about the man. You just can’t trust him.
As the saying goes, whom you are here is whom you are there, and that’s what concerns me. President Obama’s decision to unleash almost seven years of Arne Duncan on this nation makes me wonder if the president’s critics – on both the left and the right – may be more accurate about other policy shortcomings from this administration than I’ve been willing to admit.
As the saying goes, whom you are here is whom you are there, and that’s what concerns me. President Obama’s decision to unleash almost seven years of Arne Duncan on this nation makes me wonder if the president’s critics – on both the left and the right – may be more accurate about other policy shortcomings from this administration than I’ve been willing to admit.
40
John King was a disastrous NY State Education Commissioner. Much like Arne Duncan, a person whose first experiences with public schools were to run them. Here's one time I'm not in opposition to knee jerk Republican filibusters.
13
We need someone that supports six figure salaries for all teachers and tougher rules so no teacher is subjected to any evaluations. We also need to double per pupil spending. Kids will automatically get smarter.
6
Your I hope facetious comments need to be clarified. First, in countries we seem to admire (Finland for example) teacher do make the equivalent of 6 figures. Second, no one really promotes "no evaluation" for teachers. Opponents object to unfair evaluation (ie, test scores only), If you understand education or sociology, you can see why testing is too limited in scope to be sole factor.
9
Val in Brooklyn, NY. to Derek Muller in Carlsbad, CA.
I've no idea what you mean regarding tougher rules. But, as the daughter of a recently retired NYC public school teacher (librarian, really), I could kiss you for the six figure salary suggestion. Ditto per pupil spending.
Charter schools & the testing craze are menaces, crushing public schools here. And, I must say, it's wonderful to hear someone speaking of teachers with respect and empathy. It's something that Obama, Duncan, and King are willfully blind about. But, as my mom just said, Obama takes care of his patrons; and since his children don't attend public schools, it's not his problem. . . . (sigh).
Submitted: 10-2-15, 7:31 p.m. EST
I've no idea what you mean regarding tougher rules. But, as the daughter of a recently retired NYC public school teacher (librarian, really), I could kiss you for the six figure salary suggestion. Ditto per pupil spending.
Charter schools & the testing craze are menaces, crushing public schools here. And, I must say, it's wonderful to hear someone speaking of teachers with respect and empathy. It's something that Obama, Duncan, and King are willfully blind about. But, as my mom just said, Obama takes care of his patrons; and since his children don't attend public schools, it's not his problem. . . . (sigh).
Submitted: 10-2-15, 7:31 p.m. EST
3
Nice job, Arne.
You took down "No Child Left Behind" but still increased Federal handouts to local public school districts by 30%. Zero accountability, zero value add. Kids doing worse on standardized tests, you led the attack on the tests and not the educations those kids were getting.
Typical Obama appointee.
You took down "No Child Left Behind" but still increased Federal handouts to local public school districts by 30%. Zero accountability, zero value add. Kids doing worse on standardized tests, you led the attack on the tests and not the educations those kids were getting.
Typical Obama appointee.
3
Why do you believe that standardized tests, created by for profit companies, are valid?
Mr. Duncan, you are a big fan of teacher evaluations, so here is my evaluation of your performance as the Secretary of Education: F-
I say this with all respect: Go back to school and find a subject you are good at. For whatever reason, you do not seem to have a clue when it comes to educating young people.
Maybe you would make a great actor, or a financier. This is a new start for you. Good luck!
I say this with all respect: Go back to school and find a subject you are good at. For whatever reason, you do not seem to have a clue when it comes to educating young people.
Maybe you would make a great actor, or a financier. This is a new start for you. Good luck!
19
Any choice is fine with me ...as long as it wasn't ex Asst Sec. of Education Deborah S. DeLisle.
Addressing a group of school superintendents in late 2013, Arne Duncan stated that he found it "fascinating" that some of the opposition to the Common Core State Standards Initiative came from "white suburban moms who — all of a sudden — their child isn't as brilliant as they thought they were, and their school isn't as good as they thought they were."[24] This had sparked outrage among different facets of society, ranging from the "white suburban mom who feel marginalized and misunderstood", the "non-white parent who wants to know why everyone is only now so upset", to the "non-white parent who wants Arne Duncan to know that she (or he) hates the Common Core, too".
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
4
Obama wants to privatize education. He appointed Duncan to do just that. Now he has done the same thing with John King. I teach in a public school, and have witnessed the decline: no more field trips, assemblies, materials, and librarians. There are barely enough custodians to empty the trash. Teachers are spending their money on buying cleaning supplies and taking time out of their conference period to sweep and mop the room. It's a slow death and a dream come true for the neoliberal privatizers.
14
This article contains only a brief and sanitized statement of Arne Duncan's record as education secretary. Duncan, who never taught school himself, is not known for 'innovations in teaching children' but for quashing innovation by the imposition of a top-down, one-size-fits-all, teaching-for-the-test school system.
Arne Duncan led the movement to privatize or corporatize the American public school system.
Duncan totally embraced George Bush's failed policy and sped up a huge power dynamic in which corporations and the agendas they support--which include their own profit-making--prevail. The losers? parents, teachers, local school boards, and often sound educational principles espoused by our country's leading educators. In other words, our children.
Arne Duncan led the movement to privatize or corporatize the American public school system.
Duncan totally embraced George Bush's failed policy and sped up a huge power dynamic in which corporations and the agendas they support--which include their own profit-making--prevail. The losers? parents, teachers, local school boards, and often sound educational principles espoused by our country's leading educators. In other words, our children.
23
John King is the "Peter Principle" personified. Clearly, the President (whose own kids don't attend public school) didn't care to think this one through. Mr. King (who brought his remarkable record of achievement from New York), does not have a tough act to follow as Arne Duncan took "No Child Left Behind" and remarkably, made it worse. I never thought I would say this but, maybe Rick Perry was right.
12
Our views of urban poverty are like those of someone who views a fish tank and believes that he understands what is like to be a fish. For the last 50 years, I have been listening to 'educational reformers' who claimed to have the magic formula which cure the consequences of urban poverty, and the terrifying and abusive social environment into which children are born. Some reformers have been generous and well-intentioned - others are jivers and connivers seeking big pay days. I have never been able to make up my mind about whether Mr. Duncan is smart enough to understand that his vacuous pronouncement were just that - I doubt it. Schools cannot be substitute for whatever goes on in a home when a kid gets up in the morning to go to school and when he/she goes to bed in the evening.
18
I appreciate line one as original and informative. The remainder of your comment appears to build an argument for grinding an axe about the lack of the type of leadership you've been waiting on for 50 years, but without naming what that is; then you end your comment with a second blunt truth, but one that does not support your argument. It descibes the reality of what schools can and can't provide. The Secretary of Education is not responsible for ending urban poverty.
Et alors?
Et alors?
1
Arne Duncan strikes me as an empty suit. In New London, CT last year they hired a new school superintendent who hailed from the Chicago Public School System (Dr. Terrence Carter). Arne Duncan hired him from the business sector with no teaching background. Long story short, after hiring him in New London, CT., it was found out that Doctor Terrence Carter did not have his PhD. in education or go to Stanford as he claimed. This Dr. Terrence Carter was touted and hired by Arne Duncan. This story was broken by the Hartford Courant but not touched by the Chicago press at all.
23
King? Who suggested King?
What New Yorker lobbied for King?
Is New York education the example of choice?? Or...
More likely..
Did those asked first pass on a troubled department and a difficult assignment for an administration also troubled that ends in a year and four months?
Are we about to experience a raft of such departures? Who is next?
Chicago is a mess.
Under the new mayor, New York City is a mess.
Arne Duncan's Christmas present is well timed for him. Why December?
Will he start anew in 2016? Job hunting for three months?
Sounds like a plan.
What New Yorker lobbied for King?
Is New York education the example of choice?? Or...
More likely..
Did those asked first pass on a troubled department and a difficult assignment for an administration also troubled that ends in a year and four months?
Are we about to experience a raft of such departures? Who is next?
Chicago is a mess.
Under the new mayor, New York City is a mess.
Arne Duncan's Christmas present is well timed for him. Why December?
Will he start anew in 2016? Job hunting for three months?
Sounds like a plan.
5
Wow -- all these comments on K-12 schools and nothing on the universities' adventures with the ratings system and the OCR!
2
The only decision worse than promoting John King was if Scott Walker was named the new Education Secretary. Not much of a consolidation on any level.
13
Too bad he couldn't have left two years ago. In D.C., the founding of many, many charter schools has destroyed the possibility of improvement of the traditional schools in low-income neighborhoods of the city. The best students in these traditional schools have moved to charter schools, and the problem students in the charter schools are expelled and sent back to the traditional schools. This has left the traditional schools filled with difficult-to-educate pupils.
21
Good riddance. Thanks to Arne Duncan, those of us in public education have suffered through nearly eight years of failed programs like Race to the Top, punishing standardized testing, and teacher evaluations tied to test scores.
Unfortunately, his deputy, Mr. King, seems like more of the same.
Unfortunately, his deputy, Mr. King, seems like more of the same.
27
And its easy to like them; you don't have to really know much about education to promote these ideas, but you can be taken to lunches and "conferences" by "consultants" (often business people really, not educators) who will sell you expensive products "for the children..."
2
Oh no, it'll be worse, much worse.
2
The amount of anti-testing hysteria in America is always shocking to us immigrants. We had to take a test just to become citizens. We tested in our homelands to get somewhere. We had to have merit to get ahead.
But no, in America, we want college applications to include whether you spent the summer in Honduras building houses for homeless people with Habitat for Humanity so you could craft a heavily edited (by your parents and advisors) essay to get into Yale. You must be a better person than the poor kid who just excelled academically but had no time for such extracurricular pursuits.
The American left wing better figure out what it wants: testing culture may create some suicides but if it reduces economic disparity and creates better lives, it is part of the cost-benefit analysis. Instead, we currently guarantee a miserable life in the ghetto to millions of children every single year. Thank you America.
But no, in America, we want college applications to include whether you spent the summer in Honduras building houses for homeless people with Habitat for Humanity so you could craft a heavily edited (by your parents and advisors) essay to get into Yale. You must be a better person than the poor kid who just excelled academically but had no time for such extracurricular pursuits.
The American left wing better figure out what it wants: testing culture may create some suicides but if it reduces economic disparity and creates better lives, it is part of the cost-benefit analysis. Instead, we currently guarantee a miserable life in the ghetto to millions of children every single year. Thank you America.
3
Yo, Learning, the testing culture in the U.S. is not leading to better outcomes for low-income children. It's leading to more $$ for testing companies and charter school operators. People aren't saying don't have any tests or evaluations -- but they do want to see the test-focused hysteria scaled back.
12
We can have testing without a for-profit testing culture. Most people are not against tests; we all took them in school, from first-grade on. Nothing is wrong with testing immigrants for citizen ship, or many jobs, or many other things. The argument is not against testing; it is against the dominance of testing and inappropriate use of testing with a profit motive.
And its not about "suicides" either (who cares about that?) its that repeated and ubiquitous testing has trumped quality teaching. I know, I am a former 4th grade teacher.
And its not about "suicides" either (who cares about that?) its that repeated and ubiquitous testing has trumped quality teaching. I know, I am a former 4th grade teacher.
4
Learning, I agree with what Susan wrote. It's not testing that's the problem, it's *these* tests and how they're being created, implemented, and then used to punish teachers. I'll all for a worthy test, but that's the opposite of what we have seen under Arne Duncan.
6
I would be hard pressed to imagine a worse Secretary of Education than Arne Duncan, whose servility to the for-profit charter operators and hedge-fund managers spearheading the dismantling of public education seemed to know no bounds. But if anybody can outdo Duncan's rottenness it would be John King. Anybody who thinks this is an accident and that Obama doesn't know what he is doing is fooling themselves. This is what the dictatorship of the 1% looks like.
18
Exactly. But I know for quite a while that Obama is a toady for the plutocracy. Mr. Faust.
1
The only good thing that can come of this is that King will leave with Obama in a year so that the US doesn't have time to experience what NY did. Talk about promoting failure.
18
Obama is a smart guy and seems to believe in social justice. I wonder why he doesn't see thru all this corporate education nonsense. Even if it is through political pressure, I wish he, Michelle, or even his daughters, could promote a more community based, non profit educational effort.
16
Michelle and her husband send THEIR kids to an exclusive private school. Didn't Arne, too?
4
President Obama and Arne Duncan were totally in sync when it came to public education. President Obama is the greatest president since Lincoln, and Arne Duncan was the best Education Secretary since the Department was created by Jimmy Carter. Thanks and congratulations to Arne Duncan, who did a tremendous job to benefit public education in this country and to benefit poor students, as befits the appointee of President Obama.
3
Obama and Duncan are "in sync" with the Eli Broad foundation, Bill Gates deep pockets, and their own fantasies of themselves as fighters for social justice. How did either of these men benefit poor students? By closing their schools, firing their teachers, and giving the responsibility of educating our youth to newbie corporate privatizers whose goal is to turn a profit? State your facts, if you can find any.
9
Really? What did Duncan do to benefit poor children besides turn their schools into teaching-to-the-test factories, pushing a flawed curriculum, and dismantling public schools in favor of for-profit charters? We're not seeing better outcomes for low-income children thanks to Duncan.
10
Thanks Tony. This comments section was due for some sharp sarcasm -- the Lincoln line was killer!
2
The president referred to background checks for guns. But it's my understanding that the shooter in Oregon purchased his weapons legally or was given guns that were purchased legally and all from federally licensed forearms dealers.
So, while I'm not opposed to background checks, I don't see how they would have changed anything in this case.
Thoughts anyone? How could this shooting have been prevented? What laws or procedures should be enacted? (Please don't say things like "ban all guns"…that's a non-starter.)
So, while I'm not opposed to background checks, I don't see how they would have changed anything in this case.
Thoughts anyone? How could this shooting have been prevented? What laws or procedures should be enacted? (Please don't say things like "ban all guns"…that's a non-starter.)
1
third.coast - "What laws or procedures should be enacted? (Please don't say things like "ban all guns"…that's a non-starter.)"
A very interesting question especially since it's contained in the NYT. I doubt if there will be any answers since the first "law" broken was murder. How many more laws do we need after that one? I'm pretty sure that the "ban all guns" law is the bottom line for all anti-gun zealots.
A very interesting question especially since it's contained in the NYT. I doubt if there will be any answers since the first "law" broken was murder. How many more laws do we need after that one? I'm pretty sure that the "ban all guns" law is the bottom line for all anti-gun zealots.
I guess that while you can never prevent mass murder completely (look at the Norway slaughter), there IS a direct connection between the ready availability of guns and the NUMBER of these barbarisms. The US has 300 million guns, 200 million more than any other country. Simple math. The easier it is to get a gun, the easier it is for a sociopath to get a gun. You cannot escape the fact that we have 3 X as many guns as any other country and have mass shootings at 6 X what we should have, based on our populations. To steal a formulation, Guns should be safe, legal and rare, say, as part of, oh I don't know, a well=regulated militia?
4
[[mikeyz You cannot escape the fact that we have 3 X as many guns as any other country and have mass shootings at 6 X what we should have, based on our populations.]]
Interesting points. One observation from this massacre is that the shooter owned at least 14 guns, which is kind of staggering.
Interesting points. One observation from this massacre is that the shooter owned at least 14 guns, which is kind of staggering.
Thanks for the present you're giving the children of NYS Mr. President- a pair of Charter School educrat losers playing musical chairs. Another smart move from our Educator-in-Chief.
An example of shameless patronage.
An example of shameless patronage.
20
The Department of education did not exist prior to 1979 when it was established by Jimmy Carter. It now has 5000 employees. It is a useless bloated department. School systems should be left to local control.
11
Glad to see the back of Arne Duncan. He was far too arrogant to be overseeing the nation's public school system which is even more sorely in need of help today than when he took office.
The obsession with test taking and with evaluating teacher's on the basis of their students' test scores is exactly the kind of approach that caused the cheating scandal in the Atlanta public schools. Teacher's changed students test scores to fudge actual results.
I don't know much about Mr. King so can't speak to his record or success in NY State, my home state and the state where I attended public schools.
NY is one of the centers of the "opt out" movement and parents there are complaining about the focus on testing and it's adverse impact their children's education.
The obsession with test taking and with evaluating teacher's on the basis of their students' test scores is exactly the kind of approach that caused the cheating scandal in the Atlanta public schools. Teacher's changed students test scores to fudge actual results.
I don't know much about Mr. King so can't speak to his record or success in NY State, my home state and the state where I attended public schools.
NY is one of the centers of the "opt out" movement and parents there are complaining about the focus on testing and it's adverse impact their children's education.
20
Sadly, you will be even more disappointed to hear that King is worse than Duncan. When parents asked questions and voiced concerns, King's response was to insult any critics and then simply stop having meetings.
Bottom of the barrel!
Bottom of the barrel!
2
Now there will be a new eduication secretary, and the policies will change. So all these years he spent pushing a particular agenda will be wasted. Reminds me of my IRA from the 70.s.
I'm so sorry the nation now gets to share what we in New York endured with King - an arrogant "I know better than you do" administrator who couldn't be bothered to send his own kids to public schools.
23
I'm sure Mr. King has the support of ETS, Pearson, the Eva Moskowitz's of the world and the anti-teacher, anti-public education astro-turf crowd, When it comes to actual educators and parents, I'm not so sure.
I'm not a states' righter or 10 Amendment wacko, but really federal mandates into education do no good; they just add more bureaucracy and cause more paperwork for teachers and principals.
I'm not a states' righter or 10 Amendment wacko, but really federal mandates into education do no good; they just add more bureaucracy and cause more paperwork for teachers and principals.
15
On balance, Obama has been an excellent President, the best since FDR, and I am an admirer. Even in education, from increased Pell Grants to reformed student loans, there is much to laud. However, on policy, this is an area where he has ceded policy to a corporate Bloomberg-Bloomfield 'reform' devotee in Arne Duncan, who has embraced an anti-qualitative, union-demonizing, charter-fetishizing approach to education. The ultimate goal of the billionaires boys' club is to gut Public Education, reducing it to a series of test-based vocational factories, giving our children the skill set to be coders and other species of corporate drones. All the while, the elite will continue to send its precious progeny to Sidwell-Friends, Choate, Horace Mann and the like, since (naturally) THEIR sons and daughters deserve a thoughtful, nuanced and rich education befitting their station in life.
I think a real blind spot for our President is that he never really experienced real public education, going from an elite high school to elite universities, first as a student and then as a teacher and finally as a parent, so his empathy and attunement to the challenges and promise of public K-12 is a theoretical one at best. It not being an area of personal relevance or interest to him, he left it to a corporate/charter man for the past 7 years, to the detriment of our country.
Overall, Obama has earned at least a B+ or A- as President, but on Education, he gets a C- at best.
I think a real blind spot for our President is that he never really experienced real public education, going from an elite high school to elite universities, first as a student and then as a teacher and finally as a parent, so his empathy and attunement to the challenges and promise of public K-12 is a theoretical one at best. It not being an area of personal relevance or interest to him, he left it to a corporate/charter man for the past 7 years, to the detriment of our country.
Overall, Obama has earned at least a B+ or A- as President, but on Education, he gets a C- at best.
31
Terrific post, mikeyz. You say with far greater eloquence what I attempted to say in my post - Obama is one of the greats, but my goodness, how did he get it so, so wrong on Duncan and education policy?
1
I would give him an F.
King was a disaster as NYS education secretary. He was a pure privatization ideologue completely deaf to any and all criticism of this agenda. His only saving grace is that he was also completely inept, which mitigated the amount of damage he could actually do. He also served under a governor who takes perverse pleasure out of undermining everybody, including his allies and appointees, which also limited the harm a bit. It's certainly no surprise the he's replacing Duncan, but that doesn't make it any less of a travesty.
15
I voted for Obama twice but could not disagree more with his education policy. Arne Duncan and Obama are totally off base with charter school proliferation, which is just a way to defund public schools and "corporate reforms" which mostly translates to technology sales to large school systems.
The backbone of our democracy is a WELL funded public education system, with plenty of money for professional development and funds to develop the best curriculum writing possible.
All in all the American system works. The international tests are ridiculous (and fraudulent) measure to use as yardsticks in comparing our system to others (for a variety of reasons) but reformers love to misuse them to bash teachers, teachers unions, etc.
The problem with American schools are the myriad of issues intrinsic to poverty and poor people NOT the system or schools who attempt to serve them. Stop throwing out the baby with the bathwater: keep what is strong about the schools, and improve where needed.
Unfortunately King is as misguided as Arne Duncan about charters, proliferation of standardized testing and the rest of the corporate reform agenda.
The backbone of our democracy is a WELL funded public education system, with plenty of money for professional development and funds to develop the best curriculum writing possible.
All in all the American system works. The international tests are ridiculous (and fraudulent) measure to use as yardsticks in comparing our system to others (for a variety of reasons) but reformers love to misuse them to bash teachers, teachers unions, etc.
The problem with American schools are the myriad of issues intrinsic to poverty and poor people NOT the system or schools who attempt to serve them. Stop throwing out the baby with the bathwater: keep what is strong about the schools, and improve where needed.
Unfortunately King is as misguided as Arne Duncan about charters, proliferation of standardized testing and the rest of the corporate reform agenda.
28
Odd that so many people voted for and worship the man who has undermined the "backbone of our Democracy". Other than a pretty successful attempt at destroying the nations "backbone of Democracy" Obama has done pretty good, I guess?
1
Voting for someone is not to worshiping.
Duncan was horrible in the first term, but sometimes the broader alternative in our bought and paid for nation(Romney/Ryan) makes one hold his nose and pull the lever for the less distasteful option.
Duncan was horrible in the first term, but sometimes the broader alternative in our bought and paid for nation(Romney/Ryan) makes one hold his nose and pull the lever for the less distasteful option.
God help public education in the United States. You think Arne Duncan was bad? We here in New York will be cleaning up for a generation from the damage this charlatan has done. I have lost all respect for President Obama if this is his choice to lead the country's education policy. His horribly botched rollout of Common Core sent him running for the hills, now he gets to do the same to the other 49 states. Say goodnight to the folks, Gracie. It's over.
20
As a former public high school teacher, I am relieved to learn of Mr. Duncan's departure. Using standardized testing and propaganda to vilify teachers and unions and proliferate for-profit charter schools (many of them are backed by corporations who use the schools as a backdoor to siphon government money, short-changing the students) are all hallmarks of Duncan and his ilk. I only hope that his replacement is more educated about education.
11
Kelly, King "rose" to NY Education Commissioner at the age of 39, having gotten that far by running charter schools.
His experience with Public Schools is limited to only having run them, not having ever worked in one.
He is callow, stubborn, agenda driven and, fortunately, not very competent.
His experience with Public Schools is limited to only having run them, not having ever worked in one.
He is callow, stubborn, agenda driven and, fortunately, not very competent.
1
The Department of Education in the Obama administration has been about allowing the privatization of public schools to continue along with high-stakes testing. Struggling public schools and their students have not mattered much.
25
Arne Duncan failed our country; John King failed our state, and now I expect he will fail our country too. Corporate reformers and charter schools are doing grave harm to public education.
31
Well count me among those liberals and Democrats who never thought they'd be in agreement with conservatives on this issue but...we're better off eliminating the Dept. of Education than allowing these incompetent fools to further destroy a once great public education system, turning it into nothing more than a giant for-profit test prep and test-taking racket, just another source of public money for corporate vultures.
32
Amen to your comment. As a former School Board member in a Massachusetts city, I watched even liberal local officials succumb to this racket...actually it has become racketeering in education. American free public education for all was what once separated us from most countries in the world. It was what created the great middle class. Now it's become a disgrace.
11
Michael from PA's comment deserves the "NYT Picks" gold ribbon.
This article is a totally off-the-mark fluff piece for the Education Dept. It uses words like "hidebound" to describe the school system that Duncan challenged by granting billions of dollars for "innovation' in teaching.
Nothing could be further from the truth--just read the thoughtful comments here.
This article is a totally off-the-mark fluff piece for the Education Dept. It uses words like "hidebound" to describe the school system that Duncan challenged by granting billions of dollars for "innovation' in teaching.
Nothing could be further from the truth--just read the thoughtful comments here.
I'm not sorry to see Duncan leave, but I'm afraid his replacement is not going to be any better.
17
Take it from a New Yorker, King will be worse. On the bright side, he won't be as effective or articulate pressing his testing all the time and charter agenda.
King will be just as much of a lightning rod as Duncan was. Just go look at the record of the debacle in NYS when he tried to shove Common Core down people's throats or the degree of condescension that was evident when he got push-back from parents and school districts. This is most emphatically a terrible choice.
15
Arne Duncan is by far the greatest Secretary of Education in the history of the United States. He will be missed. Education in the US certainly benefited from his skills. He a very skillful man, who will now turn his skills to something new. Who will replace him? Who can replace him? He's simply irreplaceable.
3
Love the sarcasm, Southern Boy. Love it!
Good riddance! The horrendous student loan debt problem became even worse under his destructive watch. For millions of people, this debt is the single most destructive burden they will ever face. This is a political problem similar to gun violence - people's lives are permanently ruined because special interests on the right have a stranglehold on Congress in order to keep lining the pockets of banks and corporate overlords like ECMC - who mount brutal legal defenses again former students trying to discharge their student loans after being left penniless and exhausted by cancer or other dire medical problems. Shame on Arne Duncan for lying down for corporate interests and banks that punish the vulnerable.
14
Mr. Duncan's tenure has been a disaster easily foretold. His lack of any meaningful experience in public education translated into poorly thought out "reforms" that have now left public education in shambles. To replace him with Mr. King, an advocate for charter schools, tells me that the system, once the model for inclusiveness, will continue to splinter and spiral downward. This is Mr. Obama's shameful legacy.
30
Arne Duncan's "Race to the Top" is/was in reality a "Plunge to the Bottom".
17
It's funny what little regard this admin seems to have had for parent concerns about education. Arne has been a joke as far as most public school families are concerned & did anyone in DC hear our NY displeasure with John King AT ALL?
24
How long has the Times had the 'success stories from charter schools' on the front page of the website? Months and months. And probably for many months to come.
6
As I rejoiced hearing about the departure of Mr. Duncan, I cried hearing about the selection of Dr. King. I was overjoyed when he left New York and wrote to President Obama (who I support and admire) about his poor choice then and now. Dr. King is a charter school, test focused, anti-educator, "yes man" who has only been interested in his own education.
I am a product of public education, a father of two publically educated sons and a proud public educator for 35 years. When will we have a public educator as Secretary of Education? It seems like never.
I am a product of public education, a father of two publically educated sons and a proud public educator for 35 years. When will we have a public educator as Secretary of Education? It seems like never.
1
Maybe John King will listen to some criticism, while Arne Duncan did not listen. Duncan was, after all, a basketball player, not an educator. King has been a teacher, and I school administrator.
If the voices of criticism are loud enough, change might start to happen at the US Department of Education. If the Democrats want to win the presidential election in 2016, they need to work on education.
Keep hope alive! (Jesse Jackson)
=========================
www.SavingSchools.org
If the voices of criticism are loud enough, change might start to happen at the US Department of Education. If the Democrats want to win the presidential election in 2016, they need to work on education.
Keep hope alive! (Jesse Jackson)
=========================
www.SavingSchools.org
4
Harry,
As much as I want to believe that King will be at least somewhat receptive, the pessimist in me is saying otherwise. He presented very poorly in community meetings around the state a couple of years ago regarding the Common Core. Sadly, I think what we saw of him then is what are going to get, albeit this time on a national scale.
As much as I want to believe that King will be at least somewhat receptive, the pessimist in me is saying otherwise. He presented very poorly in community meetings around the state a couple of years ago regarding the Common Core. Sadly, I think what we saw of him then is what are going to get, albeit this time on a national scale.
2
King has been an educator and school administrator...in charter schools.
1
As soon as a politician like Obama gets elected (and boy did I think with his background things would be different), payback to those hedge fund donors begins. Arne Duncan maybe a good partner in a basketball pickup game, however he has done nothing to improve education. Under his watch a lot of Obama's donors, have gotten their hand into the public education's funding resources and produces NOTHING.
21
No tears for Mr. Duncan. At least he will be replaced with an actual educator. The best way to address educational issues is to ask the educators, specifically the teachers. Funny how that just doesn't happen.
15
John B. King Jr. was the deputy secretary of education, under the tutelage of Arne Duncan and President Obama. What's changed? Duncan is done and King will be the new education king and the President's term isn't up until next year. The same knuckleheads are in charge while the kids and teachers continue to be the biggest losers in the end. No new lessons learned on this one - just the same old status quo running the show.
11
King is not an "actual educator". He had a brief stint teaching at a charter school, but has otherwise been a privatization/charter political operative.
3
I believe that King taught kindergarten at a charter school for a hot minute, hardly making him an educator. I write as an educator, who has worked in title 1 schools for over 28 years, on the HS and Jr. HS levels. To call him an educator is generous, at best.
1
I rarely agree with my Republican friends except on the need to dismantle the Department of Education if this is the best we can get. After seven years of being led by someone whose claim to fame was his friendship with Obama we are now reduced to the choice of a failed leader who has little knowledge of what is needed to fix our schools beginning with an understanding of what great leadership really means.
16
No one without a proven track record of using scientifically-validated educational techniques and experience in the classroom should be running the Department of Education in the country that is the leader of the free world. And they should not be sending their kids to private school.
And for all of you who want us to turn into South Korea or Japan or China in test craziness, be prepared for an increase of suicides and other side-effects. We have to have educational opportunities for all children, whether they want to go to college or be in a vocational occupation.
And for all of you who want us to turn into South Korea or Japan or China in test craziness, be prepared for an increase of suicides and other side-effects. We have to have educational opportunities for all children, whether they want to go to college or be in a vocational occupation.
37
Hooray - Duncan's contribution has been to advance "charter schools" and private religious schools at the expense of public education. I support Common Core standards, but my state (WA) like others, is a mish-mash of testing to the detriment of students and faculty. How many times do 'we' have to hear that our kids' normal education has been set aside to "prepare for testing"? Good riddance.
11
Janis, King's background as an educator comes in charter schools, which he went on to run before becoming NYS Education Commissioner before he turned 40. And he was reviled for his arrogance and ineffectiveness in New York, where his force feeding of Pearson's Common Core tests was rejected by record numbers of parents opting out, particularly on Long Island.
1
No school will do well within a bureaucracy.
The School of Education at The University of Chicago was closed. Shuttered.
John Dewey would cry.
The president that is willing to close the federal Department of Education will get my vote.
Education is best in the hands of those closest to the challenge... the federal government and state governments should simply exit education and leave this area to the PTA and other groups working in tandem with the schools.
Bigger is rarely better in education.
Robert Maynard Hutchins abolished the last two years of high school, sending kids directly to college. He felt those two years were wasteful. I agree.
We are holding the best kids back, and we can do little for those unwilling or unable to learn by the time they reach 11th grade.
Arne Duncan is a nice guy. He will return to education at the university level and make a few bucks if he is chosen by a school with big time football and basketball, but he will play second fiddle to the coaches... another issue we need to address.
I my next life.
The School of Education at The University of Chicago was closed. Shuttered.
John Dewey would cry.
The president that is willing to close the federal Department of Education will get my vote.
Education is best in the hands of those closest to the challenge... the federal government and state governments should simply exit education and leave this area to the PTA and other groups working in tandem with the schools.
Bigger is rarely better in education.
Robert Maynard Hutchins abolished the last two years of high school, sending kids directly to college. He felt those two years were wasteful. I agree.
We are holding the best kids back, and we can do little for those unwilling or unable to learn by the time they reach 11th grade.
Arne Duncan is a nice guy. He will return to education at the university level and make a few bucks if he is chosen by a school with big time football and basketball, but he will play second fiddle to the coaches... another issue we need to address.
I my next life.
3
No, he will return to Chicago and help Rahm dismantle public education there, which has just defunded SPECIAL ED! Arne will get a very lucrative job privatizing U.S. schools, on taxpayer dime. He may work for Murdoch, Broad or Gates. Let's see. Also, Obama will only have King on as "Acting" Secretary to avoid the vetting process which will expose Obama's allegiance to for-profit charter schools, which receive taxpayer dollars funneled from public schools. They will also expose how poorly charter schools actual do.
11
Great reference -- John Dewey. Nice!
Any discussion of US public education quickly turns to how well, or how poorly, our students and graduates compete with/compare to those in other advanced countries. It then devolves into the politically charged debate of federal versus state standards, control etc., unionized versus non-unionized teachers, charter versus traditional etc.
However, none of this addresses the core issue. Students do well where the underlying concept of education for its own sake is the primary goal. That's how it used to be. We now live a culture where there is wide spread disdain, particularly on the right, for the per se value of a sound education.
For example, I can think of no other advanced society where politicians debate such issues as teaching evolution versus creationism.
Sadly, our educational system has become as politicized as the floor of Congress, and our students suffer the consequences.
However, none of this addresses the core issue. Students do well where the underlying concept of education for its own sake is the primary goal. That's how it used to be. We now live a culture where there is wide spread disdain, particularly on the right, for the per se value of a sound education.
For example, I can think of no other advanced society where politicians debate such issues as teaching evolution versus creationism.
Sadly, our educational system has become as politicized as the floor of Congress, and our students suffer the consequences.
31
Yes. Get the politicians out of education!!!! They should focus on creating jobs and growing the economy rather than micromanaging a profession that they know nothing about.
4
There is plenty of culpability to be shared by Democrats for the breakdown and politicization of our educational system. Don't dare try and push this all off on Republicans.
1
Education for education's sake. Amen.
2
Don't get too excited, King will not be any better. We just went from the frying pan to the fire.
9
Just about six and a half years too late. He has done more to damage this country's public schools than all the Republican governors combined.
30
Great! Transitions are times of opportunity.
Now, perhaps, the few counties left in the United States that do not have separate Community College Campuses - such as Scott County, Kentucky - will get them. This is a chance for Arne Duncan to spend well the dollars taxpayers have sent him, invest in the future of our nation, and provide beacons of hope to high school students who will have constant reminders that hard work does pay with better jobs.
While Community Colleges make the future safer and brighter, there is an immediate return to the community because Community College campuses are sanctuaries for young people from the temptations of the streets.
A Community College campus is a constant reminder to the community that there is a pathway out of high school that does not involve prison. Community Colleges provide an opportunity for greater income, safer living conditions, and the production of future taxpayers. Separate Community College campuses are constant reminders to easily distracted youth that they have a choice that does involve a better future.
That is what taxpayers want - a safer and more optimistic America where people get certified and get jobs rather than cost us taxpayers more by resorting to illegal streams of income. Spend our money now on creating new Community College Campuses.
Now, perhaps, the few counties left in the United States that do not have separate Community College Campuses - such as Scott County, Kentucky - will get them. This is a chance for Arne Duncan to spend well the dollars taxpayers have sent him, invest in the future of our nation, and provide beacons of hope to high school students who will have constant reminders that hard work does pay with better jobs.
While Community Colleges make the future safer and brighter, there is an immediate return to the community because Community College campuses are sanctuaries for young people from the temptations of the streets.
A Community College campus is a constant reminder to the community that there is a pathway out of high school that does not involve prison. Community Colleges provide an opportunity for greater income, safer living conditions, and the production of future taxpayers. Separate Community College campuses are constant reminders to easily distracted youth that they have a choice that does involve a better future.
That is what taxpayers want - a safer and more optimistic America where people get certified and get jobs rather than cost us taxpayers more by resorting to illegal streams of income. Spend our money now on creating new Community College Campuses.
2
Another legacy of Duncan is the Title IX witch hunt in college universities at the hands of the DOE.
Sexual assault has now become defined as anything they say it is, and colleges are scrambling to become investigator, judge and jury to throw men out or else lose federal funding.
It's gotten to the point where Democrat Congressman Jared Polis stated at a hearing on these matters, "“if there’s 10 people who have been accused, and under a reasonable likelihood standard maybe one or two did it, it seems better to get rid of all 10 people.”
Thanks Arne.
Sexual assault has now become defined as anything they say it is, and colleges are scrambling to become investigator, judge and jury to throw men out or else lose federal funding.
It's gotten to the point where Democrat Congressman Jared Polis stated at a hearing on these matters, "“if there’s 10 people who have been accused, and under a reasonable likelihood standard maybe one or two did it, it seems better to get rid of all 10 people.”
Thanks Arne.
1
I support President Obama on most issues, but he has been dangerously wrong on education. The focus on test scores, especially to evaluate teachers, has narrowed the curriculum at schools across the country. President Obama never went to public schools, and never sent his daughters to one; I do not think he really understands what he has done. Almost half the schools in Denver are now charter schools, mostly on the model of of regimented strictness. The money invested in race to the top would have been better spent reducing class sizes, offering increased services to poorer families, providing internet services to poorer families, and in teacher salaries and resources. My kids high school still has maps of the USSR and the boiler goes out several times during the school year, leaving the school with no heat. When Mr. Duncan came to Denver to "hear from the community", only people who agreed with him were invited. HIs loss will be the gain of public education.
118
There is a lot of money to be made off of schoolchildren, by testing companies, for-profit charter school operators, and the bureaucrats who come up with insane ideas like "Race to the Top" and Common Core." That's what our educational system is all about. Follow the money.
10
I would not bet on that' look at the Congress with their idiotic ideas.
We need our children to compete with yellow & brown asians for jobs in IT.
We also need our students to write better. The current system ain't doing it.
We need our children to compete with yellow & brown asians for jobs in IT.
We also need our students to write better. The current system ain't doing it.
Not to minimize Duncan's shortcomings re K-12 education, but it's surprising that the many (justifiably) critical comments here mention nothing about Duncan's role in the student loan mess. Outstanding student debt has exploded during his tenure, and the main response by Duncan's Department of Education is to come up with more gimmicks to kick the debt can further down the road (PAYE/REPAYE and other alphabet soup programs).
13
I have to agree with anti-education conservatives on this one.
(I know, I'm being redundant since anti-education = conservative)
It is pointless to have a national Dept. of Education.
Americans will NEVER agree on the need for national standards, which most equate to communism.
(I know, I'm being redundant since anti-education = conservative)
It is pointless to have a national Dept. of Education.
Americans will NEVER agree on the need for national standards, which most equate to communism.
3
He should take the entire department with him. The Dept. of Education is useless and redundant. It costs as much per year as the Iraq war and might even have been less effective.
9
As a 13-year NYC Public School veteran, I can only hope that after a failed career in basketball, and a failed career in Education, Mr. Duncan finally finds something he's good at. Everyone has a talent; he simply needs to discover his.
I believe in you Arnie!
I believe in you Arnie!
16
In 2011, I was honored to be selected as a U.S. Presidential Scholar Educator. The honor came with three days of events in Washington, D.C., including a nice dinner and a day of meetings at the Department of Education. I was particularly excited at the opportunity to discuss education policy with the other 100 or so honored teachers and with the DOE officials.
The first two hours of the DOE session began thus: After distributing a packet of copies of Arne Duncan's recent speeches, the Department of Education personnel instructed us to read through the packet and select the Arne Duncan quote or quotes we found most inspiring and explain why. Any hopes for a productive day rapidly diminished with that pointless exercise, and I pondered the efficacy of an organization whose employees feel obligated to spend scarce resources paying homage to their Great Leader. I left at lunchtime to salvage something from the day.
Since then, I have followed Duncan's administration of the Education Department and have seen nothing to make me re-evaluate my initial impression of Mr. Duncan or the Department he has overseen. If anything, he has taken us further down the rabbit hole of corporatized education, to the enormous detriment of a generation of students.
While it appears the next choice offers no real change from Duncan, I hope that the next president actually considers naming an educator to this post.
The first two hours of the DOE session began thus: After distributing a packet of copies of Arne Duncan's recent speeches, the Department of Education personnel instructed us to read through the packet and select the Arne Duncan quote or quotes we found most inspiring and explain why. Any hopes for a productive day rapidly diminished with that pointless exercise, and I pondered the efficacy of an organization whose employees feel obligated to spend scarce resources paying homage to their Great Leader. I left at lunchtime to salvage something from the day.
Since then, I have followed Duncan's administration of the Education Department and have seen nothing to make me re-evaluate my initial impression of Mr. Duncan or the Department he has overseen. If anything, he has taken us further down the rabbit hole of corporatized education, to the enormous detriment of a generation of students.
While it appears the next choice offers no real change from Duncan, I hope that the next president actually considers naming an educator to this post.
51
Thank you for sharing your experience here. It's quite sad that a day set aside for teachers would focus on public relations exercises for Arne Duncan.
This appointment will accelerate privatization and play in the hands of corporate stars like Gates and other self proclaimed education experts!
King seems like a nice man, but would have been better suited to run a real estate office. How tragic!
King seems like a nice man, but would have been better suited to run a real estate office. How tragic!
14
There are many issues where people ignore evidence in favor of ideology. Climate change is one, vaccinations another.
For Obama, Duncan and King that issue is testing.
For Obama, Duncan and King that issue is testing.
20
THANK GOD! He is an attorney by training and a foreign professional basketball player. He has NEVER TAUGHT. He clearly loathes public education and his only experience in education as CPS' CEO because of his basketball buddy, Mr. Obama. Duncan never listened to the experts in education like Diane Ravitch or schools like HGSE. Instead, he thrust his own agenda on ALL teachers and ALL schools with the premise being that teachers are worthless and test scores reveal all. His "Race to the Top" program gives more money, resources, and the best teachers to high achieving schools and away from struggling schools. Pearson has been enriched by $400 million. Maybe Arne plays BB with its CEO. This is the opposite of what writes success in education. It is great to have high expectations and standards, but the Common Core has usurped local control and the PARCC exams are senselessly difficult. Take the test given to 14-year-olds:
http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib07/MA01906464/Centricity/domai...
He might have worked with teachers and researchers. Instead, attorney Arne has brutalized the field where people are leaving education and avoiding it in college. The micromanaging of the classroom has never been worse--Common Core, state BOEs. local BOEs. Why anyone would even consider education as a career is beyond me. Not with attorneys like Arne posing as educators who have a one-size-fits-all approach. GOODBYE.
http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib07/MA01906464/Centricity/domai...
He might have worked with teachers and researchers. Instead, attorney Arne has brutalized the field where people are leaving education and avoiding it in college. The micromanaging of the classroom has never been worse--Common Core, state BOEs. local BOEs. Why anyone would even consider education as a career is beyond me. Not with attorneys like Arne posing as educators who have a one-size-fits-all approach. GOODBYE.
71
I am full agreement with your denunciation of Arne Duncan, but he is not an attorney. Incredibly, such an assertion is insulting to attorneys.
President Obama seems to have a blind spot when it comes to education. Arne Duncan would have benefited from being a full time teacher before trying to run things. Most of his ideas have nothing to do with authentic student learning. And, John King was a disaster here in New York State.
54
My first thought on reading Arne Duncan was stepping down was, "Oh, good." My second thought, on reading John King would step up was, "Oh, no. It's getting worse." The high stakes testing in New York State and the value added (what ever that is) assessment of teachers has punctured the morale of teachers and is destroying the art of teaching. I am a NYS teacher who has taught for over 40 years. I am seeing a reprehensible shift in education to a business model that benefits big companies that create the tests and text books.
4
What a shame. King supports rating teachers based on high stakes standardized testing. The only people who benefit from that are testing companies and hedge fund managers who invest in charter schools. Teachers will be forced to teach to misguided tests, your children will suffer courses that prep them for those tests, and your tax dollars will flow towards charters schools and hedge fund coffers.
I voted for President Obama and now I regret that decision.
I voted for President Obama and now I regret that decision.
34
Why is it not a basic pre-requisite that the nation's Education Secretary have taught in a public school and/or have children who graduated from a public school? Anything less is an insult to the teachers, students and parents of public education. And it's a mystery why the national educational test scores are repeatedly lower than most countries?
51
He should take a job teaching in an inner-city public school for a year. Perhaps then would understand the gravity of the challenges facing mostly black and Hispanic kids. They are the innocent sacrificial lambs to the teachers' unions.
11
Goodegg: If Duncan teaches at an inner-city school he'll learn what he should have know seven years ago. It's too late now. And Obama is replacing him with another political hack who is has yet to learn about any of the "challenges facing mostly black and Hispanic kids." I mean, King dosen't know anything.
4
He should, but he'll take a lobbying job making more in a year than a teacher will make in a lifetime.
2
He should have done that long BEFORE becoming Secretary of Edumacation, as W put it.
Both Mr. Duncan and Mr. King have worked hard to push US K-12 education in the right direction. Part of the reforms they promoted are simply to keep US education more closely in line with most other high achieving countries. I can guarantee you that students in most northern European countries (not all) and East Asian countries study harder than many US students. They also do more rigorous examinations.
How do I know? I came from one of these countries.
Unfortunately we have an alliance of wimpy parents and some teachers who instead of pushing their children to work harder and achieve higher, want to pull down the education standard. But we are in a global economy now. Just because a kid gets a good grade compared to his/her classmates in a watered-down grading system doesn't mean he/she is well prepared to compete and succeed in the global economy. These (very vocal) parents and teachers are doing the children a huge disservice.
History will vindicate the vision of Mr. Duncan and Mr. King (although I don't care much for the charter school movement -- the evidence on that has been so far very weak to say the least).
How do I know? I came from one of these countries.
Unfortunately we have an alliance of wimpy parents and some teachers who instead of pushing their children to work harder and achieve higher, want to pull down the education standard. But we are in a global economy now. Just because a kid gets a good grade compared to his/her classmates in a watered-down grading system doesn't mean he/she is well prepared to compete and succeed in the global economy. These (very vocal) parents and teachers are doing the children a huge disservice.
History will vindicate the vision of Mr. Duncan and Mr. King (although I don't care much for the charter school movement -- the evidence on that has been so far very weak to say the least).
4
So how come the U.S. is still by far the most advanced country in the world. Virtually all new ideas and inventions start here! Vladimir Putin just stated on Charlie Rose's show that what he admires is the creativity of this society. Our education system fosters creativity. Sadly it looks like that will end with the standardization test obsessed direction of our system. Read the books by Dianne Ravitch. By the way, the U.S. has a much higher rate of poverty among students than other modern nations (and not so modern). If we account for the higher poverty rates, our students outperform all others in the international assessments. Again please read Ms. Ravitch's books that document these issues.
7
Teachers were not involved in attorney Duncan's plans. Parents are typically uninterested and uninformed. Since you are so wise about all things education, please take the PARCC exam given to 9th graders. Make sure you complete the online parts online, using the allotment of time.
http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib07/MA01906464/Centricity/domai...
http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib07/MA01906464/Centricity/domai...
8
The frontier of technological and scientific advance in the US has been shaped in large part by immigrants (many escaping the war zone that was World War II Europe decades ago). If you look at the STEM departments in high education institutions in the US, you'll often see vast majority of the graduate students coming from other countries. You know this already I'm sure.
The advantage of the US education system has been eroding rapidly. The other countries I mentioned have been consistently following the education system originally developed by earlier US (and German) educators 100 years ago. It is the US that in recent decades that has deviated from the successful system that it played a major part creating in the first place.
The advantage of the US education system has been eroding rapidly. The other countries I mentioned have been consistently following the education system originally developed by earlier US (and German) educators 100 years ago. It is the US that in recent decades that has deviated from the successful system that it played a major part creating in the first place.
4
Really?? John King is wrong for this nation!!! It's a slap in the face to parents everywhere.
28
I'm a former teacher in urban schools, and I'm glad to see Duncan go. His understanding of how public schools actually fail matches that of a watermelon rind. His sterile, white-shirted dancing around the realities of failing classrooms and failing students has brought on a massive shift from traditional public education toward charter schools. Public schools, especially those in poor urban areas, are drying up and dying because the children who attend them are powerless and the adult who oversees them is ignorant.
Perhaps the depth of Mr King's ignorance is not as deep as Duncan's, but his resume' as outlined in this article is not encouraging.
Perhaps the depth of Mr King's ignorance is not as deep as Duncan's, but his resume' as outlined in this article is not encouraging.
32
If you can't say something nice about how a person performed in a job, it is polite to say nothing at all. In that vein, I suspect many educators share the following in regard to Mr. Duncan's role as an education leader:
10
I've stated on Diane Ravitch's blog that the assault on public education MAY/POSSIBLY begin to end after Obama is gone. Obama said all the right things about teachers when he was a candidate in 2008 with Linda Darling Hammond of Stanford U as his education advisor. President elect Obama ignored Hammond and appointed Duncan as suggested by the hedge fund and other wealthy individuals. The rest is history. An all out assault on teachers and public education.
65
Goodbye Mr. Duncan. Now, don't name any successor. Get the Federal Government out of Education, delete the post of Secretary, make it a small office that does studies and issues reports.
Leave the states alone.
Leave the states alone.
11
Theodore Roosevelt's quote; It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Until there is someone in power who has been in the arena of education, done the blood,sweat, and tears of a multi-year (decade or more) of teaching in the classroom, anyone who does not hold those credentials should be soundly ignored. If you can't share my story, you do not have my respect as a leader in my field.
Until there is someone in power who has been in the arena of education, done the blood,sweat, and tears of a multi-year (decade or more) of teaching in the classroom, anyone who does not hold those credentials should be soundly ignored. If you can't share my story, you do not have my respect as a leader in my field.
58
Arne Duncan's sad legacy is his creation of distorting "races" and "metrics" that serve as the basis for educational hucksters and snake oil salesmen to claim "New and Improved!" when in reality it's neither.
An ignorant man in charge of education policy.
An ignorant man in charge of education policy.
38
I was a member of a major suburban public school district and representative for Michigan's 12th Congressional District Federal Relations Network for the National School Board Association advocating for the establishment of the federal Department of Education during the Carter administration. During the Reagan administration, we advocated against the attempts to abolish the Department. Mr. Duncan's disastrous and unfortunate tenure as Education Secretary has caused me to reluctantly conclude that I was wrong on both occasions.
We should all hope that Senate Democrats and Republicans will agree to oppose the nomination of John King, and demand that President Obama submit a Secretary of Education with the educational credentials, experience and philosophy that Americans expect and deserve.
We should all hope that Senate Democrats and Republicans will agree to oppose the nomination of John King, and demand that President Obama submit a Secretary of Education with the educational credentials, experience and philosophy that Americans expect and deserve.
43
So this is all your fault?
King will be acting secretary for the rest of Obama's term and thus will not require confirmation.
Smart move: the nomination would bring to the forefront the festering and unspoken divide within the Democratic party on education "reform". Most Democrats (like me) abhor the mentality of the "reform" movement while a significant and monied minority of Dems support "reforms" like more testing and evaluating teachers on tests and pushing charter schools at the expense of genuinely public schools.
If you're wondering why education is so rarely discussed at liberal blogs like Maddowblog, TNR, etc, I suspect that this division within the party is the reason. Any type of discussion of this does not flatter the president who, despite his education blind spot, I still support, albeit with little of the fervor that I once had.
Smart move: the nomination would bring to the forefront the festering and unspoken divide within the Democratic party on education "reform". Most Democrats (like me) abhor the mentality of the "reform" movement while a significant and monied minority of Dems support "reforms" like more testing and evaluating teachers on tests and pushing charter schools at the expense of genuinely public schools.
If you're wondering why education is so rarely discussed at liberal blogs like Maddowblog, TNR, etc, I suspect that this division within the party is the reason. Any type of discussion of this does not flatter the president who, despite his education blind spot, I still support, albeit with little of the fervor that I once had.
1
Good... now maybe, just maybe, the Education system can recover from the disgrace it has become under unions and government that places doctrine above fact agenda above learning and teachers above students.
Hope springs eternal!
Hope springs eternal!
2
Meet the new boss. . .same as the old boss.
1
Not sure which one is worse, Arne Duncan or John King. Besides being an educator (university-level) horrified by their policies from a professional perspective, I'm also a NYC public school parent. I thought it was bad enough that there is no escape from Duncan/King's corporatized vision of 'education' in the NYC public school system. Now there will be no escape anywhere in the country. It's getting bad enough to make me reconsider my views on local school control.
100
I am always puzzled by New York's public education. When the "Race to the Top" (geez - first sign of trouble, eh?), awarded NY $100 million, the story was that NY would spend it on the computer system (probably from our state's billionaire - and Ducan BFF Gates - company) to create a tracking/testing system. Other news articles said NY (or is it just the City?) spends more per student than any other state. What can be so wrong with your schools? In addition, for the rest of us, NY City seems to drive education/school policy. Those of us outside of NY City, have little in common with your schools, it seems. I don't mean to knock NY, (I actually subscribe to New York mag becuz I like reading about the city), but your school 'leaders' have been mucking up the whole country's systems. You identify "corporatized" system as the problem, so I'm going with that as it has become a creeping problem here since Duncan came on board.
(p.s. just so you know I'm not picking on NY, my state - Washington - is again under state supreme court orders to fund schools as our state constitution specifically demands. AND get this, we have no income tax, in a state with Microsoft, Boeing, Weyerhauser, Intel, H.P. and plenty of subsidized corporate agriculture. Our foolishness comes in many ways...)
(p.s. just so you know I'm not picking on NY, my state - Washington - is again under state supreme court orders to fund schools as our state constitution specifically demands. AND get this, we have no income tax, in a state with Microsoft, Boeing, Weyerhauser, Intel, H.P. and plenty of subsidized corporate agriculture. Our foolishness comes in many ways...)
Arne Duncan knew nothing about education when he took the job and spent 7 years showing how little he knew. Getting rid of him is the good news for the children of the country.
The bad news is he is being replaced by another person, Mr. King, who spent several years trying to destroy public education in New York. God help us all.
The bad news is he is being replaced by another person, Mr. King, who spent several years trying to destroy public education in New York. God help us all.
73
John King's school age children do not attend public school. Enough said.
153
Would you send your kids to DC public schools?
And neither do Duncan's!
A better choice for his replacement would have been Diane Ravitch.
134
I would like to say that is ironic to see front page news consisting of another gun rampage next to Mr. Duncan's resignation; but the mentality at play in both national armament and education flow from the same sick belief: more of what ails you! The only answer to gun violence is more guns while the only answer to our test taking madness is more tests. This inane thought process across all of our leaders, complete orthodoxy to failed policies, i.e. guns, education, economic growth, unemployment, etc, is sickening. I am completely befuddled as to why this country is alone among the 1st world nations in this regard.
45
Obama has under-supported unions throughout his tenure.
This King appointment is a "jump-the-shark" moment.
This King appointment is a "jump-the-shark" moment.
34
Unions, while they do protect workers on many levels also, protect the individual employee from accountability and being held responsible for singular acts of wrongdoing.
If you were fired as a superintendent in Florida you get to become Commissioner of Education in New York. If you were responsible for the disastrous implementation of the Common Core Curriculum in New York and you were additionally so dismissive of comments from teachers AND administrators AND parents that you could not even hold public meetings because of the anger and frustration your actions created, you get to become Secretary of Education.
154
Cinzia, I cry for all of us. It is too sad a state of affairs. What are they thinking? John King? No. Next he'll propose Michelle Rhee. I voted for B Obama, twice, but on Education he gets a big fat F. Too sad. 32 years teaching in a public school and sometimes I feel it was all for naught. My heart aches.
2
A dark day for education. If there is anyone who can carry the banner of the Education-Industrial Complex with greater enthusiasm than Mr. Duncan, it is Mr. Mr. King. They are popping corks at Pearson Education!
110
Good riddance. Unfortunatelly, we are going from one Common Core pusher to another. Hope the Common Core opt-outs reach record number this year. I guess it's the president himself who still believes Common Core is useful and good for education. I guess it's easy to believe THAT when one's kids attend private schools, which have nothing to do with Common Core.
53
There is no such thing as opting out of the Common Core. If your state chose to adopt standards, districts have to implement them and your kids have to learn in that way. You don't get to choose what standards your schools use or don't use, and they don't either.
3
Why wait until December? He should “Race to the Top” and resign now!
30
The Department of Education grants to South Dakota have been mired in corruption scandals...the entire "business" of awarding grants should be re-evaluated...it is inefficient, wasteful, and mostly without any gain or profit...and every tax-paying American should be able to simply turn to Google to find out who gets what tax-funded Federal or state grant, who the involved players are, and a complete accounting of the dollars and cents...almost seems like the dirty (and not little) secret is that the world of grant funding is often shrouded in obfuscation and controlled by an entrepreneurial and politically privileged elite..
8
great suggestion - I have had tough time trying to find this info in Wash St as well. it's like a chess game where only one person gets to know the rules.
So excited by this news. John King is an extraordinary leader with a vision for student success. I applaud President Obama's decision.
Not that this should come as any surprise, but here is more proof of how truly tone-deaf the Obama administration has been on education - replacing Duncan, who has done more damage to our public schools than any Secretary of Education in recent history, with our former NY commissioner, who was drummed out of the state after a colossal failure of a tenure in which he rammed Common Core down our throats, oversaw the linkage of teacher evaluations with test scores (another Duncan/Obama initiative), showed complete disregard for the public (going as far as to cancel community forums when the crowds proved too hostile), and promoted unaccountable, cherry-picking charter schools. It is a sad day for public education when both parties have abandoned you. As a deep blue Democrat, I truly wanted to believe in President Obama, but I have watched as he has systematically dismantled my profession. Will the next President be better? Doubtful.
96
Arne Duncan is leaving, but his terrible legacy lives on. Districts nationwide teach to the test, despite his lip service otherwise. Teachers and their unions are now a bipartisan scapegoat. Parents, educators and students have been alienated by his arrogance and criticisms. I wish his successor well, but there are a lot of burned bridges to contend with.
25
New York parents HATE John King. Why oh why would Obama do this? (Oh, yeah, his kids go to private school)
80
It would be nice if the president appointed someone who actually cared about public education.
Only the parents will save us from the corporate reformers, so I encourage everyone to support the Opt Out movement.
Only the parents will save us from the corporate reformers, so I encourage everyone to support the Opt Out movement.
79
Prepare yourselves for a venomous onslaught on Secretary Duncan from teachers who simply never want to be held accountable for their performance. They will continue to blame students' shortcomings on "poverty" when the public education establishment has had decade after decade to implement workable strategies and technologies to increase achievement for students who are in lower economic circumstances. All they and the unions seem to be successful at is getting enormous salaries for positions that, although I would grant you aren't beds of roses, come with benefits that are unthinkable in industry, etc. It is truly a part time job--and when you add the "no accountability" for performance aspect--the cost of American public education comprises one of the largest frauds being perpetrated on the American public today. Now the NY teachers will dump all over John King, Duncan's successor, who tried mightily in NY to require teachers to actually measure and improve performance. Before you teachers tell me that I "should spend one day in a public school classroom, etc." I am a former tenured urban NY teacher with multiple permanent certifications who ran away from the "profession" in hopelessness a long time ago. The game is rigged and kids are the losers.
6
So I guess you couldn't handle a "part-time" job. Too tough for you apparently. I taught for 25 years. Sundays were often taken up marking papers along with several evenings every week. So if you saw it as a part-time job you clearly weren't doing your job.
19
"enormous salaries"? Ha ha. That is hilarious. The teachers here in Brooklyn can't afford to live anywhere near the schools, so they all commute from distant suburbs.
18
I applaud your decision to quit teaching -- addition by subtraction.
[Teacher joke, get it?]
[Teacher joke, get it?]
12
As an educator in New York for the past 25 years, I can honestly say John King was the worst education commissioner New York has had during that time. I am very sad to hear that he is becoming the Education Secretary for our country.
140
Where are we going as a nation; and why are we in this handbasket?
4
"...challenged the nation’s schools to break out of their hidebound ways..."
___
Get rid of the national department of ed and allow the states to set the curriculum/standards; the feds should only intervene if/when religion is brought into the classroom.
Begin rewarding teachers for innovative teaching methods.
Here's an idea, given the high minority drop out rate, low-level (drug) incarceration mostly impacting the disadvantaged segments of our population, as part of prison reform, let a condition of parole be remaining drug-free; community service - complete a semester of high school with all classes a 'C' or better.
___
Get rid of the national department of ed and allow the states to set the curriculum/standards; the feds should only intervene if/when religion is brought into the classroom.
Begin rewarding teachers for innovative teaching methods.
Here's an idea, given the high minority drop out rate, low-level (drug) incarceration mostly impacting the disadvantaged segments of our population, as part of prison reform, let a condition of parole be remaining drug-free; community service - complete a semester of high school with all classes a 'C' or better.
The next Secretary should have been some woman, preferably a recent immigrant who worked at a low-paying job during the day, then went home to make certain that her kid's homework was done correctly, made sure that they took Latin, calculus and music lessons, never failed to attend a PTA meeting, volunteered at school functions and got her kids accepted to good colleges with full scholarships.
14
You know of any? And if you do, what would make that person qualified to run a cabinet level department?
1
Arne has done more than the last five secretaries put together to change education for the better in this country. First and foremost, the common core. I know a lot of you don't like it, but school districts across the country have embraced it because even a flawed CC makes a lot more sense than the hodgepodge of standards that was in place before. Even a coalition of the wingnuts and twitter activists from both parties cannot put the toothpaste back in the tube.
4
No problem with the Common Core. My problem is Duncan's reliance on charter schools and his constant and unending denigration of this country's teachers.
I think it is a lack of understanding that Common Core Standards (which I support) are separate from testing (which drives me nuts!) It's the intrusive, mostly meaningless testing that angers many parents. The standards, as presented to parents, are incomprehensible in their minutia. They are full of 'lingo' that only trained professionals understand. (My grandson's progress report in math was an entire page long - I understood little to none of it.) No one in the 'system' attempts to translate that into language 'we' can grasp and appreciate. This failure to 'explain' and over-rated testing is what makes 'us' mad, not increasing our standards of learning.
Simply put, you have no idea of what you're talking about. Duncan was a disaster as head of the Chicago Public Schools, and giving him a national pulpit based on nothing has been catastrophic.
3
Education should be led by educators who know what it is like to be in a classroom. Charter schools segregate our communities to those that have the resources to move their kids and those that do not. Charter schools bleed the neighborhood schools of resources that are needed to make a difference for all our kids.
70
And the presidency should be led by someone who has actually run something (other than his mouth) but here we are.
2
Speaking as a retired teacher: Arne Duncan was the champion of the charters. While I am certain that there are charters that are fulfilling their mission, we seem to hear mostly about the problems they are having, including hucksters using them to line their own pockets. He convinced the President that charters are the answer to problems in education. If, as I understand it. charters are meant to work around the education codes, it seems it is the ed codes that need to be revamped. (I've read at the Ed Code here on the Left Coast-it's about 6K pages long,) it seemingly has things from teh 1920s in it.)
25
What a bust. All hat and no cattle. Duncan never empowered poor families with resources to improve attendance and grades. He never empowered high achievers with resources to excel to their fullest potential. He never empowered teachers, students, or parents. He only empowered himself, and that he did so unwittingly is not testimony to his fine intentions - for his were the best - but evidence of his naivety and lack of genuine agenda that could work and be implemented. Unremarkable is the best one can say.
38
Whether pot or kettle, Obama, for all he cares about education and it being a transformative force, again leaves the country in the fire. He doubled down on poor leadership choices and hurt the chances of the children he extols.
32
Obama just cannot get the education thing right. John King was horrible in NY. He was responsible for the botched rollout of the new state tests based on Common Core. Not only were the quality of the tests poor, but the students were tested that year on Common Core before their teachers and schools had had a chance to introduce the actual curriculum. All King and Albany cared about was the politics of it. Looks like we're in store for more of that.
168
I am afraid that President Obama is "getting it". That is, he and others up on the food chain are trying their best to dismantle education in the U.S.A.. People like Duncan and King get it too.
4
Good! Certainly the worst Secretary of Education since the Dept. was founded. Arne Duncan may have damaged American education more than any other person with the possible exceptions of Eli Broad and Bill Gates.
88
Hold your judgement until John King's reign has ended.
Sorry to tell you, but King and his cronies have damaged NYS education just as badly...
Charter school handouts (money and buildings!) and windfall deals for (bad) test prep (costing NYS taxpayers $millions a year too!)
Charter school handouts (money and buildings!) and windfall deals for (bad) test prep (costing NYS taxpayers $millions a year too!)
From the frying pan into the fire. John King will do nothing to help public education. He's a pawn of the charters. Glad to see Duncan go, but not happy with his replacement.
101
ys but isn't this expected (unfortunately)
Not a minute too soon, as far as I'm concerned. Student testing has escalated to unprecedented levels in this country and has had a ruinous effect on the present quality of teaching in this country. Surely the Department of Education can do better.
36
For more than 40 years, the National Center for Education Statistics (part of the DOE) has used the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) as its assessment tool. NAEP tests a sample of students (the sample reflects the broader demographic picture), and is no-stakes in that names are removed from the test after students take it, and just the data is reported. NAEP is the basis for The National Report Card and is used in policymaking.
The preponderance of testing today is a clear reflection of lobbying efforts of Pearson. The state tests (thanks W) have caused more stress on the educational system than anything I've ever seen post-desegregation. The DOE was doing fine with the assessment tool that they have, and have to answer for the massive disruption caused to day to day schooling.
The preponderance of testing today is a clear reflection of lobbying efforts of Pearson. The state tests (thanks W) have caused more stress on the educational system than anything I've ever seen post-desegregation. The DOE was doing fine with the assessment tool that they have, and have to answer for the massive disruption caused to day to day schooling.
24
Why do we continually get Secretaries of Education who have never taught in a K-12 school yet are "experts" on education? This happens in both parties. Isn't it time for someone who has actually taught?
190
If any federal department needs to be axed, the Department of Education would be a first step. Arne Duncan, a Chicago style political crony of President Obama and Rahm Emanuel has accomplished little over his long stint at the DOE other than decimate the public school system to make room for a Corporate takeover. His expertise isn't on improving education but rather how to implode a public school system from the top by imposing crippling standardized tests designed to overhaul public funded education & replace it with privatized charter schools. Chicago public school parents are furious with Rahm Emanuel's destructive policies aimed at destroying neighborhood schools & now is faced with laying off over 1,000 employees due to poor governance by the corrupt Chicago political machine. Arne Duncan even sends his own children to the private Chicago schools to the tune of $30,000 per year per child. What a political hypocrite!
13
Thank you. This. This is like having a herbalist running the NIH.
No one without a proven track record of using scientifically-validated educational techniques and experience in the classroom should be running the Department of Education in the country that is the leader of the free world.
No one without a proven track record of using scientifically-validated educational techniques and experience in the classroom should be running the Department of Education in the country that is the leader of the free world.
2
Where will Mr. Duncan go next? So he'll be going back to Chicago, to be with family, but also wants to continue to help the children. Let's see where his experiences lead.
4
God help Chicago.
6
"help the children"?
2
When I remember the tenure and impact of Mr. Duncan I think of the phrase "No teacher left alive"
His monster campaign to instill 7 years of attacks on teachers has been truly remarkable !
As a 20 year veteran teacher I am not proud of his legacy, won't it be revealing what he decided to do next!
His monster campaign to instill 7 years of attacks on teachers has been truly remarkable !
As a 20 year veteran teacher I am not proud of his legacy, won't it be revealing what he decided to do next!
82
I'm sure he will be amply remunerated, far beyond what any teacher ever dreamed of earning.
4
Instead of investing in public schools, Bush and Obama both have jumped on the money-making privatization charter.
They all get rich; we get bilked. Shut it down.