Profile: Arne Duncan

Amidst the national economic crisis, which is resulting in 46 of the 50 states confronting substantial budget cuts that could severely affect the quality of public education, the new U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, enters the national education landscape with a proven record of accomplishment and an expressed sense of urgency to improve the equity and the excellence of American education.

As CEO of the Chicago Public Schools from 2001 to 2008, Duncan demonstrated an ability to bring people together and to solve difficult problems in a bipartisan way. He was able to accomplish striking reforms, like implementing a performance pay plan and closing down 19 schools for academic failure and dismissing the entire staff, while maintaining good relations with the teachers union and avoiding any labor strife during his entire long tenure in office.

He also has a track record of deep commitment to fiscal equity reform in schools. Although the Illinois Supreme Court has twice rejected adequacy claims on justiciability grounds, Duncan has continued to consider new strategies for promoting fiscal equity and has been a strong supporter of the Chicago Urban League’s new education adequacy litigation.

Duncan also is a strong supporter of comprehensive educational opportunities for children from backgrounds of concentrated poverty. For five years before taking the position with the Chicago Public Schools, he headed the Ariel Education Initiative, a program dedicated to providing educational opportunities and creative programs to engage students, families, and members of the community to strengthen the city of Chicago through education. As head of the Chicago Public Schools, Duncan championed a community schools approach to public education. 150 of Chicago’s approximately 600 public schools have been transformed into community schools. These schools are committed to providing creative and extensive programs in areas of health, nutrition, family support and preschool opportunities to enrich student achievement. Additionally, they promote the involvement of parents and community partners to advance and support learning.

Last November, Duncan gave the keynote after dinner message at the 4th annual symposium of The Campaign for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia University. He began by referring to the friendship that he and President Barack Obama have developed over the years---they play basketball together, their children went to school together, etc. Describing Obama as a “passionate believer in education,” Duncan repeatedly emphasized the new president’s dedication to improving education in America. The message of his speech underlined the importance of responsibility, sacrifice, and commitment to educational improvement. “Education,” stated Duncan, “is the key to long-term economic strength.”

Although the specifics of the Obama administration’s stategic approach to education have not yet been revealed, both Obama and Duncan have repeatedly emphasized the need for changes to be made to improve the educational system. One of the first major tasks that the new Secretary of Education will face is dealing with the long-delayed reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. Other issues that confront Duncan include expanding early childhood programs, recruiting teachers and improving teacher quality, evaluating charter schools, increasing high school graduation rates, and implementing the new federal stimulus bill.

In his confirmation hearing on January 13, 2009, Duncan stated that “providing a quality education to all children is not just a moral obligation but an economic imperative. This is both the civil rights issue of our generation and the economic foundation of our future.”