Even before President-elect Barack Obama introduced Arne Duncan, 44, as his selection for Secretary of Education this morning at a press conference in a revamped Chicago public school, education policy advocates on all sides had begun to express delight at the choice. He appeals to the current education secretary, Margaret Spellings, who said in a statement that he was a "visionary leader and fellow reformer who cares deeply about children." She notes that he has promoted policies to keep schools accountable. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a Washington think tank, agreed. "He's a proven and committed and inventive education reformer, not tethered to the public school establishment and its infinite interest groups, nor bedazzled by blandishments and commands from Washington," said Chester E. Finn, Fordham's outspoken president, in a press release.
On the other hand, the National School Boards Assocation also was supportive of the choice. As was the president of the American Federation of Teachers, one of the two big teachers unions in the country. "As Chicago schools’ chief executive officer, Duncan has shown a genuine commitment to what we see as the essential priorities for an incoming education secretary," said Randi Weingarten, AFT president, in a statement.
It appears that Obama has chosen a middle-of-the-road nominee who can appeal to both the reform-minded education advocates who value standardized testing and those who think more attention needs to be paid to programs outside of school that support students, particularly those from poor backgrounds.
Duncan is currently the chief executive of the Chicago school system and has been there for seven years, an extremely long tenure for any urban superintendent. In introducing him, Obama said Duncan is "not beholden to any ideology."
It will be interesting to see if Duncan is able to span the philosophical divides and get some much needed consensus on education issues.