Meet Your U.S. Secretary Of Education Arne Duncan

Background

President Barack Obama nominated Arne Duncan to be U.S. secretary of education, and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Jan. 20, 2009.

Before serving as our nation’s education secretary, Duncan was superintendent of Chicago Public Schools from June 2001 through December 2008.

Duncan has been an advocate of teacher merit pay. Duncan says, “committed young people are attracted to teaching, but surveys show they are reluctant to enter the field for the long-haul. They see it as low-paying and low-prestige.” He says raising teacher salaries will help fill the void.

Latest Posts

Follow this topic

July 30, 2015

A Q & A With Federal Education Secretary Arne Duncan

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan was in South Florida Thursday to attend the national Urban League conference in Fort Lauderdale. He chatted with StateImpact Florida about school discipline, testing requirements and how Congress is rewriting the federal No Child Left Behind education law. Q: We are currently in the midst of a national conversation about […]

January 13, 2015

Florida And The Congressional Debate Over Rewriting No Child Left Behind

No Child Left Behind needs an update. Born in 2002, the law expired in 2007 and has sat as Republicans and Democrats struggled to find agreement. But Republicans now in control of both Congressional chambers seem ready to take on the task — and likely reduce federal education requirements on states. The biggest question is […]

November 7, 2013

Florida Scores On National Test Improve, But Eighth Graders Still Trail National Average

Florida student scores improved on a key national standardized test, including some of the largest eighth grade reading and math gains in the country. But Florida eighth graders still trail the national average in math, according to results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as The Nation’s Report Card. Florida eighth graders […]

November 27, 2012

Florida Education Foundation Hosting Two-Day Summit in D.C.

The Foundation for Excellence in Education’s annual conference starting this morning in Washington, D.C. The agenda hits most of the main policies former Gov. Jeb Bush has supported: How to make teachers more effective; school district accountability; charter school accountability; the parent trigger and funding; and what to expect from new Common Core assessments. The […]

October 10, 2012

Our Twitter Education Forum Is Happening Now

Our Twitter education forum with NPR’s Tell Me More is going on now. Follow the conversation here. Tell us about your schools. What’s working? What doesn’t? What issues are on your mind? Join the conversation at #NPRedchat. Check local listings for when you can hear the Tell Me More broadcast, featuring U.S. Secretary of Education […]

June 21, 2012

857 Students Drop Out of High School Every Hour, Every Day

The College Board is stepping into the world of politics with its first political campaign, “Don’t Forget Ed!” The board set up 857 empty school desks on the National Mall in Washington D.C., representing the 857 students that drop out of school every hour, according to the College Board. Its an effort to urge presidential candidates to make education reform […]

February 27, 2012

Arne Duncan Steals The Show At Orlando All-Star Game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qan2ayA9X6g The NBA All-Star game was in Orlando over the weekend, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined in the celebrity game. Duncan captained the Harvard squad and was an academic All-American during his time in Cambridge. Duncan also played professionally, much of it in Australia. Here’s a couple of clips from the game, including […]

February 9, 2012

Five Changes To Expect From Florida’s ‘No Child’ Waiver

So you’ve just been granted a waiver by the U.S. Department of Education — congrats on being one of the lucky 10. You’re ready to take your first steps toward Leaving No Child Left Behind, well, behind! But what does the waiver mean? How will it change things for Florida schools, students and parents? Here’s […]

Read The Federal Concerns About Florida’s ‘No Child’ Alternative

While we’re waiting for the White House and the U.S. Department of Education to say why they approved Florida’s No Child Left Behind waiver request, let’s review what they said about the application in December. Below is the December 20, 2011 letter to the Florida Department of Education outlining initial concerns. At the time, the […]

White House Gives Florida ‘Green Light’ On ‘No Child’ Waiver

The White House has confirmed that Florida is one of ten states which has been granted a waiver from No Child Left Behind requirements. Of eleven states initially applying, only New Mexico was not approved today. In a statement, President Barack Obama said the move will give states the “green light to continue making reforms […]