This article summarizes Arne Duncan as being known as the ninth U.S. secretary of education. But before all of his accomplishments, he was a graduate of Harvard University in 1987, after majoring in sociology. He played basketball and was the co-captain of Harvard's basketball team and was named first team Academic All-American. After graduation, he ran the nonprofit education foundation Ariel Education Initiative, which helped fund a college education for a class of inner-city children (Resmovits2015). He was part of a team that later started a new public elementary school built around a financial literacy curriculum, the Ariel Community Academy, which today ranks among the top elementary schools in Chicago(Resmovits2015). From 1987 to 1991,
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Duncan's time as secretary has been marked by a significant amount of accomplishments on behalf of American students and teachers. He helped to secure congressional support for President Obama's investments in education, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's $100 billion to fund 325,000 teaching jobs, increases in Pell grants, reform efforts such as Race to the Top and Investing in Innovation, and interventions in low-performing schools (Resmovits2015). Additionally, he has helped secure an additional $10 billion to avoid teacher layoffs; the elimination of student loan subsidies to banks; and a $500 million national competition for early learning programs (Resmovits2015). Under Duncan's leadership at the Department, the Race to the Top program has the incentives, guidance, and flexibility it needs to support reforms in states (Resmovits2015). The Department also has focused billions of dollars to transform struggling schools, prompting nearly 1,000 low-performing schools nationwide to recruit new staff, adopt new teaching methods, and add learning time (Resmovits2015). He has led new efforts to encourage labor and management to work together as never before, and their new collaboration is helping to drive reform, strengthen teaching, create better educational options, and improve learning(Resmovits2015). During Duncan's tenure, the Department has …show more content…
Duncan was known for his relative forthrightness. He supported same-sex marriages. He also got into trouble for saying that the Common Core is controversial because white suburbia is too scared of test scores that would tell them how smart their kids really are. Throughout his tenure, he has faced immense push-back from critics in both parties: Republicans who think his administration has exerted too much control over the nation’s public schools, and Democrats who fundamentally disagree with the principles of education reform. He has also been on the receiving end of ire from teachers and their unions: In 2014, members of the National Education Assn. adopted a business item calling for his resignation. While Duncan has had moments of agreement, both inside and outside of the party, he has been in constant tension with the presidents of the nation’s largest teachers’ unions over education
Duncan's time as secretary has been marked by a significant amount of accomplishments on behalf of American students and teachers. He helped to secure congressional support for President Obama's investments in education, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's $100 billion to fund 325,000 teaching jobs, increases in Pell grants, reform efforts such as Race to the Top and Investing in Innovation, and interventions in low-performing schools (Resmovits2015). Additionally, he has helped secure an additional $10 billion to avoid teacher layoffs; the elimination of student loan subsidies to banks; and a $500 million national competition for early learning programs (Resmovits2015). Under Duncan's leadership at the Department, the Race to the Top program has the incentives, guidance, and flexibility it needs to support reforms in states (Resmovits2015). The Department also has focused billions of dollars to transform struggling schools, prompting nearly 1,000 low-performing schools nationwide to recruit new staff, adopt new teaching methods, and add learning time (Resmovits2015). He has led new efforts to encourage labor and management to work together as never before, and their new collaboration is helping to drive reform, strengthen teaching, create better educational options, and improve learning(Resmovits2015). During Duncan's tenure, the Department has …show more content…
Duncan was known for his relative forthrightness. He supported same-sex marriages. He also got into trouble for saying that the Common Core is controversial because white suburbia is too scared of test scores that would tell them how smart their kids really are. Throughout his tenure, he has faced immense push-back from critics in both parties: Republicans who think his administration has exerted too much control over the nation’s public schools, and Democrats who fundamentally disagree with the principles of education reform. He has also been on the receiving end of ire from teachers and their unions: In 2014, members of the National Education Assn. adopted a business item calling for his resignation. While Duncan has had moments of agreement, both inside and outside of the party, he has been in constant tension with the presidents of the nation’s largest teachers’ unions over education