Education Secretary Arne Duncan to Leave Obama White House

“Over the years that I have known him, and especially in the months we have worked together here, I’ve come to recognize John as one of the most passionate, courageous, clear-headed leaders in our field”, Duncan said.

Duncan, who clashed with teachers unions, other educators and a few parents, has served in Obama’s cabinet from the beginning in 2009. And he started out in the job in an enviable position.

But King has also drawn fire from unions. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who called him the administration’s best Cabinet pick.

King has been serving as an acting deputy secretary at the department since January.

Despite being kicked out of a prestigious prep school, King managed to get into Harvard.

Brooks, who has a daughter in sixth grade, was among many parents who protested the new standards by opting their children out of state tests. “He’s been one of the most energetic and transparent secretaries that we’ve seen in many years”. During his tenure, the Education Department has aggressively cracked down on colleges’ inadequate response to sexual violence, often drawing pushback from university administrators and their lobbyists. Duncan later said he regretted the “clumsy phrasing”. “You need a solution”.

The Duncans have been regular guests of the Obamas for weekends at Camp David and at pool parties and Super Bowl gatherings at the White House.

Duncan was one of Obama’s major players who used executive power in response to congressional gridlock. Did it help improve learning and teaching? And he commended Duncan for his focus on equity, including his most recent statements on the importance of spending money on kids instead of prisons.

“That was a huge moment”.

“Everything he did was for the benefit of students”, she said. The year before, 95 percent of students took the tests.

And Duncan made clear that he and the Obama administration would ensure that any reauthorization of the ESEA would have equity at its core. In fact, he said he wished he had initiated waivers from the NCLB law earlier.

Obama brought Duncan with him to Washington from Chicago, where he served as the city’s schools chief.

He famously said that opposition to Common Core and mastering standards in core areas of reading and math had become “a rallying cry for fringe groups”.

The man who is slated to replace Duncan also is no stranger to controversy. King is former education commissioner for New York state.

In 2013, King traveled around the state and held forums on – among other things – Common Core. Many complained the state moved too quickly in its implementation of the standards, saying teachers and schools didn’t have adequate time to prepare for the switch.

King became a leader in the charter school movement when, still in law school, he co-founded Boston’s Roxbury Preparatory Charter School.

“He wasn’t like this super politician”, said Deno Charalambous, Aviation’s principal.

Michael Horn, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation: “Here’s one big question mark: the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (essentially No Child Left Behind) reauthorization”. Noted Cator: “Although every decision may not have had the intended consequences, Arne was always kind, deliberate and inclusive during deliberations and I am tremendously appreciative of his leadership and dedication”. “This confuses an already confused environment”.