Education secretary to step down in December

And Duncan made clear that he and the Obama administration would ensure that any reauthorization of the ESEA would have equity at its core. Early conflicts centered on Duncan’s signature Race to the Top competitive grant program.

Duncan, one of President Obama’s longest tenured appointees, is leaving at the end of the year.

King, who took a position as deputy education commissioner in the federal agency in January, will replace U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan after he steps down in December, White House officials said. Well, technically he will be acting secretary of Education. So far, it seems that implementation is going a lot better than Common Core and reaction has been far less partisan and controversial. Duncan is stepping down in December to spend more time with his family in Chicago. His departure leaves Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack as the last original Cabinet member in office. Congress, in pending legislation, has moved to strip his power.

New York City is where he stumped for a yet-to-be-named federal stimulus package that would define his legacy.

“History will show that compared to a few secretaries of education, Duncan had a significant impact on national and state public policy”, State Board of Education President Michael Kirst said Friday. Duncan told staffers in an e-mail that he wants to return to Chicago to be with his wife and two kids.

“Arne consistently demonstrates his high regard for the men and women in schools who do the demanding work of education”, JoAnn Bartoletti, the association’s executive director, said in a statement.

Duncan’s relationship with California has not been easy, despite the strong Democratic base. His department also attracted much attention by launching investigations into how campuses handled students’ allegations of sexual assaults and harassment.

This year, Duncan again drew criticism when he said that he had not ruled out punishing schools or districts in New York that had large numbers of students who did not take the tests, a potential violation of federal law.

His department also attracted much attention by launching investigations into how campuses handled student allegations of sexual assaults and harassment, aiming to change attitudes toward social life and drinking among young people.

“Secretary Duncan has fundamentally changed the lives of countless LGBT students”, Stacy said. Duncan had planned to remain in Washington, serving out the Obama administration’s second term before rejoining his family in Chicago.

Several individuals expressed support and admiration for Duncan, citing his efforts to invest in technology, empower students of color, and more. “Now even with college degrees they earn only 60 percent on average of a kindergarten teacher’s salary”, Whitebook says. Although he praised Duncan for promoting children’s welfare, he alluded to deep disagreement over many of Duncan’s initiatives. King grew up in Brooklyn and had a hard childhood that included being orphaned at age 12.