Arne Duncan
Arne Duncan is an American educator and former government official who served as the U.S. Secretary of Education from January 20, 2009, to January 1, 2016, under President Barack Obama. Prior to his appointment, Duncan was the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, where he gained recognition for his efforts to improve teacher performance, close underperforming schools, and raise educational standards. Born on November 6, 1964, in Chicago, Illinois, Duncan grew up influenced by a family dedicated to education, which shaped his commitment to improving access and quality in schooling.
During his tenure as Secretary of Education, Duncan focused on reforming the No Child Left Behind Act and advocated for initiatives like the Race to the Top program, which incentivized states to enhance their educational standards. Despite his initiatives, he faced criticism from various stakeholders, including parents and teachers' unions, particularly regarding his support for charter schools and the Common Core State Standards Initiative. After resigning, he continued to engage in educational philanthropy and leadership, including work with at-risk youth and authoring a book about education reform. In 2022, he briefly considered a run for Mayor of Chicago, though he ultimately chose not to enter the election.
Arne Duncan
Former US secretary of education (2009–15)
- Born: November 6, 1964
- Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois
Arne Duncan was named the secretary of education in the administration of US president Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. In his previous position as chief executive officer (CEO) of Chicago Public Schools, Duncan had earned a reputation for his aggressive efforts to raise teacher performance, close underperforming schools, and raise standards of achievement. As secretary of education, Duncan grappled with the challenge of reforming the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), federal legislation that tied federal tax dollars to state-developed assessments and standards.
Background
Duncan was born in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, on November 6, 1964. He is one of three children. His father was a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, and his mother ran an after-school tutoring center for inner-city children. Duncan and his siblings spent much of their time at the center, and these experiences prompted Duncan's later interest in education as a way out of poverty.
Duncan attended high school at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. He was then accepted into Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in sociology. A skilled college basketball player, Duncan left the United States in 1987 to play professional basketball in Australia's National Basketball League. While there, he tutored children who were wards of the state.
In 1992, Duncan returned to Chicago to lead the Ariel Education Initiative, a nonprofit organization that focuses on raising money to fund college scholarships for inner-city children. At Ariel, Duncan was also responsible for helping the organization establish Ariel Community Academy, a public elementary school with a financial literacy curriculum. He was chosen to head Chicago's magnet-schools program in 1998.
When Duncan became leader of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system in 2001, it had been labeled one of the worst public-school systems in the country. Duncan worked to raise teaching standards and student expectations, close failing schools, develop after-school and summer support programming, and open more than one hundred new schools.
Secretary of Education
President-elect Barack Obama named Duncan as his choice for education secretary in December 2008. Duncan began his term in January by drumming up support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which earmarked close to $100 billion for various programs to improve education. A portion of that amount funded the Race to the Top program, which awarded states funding in exchange for meeting certain educational standards.
Duncan was vocal in his efforts to encourage institutions granting educational degrees to raise their standards and overhaul their teacher-training programs to account for practical classroom training. During his tenure, he was criticized by parents and teachers' unions alike for his adherence to the Common Core State Standards Initiative and his support for charter schools.
After becoming education secretary, Duncan expressed a desire to reform NCLB, which has been criticized for setting overly strict benchmarks and using too-narrow measures for success. In January 2015, amid ongoing debate regarding how best to revamp the system, Duncan urged Congress to maintain the annual mandatory assessment testing. However, he acknowledged that the tests needed to be redesigned and that the amount of class time spent on testing should be kept to a minimum.
In October 2015, Duncan announced that he would be stepping down as education secretary at the end of that December. He was replaced by John B. King Jr., who had served as the deputy secretary of education. He became a managing partner of the philanthropic group Emerson Collective in 2016. He also led the nonprofit organization Creating Real Economic Destiny (CRED) to aid at-risk youth in Chicago. In 2018 Duncan released the book How Schools Work: An Inside Account of Failure and Success From One of the Nation’s Longest-Serving Secretaries of Education. In 2022, Duncan announced that he was considering running for Mayor of Chicago. However, later that year, Duncan announced that he had decided not to enter the election.
Personal Life
While in Australia, Duncan met Tasmanian native Karen Donnelly, who was studying physical education at the time. They married in 1992 and moved to Chicago, where Donnelly became the athletic director at the same high school Duncan had attended. When Duncan was appointed secretary of education, the couple relocated to Arlington County, Virginia, with their two children, Claire and Ryan.
Bibliography
"Arne Duncan Pulls Plug on Potential Chicago Mayoral Run." WTTW, 1 Mar. 2022, news.wttw.com/2022/03/01/arne-duncan-pulls-plug-potential-chicago-mayoral-run. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.
Eilperin, Juliet, et al. "Arne Duncan to Step Down at End of Year." The Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2015/10/02/education-secretary-arne-duncan-reportedly-will-step-down-at-end-of-year/?utm‗term=.f54fa4f431f6. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.
Emma, Caitlin, and Maggie Severns. "Arne Duncan Questions GOP Plans for 'No Child' Update." Politico, 12 Jan. 2015, www.politico.com/story/2015/01/arne-duncan-gop-no-child-left-behind-114174. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.
Layton, Lyndsey. "Education Secretary Arne Duncan to Outline Education Priorities and Defend Testing." The Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/obama-administration-draws-line-in-sand-over-testing/2015/01/09/12e3d9da-9818-11e4-aabd-d0b93ff613d5‗story.html?utm‗term=.b9da7d14527a. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.
Pickert, Kate. "Education Secretary: Arne Duncan." Time, 2 Dec. 2008, content.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1867011,00.html. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.
Rintoul, Stuart. "Aussie Lessons for Obama's School Tsar Arne Duncan." The Australian. Nationwide News, 18 Dec. 2008, www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/news/aussie-lessons-for-obamas-school-tsar/news-story/9670ec07967c103f031cf99150dd9474. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.
Spielman, Fran. "For Arne Duncan, the Violence Killing Chicago's Children Is Personal." Chicago Sun Times, 8 July 2020, chicago.suntimes.com/fran-spielman-show/2020/7/8/21317626/chicago-violence-shootings-children-arne-duncan-cred-sincere-gaston. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.