By AMY HARDER
Chicago public schools CEO Arne Duncan, who was announced as secretary of Education-designate this morning, is already receiving plaudits from all sides of the education debate.
"Duncan has shown a genuine commitment to what we see as the essential priorities for an incoming education secretary," American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said in a statement today. "There may be times when we will differ, but we believe we will agree fully that America's students and teachers need an education secretary committed to focusing on real solutions for closing the achievement gap and providing every child with a rigorous, well-rounded education." Weingarten also cited Duncan's work with the Chicago Teachers' Union to implement reform programs into the city's schools. "We look forward to being a partner in that collaborative process on a national scale," she concluded.
D.C.'s own public schools chancellor, Michelle Rhee, who has clashed with Weingarten and the AFT over teachers' contracts, also praised the choice. In a statement sent to NationalJournal.com, Rhee said the appointment shows that President-elect Obama plans to make improving public education one of his top priorities. Arne has "been a successful leader of an urban public school district" and therefore "understands the challenges public education faces and he will run the department from the vantage point of ensuring that we see results at the ground level," Rhee said in the statement.
Hear more about what Rhee had to say about the Democratic Party's education agenda in NationalJournal.com's Insider Interviews.
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