Salon.com > Arne Duncan

Arne Duncan rejects Tom Friedman’s nomination for secretary of state with a joke from the Onion

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 19:41:00 +0000

In a New York Times column yesterday, Thomas Friedman nominated Education Secretary Arne Duncan to take the post of secretary of state, saying, "Duncan is not seeking the job and is not the least bit likely to be appointed. But I’m nominating him because I think this is an important time to ask the question of not just who should be secretary of state, but what should the secretary of state be in the 21st century?"

Duncan shrugged the fan-boy nomination, saying,"Last week, the Onion said I was going to become a male stripper." He added, "The Onion is probably more accurate than Tom Friedman."

In other words: Thanks, but no thanks.

h/t ABC News

Michelle Rhee’s right turn

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Nov. 6 was a good day for Michelle Rhee. The former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor, through her organization StudentsFirst, poured money into state-level campaigns nationwide, winning 86 of 105 races and flipping a net 33 seats to advocates of so-called school reform, a movement that advocates expanding privately run public charter schools, weakening teachers' unions, increasing the weight of high-stakes standardized tests and, in some cases, using taxpayer dollars to fund private tuition through vouchers as the keys to improving public education.

Rhee makes a point of applauding “leaders in both parties and across the ideological spectrum” because her own political success -- and the success of school reform -- depends upon the bipartisan reputation she has fashioned. But 90 of the 105 candidates backed by StudentsFirst were Republicans, including Tea Party enthusiasts and staunch abortion opponents. And Rhee's above-the-fray bona fides have come under heavy fire as progressives and teachers unions increasingly cast the school reform movement, which has become virtually synonymous with Rhee's name, as politically conservative and corporate-funded.

Ed secretary is neutral in Chicago teachers strike

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 21:15:00 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — Education Secretary Arne Duncan isn't taking sides in the Chicago teachers' strike that is keeping more than 350,000 students out of the classroom.

Duncan says he hopes the union and school board will come together quickly to get kids back in school.

Duncan is also the former chief of Chicago's public school system. He says he's confident both sides are working in the best interests of students.

Duncan says as teachers and school districts have done in elsewhere in the country, they should collaborate at the bargaining table to find a solution that puts kids first.

A spokesman for President Barack Obama said he hasn't taken sides in the dispute. Obama's opponent, Mitt Romney, said teachers were turning their backs on students and that Obama was siding with the strikers.