At the Democratic National Convention, Arne Duncan renounced many of his own policies.
He came out in opposition to teaching to the test, although his own Race to the Top demands it (he never mentioned Race to the Top.)
He denounced the millionaires and billionaires who are supporting the charter school movement and privatization of public education (he didn’t mention that either).
He didn’t mention that he wants education colleges to be graded by the test scores of the students of their graduates.
He didn’t mention merit pay, into which his Department of Education has pumped nearly $ billion.
He didn’t mention the proliferation of for-profit schools.
He didn’t mention that he campaigned with Newt Gingrich to rally support for Race to the Top.
He didn’t mention that he called Bobby Jindal’s choice for state commissioner a “visionary leader,” who now promotes vouchers and the disestablishment of public education.
We should be grateful, I suppose, for what he did not mention.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The worst cabinet choice EVER in the history of the United States. Totally bought and paid for by Gates and company.
I have noticed there is very little said about education–fund head start and student loans, help the dreamers. Maybe they are getting the message that we will boo the rest.
That would be a relief if they actually know how unpopular and how unsuccessful the Race to the Top is. The beginning of wisdom.
Unfortunately there’s a paper trail for Arne Duncan and his thoughts and policies on education going back close to twenty years. Just because he didn’t say it, doesn’t mean he doesn’t mean it. Maybe he thinks we’ve mentally checked out or that he’s smarter than we are.
Anyway, I wonder which Arne will be on display today, tomorrow and next week?
Maybe it was an Arne Duncan stand in.
Maybe, because he is at the Democratic National Convention, they told him he had to actually take positions that didn’t undermine the fundamental principles of the Democratic Party.
If we just had elections for president more often, we might actually have Democratic party leaders who made public education the priority it should be.
So Arne, regardless of whether it was the real you or the Democratic stand-in, its nice to see the country’s top education official talking like a Democrat and talking about how the Republicans and “education reformers” are putting the educational/industrial complex ahead of students.
If the United States is going to be competitive and successful in the 21st century we’re going to need a Democratic President, administration. Congress, governors and legislators who stop pandering to those who are seeking to turn public education into their own private slush funds.
Could we hope that he’s read and understands Dr. Yong Zhao’s book, “World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students?”
Maybe they are starting to understand that what Dr. Zhao argues for is not doing what they’re doing, which is perfecting the 19th century learning model.
If you have not read this book, I highly recommend it. Dr. Zhao does an amazing job of explaining logically what’s wrong with standardizing the school systems and creating testing factories verses learning factories.!!!
If it’s not in a speech, memo form or on a teleprompter chances are he hasn’t read it.
He can read???
Mark, I was going to suggest that unless it’s correspondence from the Gates Foundation, Broad, TFA, Students First, or Stand for Children, he doesn’t read it.
Well, if any of you haven’t read it, I STRONGLY encourage you to. And pass it on to everyone!!
Stef. Great book. I read it this summer. I doubt Arne reads or listens to anyone who doesn’t agree with the ignorant opinion he already formulated. He is a disaster but he is Obama’s basketball buddy.
The nuns who taught me would call those “sins of omission”.
Duncan hasn’t wavered or blinked. He says teachers should not teach to the test — Obama said the same in his State of the Union address. They both still believe that teachers should be measured by the test results.
It’s a subtle distinction, but it’s important.
Just like Duncan scolds schools that emphasize English & Math over arts education. He’s not changing how those schools will be judged. He’s just asking them to do it all.
That subtlety is lost on me.
I think Arne is on to something. How will we know if a student remembers what we taught yesterday, unless we test them today? – and test them tomorrow to see if they have grown in their knowledge? – and again the next day? Students WILL once again fall in love with learning, because they will be so sick of being tested. So, I think Arne has gotten this right. Students learning to love learning again justifies the volumes of $ poured into textbook companies, test development companies, and statisticians, bypassing the very schools that need the $ resources to be effective with their students. Everyone knows that if you put billions of dollars into test development and data collection, students will achieve at higher levels. I only wish we had several billion more dollars so we could create a really good test… what a joke this whole endeavor has been.
He didn’t mention his proposed plan to increase class size and how he feels good teachers should be able to handle a lot more students.
I didn’t see it live so I have no idea how the convention reacted to his speech. Was it with huge or mild applause???
I saw a tape, not live. It was not prime time so probably had a small audience.
The grossly unqualified Duncan is the worst cabinet secretary since Reagan’s James Watt. He’s been a true disaster via the implementing of sheer educational quackery. And I say this as someone who supports Obama otherwise.
If Duncan didn’t mention his gig the press should question about specifics. What better out for Obama on education than to fire Arne. Romney is just as bad. Obama would be a hero firing Arne before the election. Obama should question the governors who have bought into Common Core.
Blame it on them.
Obama has the ability to do the right thing & he either doesn’t know what’s going on, likes what’s going on or doesn’t like what’s going on.
He appears comfortable exploiting student data; using data for a reason other than for which it was collected.
Why are we testing kids? To evaluation teachers & create innovative education products that stimulate the economy?
It’s mildly child labor. Kids are subjected to untested-tests, evaluated, profiled, & their data shared for profit.
This qualifies as innovative? In my opinion it’s exploiting children. Shame on lawmakers who allow this to happen to the children they should be protecting. Children are our future? Yes, economically, they are our financial future. Our economy won’t survive with them.
Ooops. my bad. The economy won’t survive without them. (last sentence typo)
Obama won’t fire Duncan. Duncan provides cover that lets Obama live in both haves of the divided Democratic party. He’s deeply beholden to the DFER hedge-funder 1% of the party who are staunchly anti-union and frighteningly anti-progressive. But he still needs votes from the rank and file 99% of the rest of us.
Unfortunately, I believe Obama’s heart lies more with Duncan and DFER and Rhee than will the rest of us.
Halves. Sheesh.
Then why re-elect him? He should be challenged by his fellow Democrats because Congress & the administration are allowing harm. We haven’t seen the headlines yet (thank goodness) however there is no reason in the world to give strangers students’ contact information without parental consent.
At least protect the students while you exploit them.
Why re-elect him? Because in many respects, he’s a pretty good President. And he has relaxed NCLB somewhat via waivers, so it’s not as bad as it could be. I just think it’s too dangerous for voters to be fixated on single issue areas. Let’s show the President a better way, instead of replacing him with a guy who will never even think of listening.
Sorry, but Duncan and Obama are not listening either. They have thrown teachers under the bus. Where was Obama for Wisconsin?
Where was he for the Chicago teachers? Remember this? I didn’t seem his with the workers, did you?
to Stevietheman; the waivers are even worse than NCLB. They put more emphasis on testing, school “turnaround” options making public schools become privately managed charter schools, and they are blatantly ILLEGAL. When one chooses to ignore laws, no matter how odious you set a dangerous precedent.
Maybe Duncan was told to keep his remarks neutral. If Obama gets re-elected, he doesn’t need to be beholden to anyone. Maybe then, his policies will change.
I sincerely doubt it. This isn’t a priority for him. His girls are at Sidwell Friends.
[…] the attention of even President Obama’s pro-privatization Department of Education. Arne Duncan once called Bobby Jindal’s public school privatization czar “a visionary leader”, so you know Corbett’s plan has got to be completely lobbyist-captured if even for-profit […]