November 19, 2008

Chicago's Public-School Chief Is Seen as Favorite to Head U.S. Education Department

Washington — It’s now been two full weeks since Barack Obama was elected president, and almost all the national chatter about cabinet positions has focused on candidates for treasury secretary, defense secretary, attorney general, and even secretary of health and human services.

What’s an education-issues junkie to do?

Over at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a nonprofit education-policy organization, they’ve hit upon a solution taken straight from the campaign season: Conduct a poll.

Since Monday of last week, the institute’s vice president for national programs and policy, Michael J. Petrilli, has been compiling a daily “tracking poll” in which he and nine other education-policy experts — mostly folks involved with elementary and secondary education — have been ranking and updating their predictions of who they believe Mr. Obama will choose as education secretary.

From the start, their consensus favorite has been Arne Duncan, chief executive of the public-school system in Chicago, Mr. Obama’s hometown. Mr. Duncan, who played basketball professionally in Australia, is an adviser and friend of Mr. Obama, as well as a fellow Harvard alumnus.

Besides Mr. Duncan, there’s been a bit of shifting in opinion over the past nine days as to who else stands a good chance of succeeding Margaret Spellings at the department.

Colin L. Powell, the former secretary of state, James B. Hunt Jr., a former North Carolina governor, and Joel I. Klein, chancellor of the New York City public schools, rounded out the top four positions in the first poll. Now only Mr. Klein, in ninth place, appears among the top 10 in the poll.

The latest to hold down second place is Arizona’s governor, Janet Napolitano. And even that appears to be a result of Mr. Obama’s focus elsewhere: Ms. Napolitano got a boost today in the poll of experts, Mr. Petrilli says, because she appears to have been bypassed for attorney general.

And the highest among those with a policy background in higher education? It’s Michael L. Lomax, president of the United Negro College Fund, who sits today in fourth place. —Paul Basken

Comments

1. My vote goes to DC’s Education Zar, Michelle Rhee for US Education Secretary.

   — Roberto Soto    Nov 19, 07:50 PM    #

2. Improvement in the Chicago Public Schools has been measured and driven by massive doses of standardized testing. If Mr. Duncan plays a role in higher education, I hope he broadens his concept of assessment. We do not need a No-College-Left-Behind approach.

   — Lee Griffin    Nov 20, 07:01 AM    #

3. [Sigh]

   First George W. Bush appoints his friend Rod Paige of Houston as ed sec’y.

   Now it appears as if Barack Obama will (might) appoint his friend Arne Duncan of Chicago for the post.

   When will we get a president that looks past his own nose and learns something about the issues in education and finds the best person for the job?

   Mr. Duncan MAY be that person — but I am troubled that President-Elect Obama is doing EXACTLY what President Bush did.

   Where is the change we voters were promised when we supported him?

   — SpeedyMom    Nov 20, 09:55 AM    #

4. It is common for initial Cabinet choices to come from among those people that an incoming president knows directly or indirectly. What is different about the Obama and Bush picks is that the people that Obama has picked actually have the knowledge and experience to hold the positions. They are recognized leaders in their field.

   — id    Nov 20, 10:19 AM    #

5. We should trust Obama completely. I have no doubt if he’s choosing someone from Chicago Public Schools to lead our nations schools, it must be because Chicago proudly boasts the highest scores and produces the brightest minds in the nation.

   So goes Chicago, so goes the educational development of every American child. Consider it something to look forward to. I don’t believe education was Bush’s strong suit. We’ll see shortly if we’re about to get just another president who believes strongly in the “buddy buddy” system. But, until then take comfort in knowing we’re spared the likes of McCain & Palin doing for us what they’ve done for (to) Arizona & Alaska. We can now look forward to the improvements in Chicago & Delaware being rolled out throughout the rest of the US.

   — infohound    Nov 20, 10:34 AM    #

6. We have to keep in mind that whole Cabinet process is a bit outdated and in 20th century administrations, more effective policy making comes directly from the White House. With that in mind, it’s very important that the US Secretary of Education have the President’s ear either through a personal relationship or because he/she is major national figure with a lot of clout. Since not too many of the potential candidates have that much national clout, fingers crossed for Chicago’s Arne Duncan as his professional and personal relationship with Barack Obama would the asset that takes him over the top. Besides the Bill O’Reilly-esque culture war people shouting out about Chicago’s tentative “Gay-Friendly High School”, Arne Duncan’s my bet and my hope. Between the Director of Chicago Public Schools and the Director of the National Arabian Horse Breeders Association, I’ll take the Director of Chicago Public Schools.

   — Heather Greene    Nov 20, 11:47 AM    #

7. Michelle Rhee, the queen of NCLB as education secretary? What’s next, Charles Krauthammer as Secretary of Defense and Sara Palin as Environmental secretary? (The fact that Rhee’s supporter in comment #1 can’t spell speaks volumes.)

   The inequities in education are scandalous and due often to the states rather than the feds. The majority of Americans want good public education for their kids but routinely complain about high taxes and educational inefficiencies, though these same folks often insist on throwing more money into Iraq and elsewhere.

   Until we take take profit making testing companies out of the business of affecting educational policies and start believing that public education ought to be ‘excellent ‘for all, not just those lucky enough to get into privileged schools, either public or private, problems will persist. I long for more iterations from Obama and others that urge shutting off TV and greater respect for mental achievement — at least to a level reached by teen athletic “stars.” And, of course, having a literate President after 8 years of toxic language abuse will, I expect carry some benefits. Now that we’ve given the C student his chance, it’s about time we reach a higher level with an Obama, a person Senator Fred Thompson labeled as “overeducated” — and everyone knew he was talking about this uppity n——-r striving for the presidency.

   I’m for an education President, not merely a test-giving one.

   — George T Karnezis    Nov 20, 12:35 PM    #

8. George,
   I am surprised by your comments re Rhee. No I’m not supporting her for Education Secretary but I’v been following her in The Washington Post and she seems committed to provide “excellent education for all.” Do you object because she plans to rely on standardized tests to clear out the deadwood teachers?

   — Delia Jones    Nov 20, 02:24 PM    #

9. George #7 — How do you know Obama has better grades than Bush? He has refused to release his transcripts or anything involved in any level of his education, nor do we know his IQ score. So, pray tell (if you’ll pardon the expression), how do you know he has better grades?

   — bb-1    Nov 20, 04:11 PM    #

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