This Is THE Most Complete Article On Arne Duncan I Have Ever Read

[Dinger]

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/23_03/arne233.shtml


It's long, but complete. Everything is covered, trust me.

[peace frog]

1. Saving to read later

Thanks.

[LWolf]

2. Yes. It needs a wide audience. nt

[mzteris]

3. and now, the rest of the story -

"Among his most significant accomplishments during his tenure as CEO, an all-time high of 66.7 percent of the district's elementary school students met or exceeded state reading standards, and their math scores also reached a record high, with 70.6 percent meeting or exceeding the state's standards.

At high schools, Chicago Public School students posted gains on the ACT at three times the rate of national gains and nearly twice that of the state's. Also, the number of CPS high school students taking Advanced Placement courses tripled and the number of students passing AP classes more than doubled. Duncan has increased graduation rates and boosted the total number of college scholarships secured by CPS students to $157 million.

A study released in June 2008 by the Illinois Education Research Council lauded the Chicago Public Schools for its efforts to bring top teaching talent into the city's classrooms, where the number of teachers applying for positions almost tripled since 2003, from about 8,600 to more than 21,000, or about 10 applicants per teaching position. The number of teachers achieving National Board Certification—the highest education credential available to teachers—increased from 11 in 1999 to 1,191 in 2008, making Chicago the fastest-growing urban district in this area of achievement."

[Hannah Bell]

4. nice pr from his official bio.

http://www.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/duncan.html



Wrong Choice for Secretary of Education
A Dissenting Voice From Chicago
By Kevin K. Kumashiro

Hailed by some as a pioneer in education reform, Arne Duncan , the chief executive officer of the Chicago public schools, has been selected by President-elect Barack Obama to be our next U.S. secretary of education. But Duncan’s seven-year track record in Chicago gives evidence of why he is the wrong choice for America’s schools.

Behind the rhetoric of reform is the reality of Duncan’s accomplishments, particularly the problems behind his signature initiative, Renaissance 2010. Launched in 2004, Renaissance 2010 aims to open 100 new, smaller schools (and close about 60 “failing” schools) by 2010. To date, 75 of the new schools have opened.

Many of these schools, however, are charter schools that serve fewer low-income, limited-English-proficient, and disabled students than regular public schools. More than a third are in communities that are not in high-need areas. During Duncan’s tenure, districtwide high school test scores have not risen, and most of the lowest-performing high schools saw scores drop.

http://www.edweek.org/login.html?source=http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/01/12/18kumashiro-com.h28.html&destination=http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/01/12/18kumashiro-com.h28.html&levelId=2100

[Dinger]

5. Hee Hee. Good Catch Hannah

:thumbsup: :hi: