Q. and A. With Education Secretary Arne Duncan
Arne Duncan, the United States secretary of education, conducted a three-day back-to-school tour last week that took him to schools in several states, from Pennsylvania to Illinois. I traveled with him and blogged about some of his school visits. SchoolBook also solicited questions for Mr. Duncan from readers on Facebook andTwitter, and put them to the secretary. Here are some of those questions and answers:
BONITA ROTHMAN: Why does our government — at all levels — listen so closely to those who have no particular expertise in education and think it is comparable to producing widgets?
DUNCAN: It’s important to listen to everyone. We spend a tremendous amount of time listening to great teachers and great principals, parents and students themselves, and that’s where I do my best learning. I think