STEM Has A (Facebook) Friend In "Arne"
From the start, part of Education Secretary Arne Duncan's public persona has made good use of his folksy charm. The sleeves rolled up, the casual references to his diverse childhood and adolescence experiences growing up in Chicago -- it works. It's still a little disconcerting to read on the U.S. Department of Education's web site about "Arne" answering questions posed on his Facebook page by "Laura" and "Nils." It feels a little bit like a shout-out to the fan club presidents. What's next? Davy Jones will sing at the prom? Yes, that Brady Bunch reference dates me, alas (although I watched it in reruns, OK?). However, that doesn't mean Duncan approach isn't an effective one, or inappropriate for this day and age of instant and constant information. To be sure, it seems as though he's visibly engaged with the people actually doing the daily business of schooling, rather than simply engaging in policy discussions with the decision makers. I respect that. As for that Facebook discussion, Nils' comment was that we need to give successes in Science, Technology, Engineering and
