John King’s appointment signals Obama isn’t backing down on an aggressive education agenda
esident Obama doubled down on his commitment to the nation’s underserved students by selecting Dr. John King to succeed Arne Duncan as Acting Secretary of Education. Clearly, this administration has no plans of backing away over the next fifteen months from the aggressive education reform agenda it began pursuing six years ago.
At his heart, King is a passionate advocate for kids. He knows what it’s like to need an advocate, having lost both of his parents at age twelve. He also knows how important an individual teacher can be, having been personally uplifted by the too-often-overlooked educators who dedicate their lives to teaching the nation’s students.
His dedicated heart comes to this new position encased in a body bearing numerous battle scars. His previous experience as commissioner of education for the state of New York will serve him well in the legislative wrestling ring that has been made of the nation’s capital. He knows the fault lines in the fast-moving education policy environment.
Related: What Arne Duncan did to American education and whether it will last
Having pushed an aggressive state agenda of Common Core State Standards, more rigorous assessments, teacher evaluations, charter schools, and other education reforms, King will draw upon his experience of successes and setbacks in his deep commitment to do the right things for kids. My guess is that King will acknowledge making mistakes, but transforming the U.S. education system from the classroom to the legislative committee room requires both change and occasional failures. What is important is what is learned — and improved upon — from these experiences.
King left New York while the hard work of implementing higher standards and increasing support for teachers in implementing these standards across 700 districts began sapping political support from the statehouse. By stepping down, he removed the obvious symbol for growing opposition while giving his successor the opportunity to continue consolidating gains, including the commitment to providing professional development support to ensure there is a well-prepared teacher in every classroom.
King is ready to continue advancing the Obama administration’s agenda, including fighting against sequestration cuts to education programs and unveiling regulations to measure and improve the quality of teacher preparation programs. He has been an ardent supporter of the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for John King’s appointment signals Obama isn’t backing down on an aggressive education agenda - The Hechinger Report: