Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Unequal State of America: An interview with U.S. education chief Arne Duncan | Reuters

The Unequal State of America: An interview with U.S. education chief Arne Duncan | Reuters:


The Unequal State of America: An interview with U.S. education chief Arne Duncan


Wed Dec 19, 2012 7:03am EST


(Reuters) - Arne Duncan, the U.S. secretary of secretary, spoke with Reuters about education's role in income inequality. The questions and answers have been edited for length.
Q: In a commencement speech in December 2011, you said education is still the "great equalizer." Is that true?
A: It must be the great equalizer. And in some places, education has been … a huge part of the inequity.… I really do believe that a high-quality education for every child in this country has to be at the core of restoring America to being first in the world in terms of economic mobility.
(I)f we're serious about closing the achievement gap, we have to close the opportunity gap. I don't think we as a country have been serious enough