OMG Barack, How Could You Pick John King?
Arne Duncan is leaving as Barack Obama's Secretary of Education. Duncan's signature role was administering President Obama's Race to the Top program which forced states to adopt Common Core and the high-stakes testing of students and teachers to qualify for federal grants. He will not be missed. Duncan's highlight moment was when he accused opponents of Common Core testing of being "white suburban moms who -- all of a sudden -- their child isn't as brilliant as they thought they were." Last year the National Education Association demanded Duncan resign and Congress is now considering legislation that would sharply reduce the federal role in education.
Unbelievably, President Obama found someone just as bad to replace him, Deputy Secretary of Education John King who in his previous job was New York State Education Commissioner. While King was Education Commissioner the roll out of Common Core produced so much opposition from parents and teachers that Governor Andrew Cuomo complained to state education officials that "Common Core's implementation in New York has been flawed and mismanaged from the start." Just last week more than 300 New York State school superintendents petitioned Congress this week to abolish the annual testing requirement for elementary and middle school students.
The selection of John King makes it clear that Race to the Top, Common Core, and high-stakes testing are Obama's education legacy and Duncan was only the delivery guy. According to a press release by NYS Allies for Public Education, a group that had to deal with King during his tenure in New York State, King's appointment is "bad news for the nation." In the press release Jeanette Deutermann, founder of Long OMG Barack, How Could You Pick John King? | Alan Singer:
