Friday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that he will step down from his position at the end of the year. Duncan is one of the last remaining members of President Obama’s original cabinet—holding the top post at the department since 2009. Prior to joining the Administration, Duncan served as the chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Schools for seven years. Duncan will be replaced by John B. King Jr., who has been overseeing preschool-12 policy at the department in the role of deputy secretary since January 2015. King is also the former commissioner of education for the state of New York. ACTE’s statement on Sec. Duncan’s announcement is available here.
During his tenure at the department, Duncan has lead the Administration’s efforts on Race to the Top and other competitive education grant competitions, providing states with ESEA flexibility waivers, implementing new regulations in higher education, and promoting early-childhood education. In his remarks at ACTE’s Career Tech VISION 2013, Duncan discussed the importance of CTE. “We know high-quality CTE is a great strategy to bring learning alive for all students across America's increasingly diverse student population. It is hands-on, it is engaging, and it is relevant,” said Duncan. “CTE students want to come to school, and they want to succeed. They know why their education is important to them.”
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