President Obama has chosen John King B. Jr., to replace Duncan in an acting capacity until the end of the President's term. By choosing to not formally nominate King, Obama will avoid the sometimes lengthy and difficult Senate nomination process.
King currently works in the Department of Education and previously served as Education Commissioner for the state of New York. King supports Common Core, and helped to better implement the standards in New York during his time there. King has also emphasized the importance of diversity in the classroom, noting that integration efforts can be successful. King has experience in the classroom as a former social studies teacher, and founder of a Boston charter school.
King has not spoken about how he will address the nation’s impending student debt crisis, a problem many say will plague Arne Duncan’s legacy as he retires in the midst of it. Today, students across the nation owe a combined $1.3 trillion dollars in student loan debt.
Leadership in education is changing at the local level as well, as many school district candidates campaign for seats the next election. While the federal level of education receives a lot of press, the local level has a great impact on the education of the students in our communities, and we get to decide these positions! So make sure you pay attention to the local press and cast an informed vote.
Credit to The Huffington Post. Learn more here and here.
Posted by Haley DiRenzo