Dean's Perspective

Dear Friends:

I last had the distinct honor to meet with Arne Duncan in January, shortly after President Barack Obama tapped him to be the ninth secretary of education of the United States. During our conversation, I was struck by Duncan’s steadfast commitment to improving the lives of learners, especially those in struggling districts. During our conversation, I was reminded of President Obama’s words when he announced Duncan’s nomination: “When it comes to school reform, Arne is the most hands-on of hands-on practitioners. For Arne, school reform isn’t just a theory in a book — it’s the cause of his life.”

Bridging the gap between what we know and what we do is at the heart of effecting positive change in education. During his tenure with Chicago Public Schools, Duncan made difficult choices that were based on evidence and driven by data. He closed schools, invested in early childhood education, and set high expectations for students and teachers alike. As John McQuaid describes in the cover story of this issue of Ed., Duncan launched a comprehensive intervention program aimed at struggling first-year high school students. The program reflected findings by the University of Chicago’s Consortium on Public School Research. Duncan’s policies resulted in fewer dropouts, more students going to college, and a stronger sense of community in Chicago’s most troubled districts.

Duncan has made many friends over the course of his career, including several Ed School faculty members. In 2004, Duncan brought his senior leadership team from Chicago to participate in our Public Education Leadership Project, an executive leadership program jointly sponsored by the Ed School and the Harvard Business School. He recently served as a member of our visiting committee. And in his new role as secretary, Duncan has reached out to Associate Professor Monica Higgins and Professor Tom Payzant, as well as Academic Dean Bob Schwartz, for counsel as he begins this role at an important time in our country’s history.

Duncan’s tenure with the Chicago Public Schools could be viewed as a case study in leadership and management through collaboration. As you will read, he initiated bold and potentially controversial programs, while maintaining strong political backing. His personable style won him supporters where there were previously antagonists, and his relentless focus on student learning brought new enthusiasm for education reform, even in communities that had been intensely polarized. Given his track record of implementing evidence-based research to improve student learning, I am confident he will provide muchneeded federal leadership to guide the next generation of education reform.

Sincerely,
Kathleen McCartney
September 2009

photo by JonesFoto