Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan spoke to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce about the role of the federal government and the role of the states and local governments to make K-12 education ready for the 21^st century. In his address, delivered after the release of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s report on education, “Leaders and Laggards”, Duncan was blunt about the problems of K-12 education but also how he anticipates those problems benefiting from the work of the various stakeholders.

He utilized some of the data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Leaders and Laggards report and other reports to create a portrait of current education:

·         Three out of four young people are not eligible to serve in the military.

·         Most high school graduates are deficient for even entry-level jobs.

·         40% of high school graduates need remediation in English and mathematics when they go to college.

In his address he spoke about the role of the states and local communities and outlined what they are already doing to improve their schools:

·         States set standards and develop tests.

·         They hold schools accountable

·         They set the length of the day and year

·         They adopt laws governing labor agreements and regulate charter schools.

·         They also set funding levels and in most states pay about half the bill.

He described the every-day role of schools and outlined what is decided at the local level:

·         Hiring and Firing

·         Training and support for teachers

·         Decisions around curriculum and budgets

·         Ways to address challenges from violence to high dropout rates

So what is the federal role?

Arne Duncan acknowledged that he now represents the federal government and he described his role as “… to support – not dictate- education reform at the state and local level.” But at the same point the federal government can help provide a measuring stick to measure progress or lack of progress. As Duncan said: “Study after study shows that state standards vary wildly and the states with the lowest standards are lying to children – by telling them they are ready for college or work – when they are in fact unable to compete – and the evidence is everywhere at every level.”

Most everyone wishes that there could be a higher percentage of high school graduates with a college degree but attaining that will require more rigor in the curriculum. At the same point there are about 90 million people in the U.S. who can be defined as high school dropouts, unemployed, immigrants with little English-language skills, and middle-aged workers in declining industries. This situation encourages us to transform public education so all people can have a productive role. Secretary Duncan said that he was pleased that representatives from both political parties were working together to try and create some solutions.

To encourage innovation in the schools, the Department of Education created The Race to the Top program to distribute $4.3 billion to the states for their education programs. In order to compete for this money, states have to show progress in four areas of reform:

·         High Standards

·         Better use of data

·         Improving the quality and effectiveness of teachers and principals.

·         Turning around their lowest performing schools

The mere presence of the Race to the Top competition has already created positive change in K-12 schools in the country by making these areas of reform a prerequisite.

In preparation for reauthorizing NCLB, education policy makers are working on some cored ideas:

·         Hold people accountable, but give them the room to innovate and put their best ideas into practice.

·         Create more competition for federal dollars and challenge states, district, universities and nonprofits to raise the bar and get better.

·         Use the federal investments more effectively. There are too many programs that have had minimal impact.

·         Learn from the Race to the Top grant program and embed the four areas of reform into federal education law.

Duncan acknowledged that the federal government spends between $3 billion to $4 billion each year on professional development and the states spend billions to train teachers and principals. However, reports such as Leaders and Laggards show that the money is not being well spent or achieving good results.

Finally, Duncan mentions reforms that include extending the school day at underperforming schools; turning the schools into community centers by keeping the buildings open 12 hours a day so the children and their families can use the library and the computers; and increasing the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) teaching which will be crucial for businesses across the country.