5 Reasons Why John King Is the Change Agent We Need at the Department of Education
In a 49-40 vote Monday afternoon (that saw most Democrats back away from their threatened opposition), the Senate confirmed former New York State Education Commissioner John King as 10th secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.
“King was responsible for some of the most thoughtful policy responses to these challenges in New York, including improvement in the preparation and certification of its teachers...”
It’s sure to be a bumpy road ahead. Given the upcoming challenges he’ll face implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act, and the political turf wars that are currently paralyzing congress, King, who has served as acting secretary since January, is sure to face more than his fair share of political standoffs in the months ahead. Here are five reasons he’s the right man for the challenge:
King is unquestionably qualified. As a former teacher, school leader, and state commissioner of education, he would arguably be the most qualified secretary of education since the department became a cabinet-level agency in 1980.
King was a thoughtful leader of the New York State Department of Education during a period of unprecedented change. In recent years, states across the nation have struggled to improve teacher quality and evaluations and implement the Common Core’s more rigorous expectations for students. First as deputy commissioner and then commissioner of education, King was responsible for some of the most thoughtful policy responses to these challenges in New York, including improvement in the preparation and certification of its teachers and an EngageNY website that has become the most heavily trafficked teacher support resource in the country.
The education department needs a confident change agent. Following the bipartisan passage of ESSA, there is now a wave of important new rules and regulations that need to be clarified. As Senator Lamar Alexander, chairman of the education committee, has said, "For proper accountability, especially as we work with the administration on implementing the new law governing elementary and secondary education, it is important to have in charge of the department a member of the president’s cabinet confirmed by the United States Senate."
Read the entire piece here at The Seventy Four
This piece originally appeared in The 74