Obama taps Duncan for education secretary

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Obama taps Duncan for education secretary
« Thread Started on Dec 17, 2008, 2:41am »

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Obama taps Duncan for education secretary
Posted: 12:44 PM ET
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) — President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday nominated Arne Duncan, the head of the Chicago public schools, to serve as his administration’s secretary of education.
“When it comes to school reform, Arne is the most hands-on of hands-on practitioners,” Obama said at a news conference at Chicago’s Dodge Renaissance Academy, a school which Duncan helped to overhaul. “For Arne, school reform isn’t just a theory in a book — it’s the cause of his life. When faced with tough decisions, Arne doesn’t blink. He’s not beholden to any one ideology — and he doesn’t hesitate for one minute to do what needs to be done.”
Duncan has headed the Chicago public school system — the third-largest in the nation — since 2001. Like Obama, he is a graduate of Harvard University.