Many people were a bit leery of President Obama's choice of the Superintendant of the Chicago Public School system, Arne Duncan, to take the reins at the U. S. Department of Education. However, the choice is not too surprising as the two men are close personal friends and share many of the same ideas about education reform. The president has outlined what he calls his Five Pillars of Education and put it into the hands of Secretary Duncan to create the initiatives to drive the education department into building these five pillars.



While there are a few issues concerning early childhood education and access to college education for more students, the bulk of the initiatives created by Secretary Duncan pertain to the K-12 range of education. These initiatives are going to cost a great deal of money, but the president, Congress, and Duncan are in agreement that these programs are vital if our children are going to be able to compete in the global marketplace.

The first set of initiatives put into place calls for adoption of new, cutting edge curriculum that will teach our children the skills they will need in the 21st century. Improvements in mathematics, science, and literacy education are considered to be keys to offering children a level of education that will prepare them to enter college. Trends show that, more than before, well-paying jobs of the 21st century are going to require college education. New evaluations of progress and achievement are to be created that provide accurate data about student learning and retention.

A new system of data record keeping is to be implemented that allows schools to track student progress from the day they enter kindergarten until they graduate high school. This data can be used to identify problem areas for students and subjects where teachers are not successfully helping the children understand the material to satisfactory levels (based on achievement scores).

Secretary Duncan plans to implement a system of merit pay for teachers who are exceptionally proficient at instructing their students at a level that allows them to learn the material and retain the bulk of the knowledge. Recruiting teachers is also a part of this initiative, with bonus pay for going to areas that need their particular skills and knowledge. The goal is to upgrade the standards of certification for teachers and hold them more accountable for student progress as a measure of their ability to teach.

One of the most innovative strategies Sec. Duncan has in mind is examining the programs that have proven successful and replicating them in other districts in an effort to improve performance. He wants to lengthen the school day and the school year so that teachers have more time to spend with their students. After school programs will be of increasing focus in many cases as well.

The goal in most cases is to form partnerships between schools and community organizations so that schools become the center of a community. Increased parental involvement in their children's education is considered to be a key ingredient to helping all children progress and become well-educated, productive members of society.

Initiatives are in the planning stages to ensure that even students with disabilities or who are learning English as a second language are afforded the best opportunities to advance and take full advantage of the benefits of education and the ability to work as productive citizens in a global job market.