On Duncan's Mind for 2011: Technology, Contracts, ESEA - Politics K-12 - Education Week: In a speech to state lawmakers and education leaders this afternoon, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan applauded states for driving the reforms that could raise the bar for students, but he warned: 'We are not giving a world-class education that children desperately need.'
Duncan highlighted adoption of the common core standards by most states as a 'game changer' in education. 'For the first time, students in Massachusetts and Mississippi will be measured by the same yardstick,' he said.
He also spoke of the need for better assessments and of the work being done to provide real-time feedback to students. He emphasized the importance of rewarding excellence in teaching and linking student performance with teacher pay, as well as providing access to 'great' schools for all students. Success in turning around 700 of the nation's lowest-performing schools is evidence that progress is possible in poor communities, he said.
