December 16, 2008

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan ’86

President-elect Obama has selected Chicago school superintendent Arne Duncan '86 to serve as Secretary of Education.

President-elect Barack Obama has selected Arne Duncan '86 as his Secretary of Education, the New York Times reported. Duncan became superintendent of Chicago's schools in 2001, and has been credited with improving performance in the nation's third-largest district. Read Harvard Magazine's profile here. The Times reports that Duncan, who helped draft Obama's education platform, has been particularly interested in expanding early-childhood education.

For Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan's warm reflections on Duncan's undergraduate basketball and academic career, and his work since, see here.

Related topics

You might also like

A bald man in a black shirt with two book covers beside him, one titled "The Magicians" and the other "The Bright Sword."

Novelist Lev Grossman on Why Fantasy Isn’t About Escapism

The Magicians author discusses his influences, from Harvard to King Arthur to Tolkien.

Front page of The Harvard Bulletin from November 7, 1898, featuring the headline “Harvard Wins” about a football victory over Pennsylvania and articles on Harvard graduates’ service in the Spanish-American War

A History of Harvard Magazine

Harvard’s independent alumni magazine—at 127 years old

Skyline view of Harvard University with trees in autumn colors and a river under a cloudy sky.

Your Views on Conservatism on Campus, Doxxing, and More

Readers write in about international students at Harvard, the September-October cover, and changes at the Chan School of Public Health.

Most popular

Students writing at desks on wheels, racing ahead of a stationary student at a fixed desk

Why Men Are Falling Behind in Education, Employment, and Health

What to do as men and boys fall behind

A July 23, 1918, map of the Argonne Forest

Harvard Map Collection exhibits maps of the trenches in World War I

A new way to see World War I

Union Jack flag waving next to the Harvard University crest against a blue sky.

Harvard Students, Alumna Named Rhodes and Marshall Scholars

Nine Rhodes and five Marshall scholars will study in the U.K. in 2026.

Explore More From Current Issue

Skyline view of Harvard University with trees in autumn colors and a river under a cloudy sky.

Letters to the Editor

Your Views on Conservatism on Campus, Doxxing, and More

Readers write in about international students at Harvard, the September-October cover, and changes at the Chan School of Public Health.

Wolfram Schlenker wearing a suit sitting outdoors, smiling, with trees and a building in the background.

Harvard Economist Wolfram Schlenker Is Tackling Climate Change

How extreme heat affects our land—and our food supply

Two small cast iron pans with berry-topped desserts, dusted with powdered sugar, alongside lemon slices.

Shopping for New England-Made Gifts This Holiday Season

Ways to support regional artists, designers, and manufacturers