Barack Obama: An Advocate for K-12 Change?

When President-elect Barack Obama takes office in January, he will face unprecedented challenges: two wars, a faltering economy, rising unemployment and a mortgage crisis. Add to that voters’ expectations about improvement in taxes, health care, energy independence and the environment, and the question arises: When and how will the new president address issues of K12 education?

Each administration, of course, places education on its agenda. Laura Bush, a former school librarian, convened the Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development and worked with teacher recruitment programs like Teach For America. No Child Left Behind was signed into law by George Bush in 2002.

With two daughters of elementary-school age, Obama likely has more than just a policy interest in creating and maintaining an ideal environment for learning. During his campaign, the Democratic candidate often articulated his views on No Child Left Behind, calling its goals admirable but criticizing what he viewed as under-funding of the initiative. Teachers, he said, “feel betrayed and frustrated by No Child Left Behind. We shouldn't reauthorize it without changing it fundamentally."

According to the New York Times, Obama’s campaign has earmarked some $8 billion for recruiting, performance pay and other initiatives that represent his NCLB approach. “Mr. Obama's $10 billion proposal to expand early childhood education would probably produce tremendous savings to the nation later, but experts said he would find it extremely challenging to finance under current financial conditions,” the article adds.

According to his platform, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden would begin NCLB reform by funding the law. “Teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests,” according to Obama, who added that he will “improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner.” The new administration also seeks to improve NCLB's accountability system by “supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.”

Secretary of Education Colin Powell?

Earlier this month, speculation swirled over the possible appointment of former Secretary of State Colin Powell as Obama’s Secretary of Education. Powell referred to the nation’s “terrible educational problem in the sense that we have too many youngsters not finishing school” in his endorsement of Obama. But as of November 6, Powell has denied being approached formally by the Obama transition team, telling reporters that he expects a new generation of leaders “to step up and serve.”

The Houston Chronicle singled out Arne Duncan, CEO of Chicago public schools, as a possibility. Duncan, said the article, “is highly respected by educators across the country, for his innovations in closing substandard schools, increasing charters and revitalizing curricula in the all-important fields of math and science.”

Time magazine mentioned New York City schools chancellor Joel Klein as a contender. “Klein has also shown himself adept at working with unlikely partners—union leaders as well as the Rev. Al Sharpton—and is a major proponent of charter schools, a keystone in Obama's education agenda.” The same article cited Obama education advisor Linda Darling-Hammond, a Stanford professor; former North Carolina governor James Hunt, Jr.; and Arizona governor Janet Napolitano.

Hunt and Napolitano are Democrats, but the Politico.com site doesn’t rule out Obama’s reaching across the aisle to choose Republican Thomas Kean, former governor of New Jersey.