Education Pick Is Called 'Down-to-Earth' Leader

Duncan will take over the Education Department at a pivotal time. Efforts to revamp the 2002 No Child Left Behind Law, which aims to boost achievement of children from poor families, have been on hold as Congress awaits the new president. But many educators and lawmakers from both major parties have soured on the law, which requires states to rate schools on test scores. Teachers unions and some school officials have begun to see it as too rigid and punitive.

Obama has promised to "fix the failures" of the education law, but hammering out details will not be easy. He has pledged to improve testing and create a more nuanced way to hold schools accountable. But some of the law's advocates, including civil rights groups that applaud the spotlight on minority student performance, worry that the law could be watered down.

Duncan's challenge will be to help lawmakers and advocates reach agreement, said Michael J. Petrilli, who was associate assistant deputy secretary in the Education Department from 2001 to 2005 under President Bush and now works at the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, an education think tank.

"This confirms what we know, that President-elect Obama has reform instincts, but he's also a diplomat and is careful to not alienate key constituencies in the Democratic Party and across the aisle," Petrilli said. "That's going to be a delicate balance -- to walk the line between the reform camp and the education establishment."

In Chicago, some Duncan-backed initiatives have met with resistance from teachers and parents. There has been some opposition to the city's move to shutter low-performing schools and reopen them with new staff.

But he is also known as an approachable, even humble, leader. In October, he choked up as he turned down an award given to him by an anti-gun group, saying too many Chicago students had been killed and he had "not earned it."

Debra Strauss, president-elect of the Illinois PTA, recalled meeting Duncan at his office to talk about how to harness the work of community organizations to engage parents and provide them with better services. She said Duncan met her at the door, shook her hand and introduced himself as Arne.

"He's sort of a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-down-to-work kind of individual," Strauss said. "He brings a very down-to-earth perspective."

Tom Loveless, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution, said the choice of Duncan shows that Obama values the perspective of an on-the-ground educator.

"The message is that he wanted someone who has the respect of the field," Loveless said. "These are modest reforms, nothing way out of the mainstream, but pragmatic, and they seem to be working."