So You Want to Be Education Secretary . . .

The Astronomer

President-elect Barack Obama with Arne Duncan, the nominee for secretary of education, who has been widely praised for his work as chief executive of the more-than-400,000-student Chicago school system, the nation's third-largest. (Pool Photo By Ralf-finn Hestoft)

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Focus on improving elementary and middle school student performance, particularly in . . . science. How?

· By giving students a broader exposure to the world of science and technology through field trips to places . . . where students can see people doing science.

· By ensuring the funding teachers need to demonstrate to students that science is exciting, alive and significantly touches the lives of every individual on this planet in ways that no other discipline does.

-- Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer,

Franklin Institute, Philadelphia

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