Obama education chief Duncan to push schools reform

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan plans to challenge educators, civil rights groups and others to put aside "tired arguments" about education reform to help him craft a sweeping reauthorization of federal education legislation by early 2010.

In a speech to be delivered Thursday in Washington to more than 150 education, business, civil rights, charitable and social services groups, Duncan plans to invoke the Rev. Martin Luther King’s 1963 letter from a Birmingham jail that made the case for non-violent civil disobedience as state and local governments dragged their feet in integrating schools and communities. Duncan will tell the group that after 50 years of school reforms, court rulings and "watershed" reports, "we’re still waiting for the day when every child in America has a high-quality education that prepares him or her for the future."

By Greg Toppo,, USA TODAY

Full Story: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-09-23-duncan-education-reform_N.htm