Arne Duncan, "How Schools Works"

Arne Duncan discusses his book, "How Education Works", at Politics and Prose on 8/12/18.

Now serving on the board of Communities in Schools, Duncan has spent nearly three decades working in all levels of education, most prominently as Secretary of Education under Obama. His book is an urgent state-of-the schools report that looks hard at why American kids have fallen behind their peers in so many other countries. Stating at the outset that today “education runs on lies,” Duncan tracks the lies, then catalogs the series of challenges facing educators and children, which includes teachers who say they can’t help poor kids, unions stuck in ineffective ruts, Tea Partiers resistant to reforms, and the growing threat of gun violence in schools. But he also finds and celebrates dedicated teachers, administrators, and parents determined to see that children get the high quality education they deserve.

Duncan is in conversation with Adam Harris, staff writer for The Atlantic covering education.

Arne Duncan was one of the longest serving members of President Barack Obama’s cabinet and among the most influential Secretaries of Education in history. He has spent nearly three decades across all levels of education, from his mother’s afterschool program on Chicago’s Southside to CEO of the Chicago Public Schools. He currently sits on the board of Communities in Schools.

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Produced by Tom Warren