Biographical Information: Duncan was born Nov. 6, 1964, in Chicago, and attended the University of Chicago Lab Schools. After graduating from Harvard University, Duncan spent four years playing professional basketball in Australia before beginning his career in education. Duncan was part of the founding team of the Ariel Community Academy in Chicago before serving as CEO of the Chicago public school system from 2001 to 2008. Duncan served as the education secretary for most of President Barack Obama鈥檚 two terms. As one of the longest-serving education secretaries, he oversaw a number of controversial initiatives, including the Race to the Top grant program and the encouragement of common academic standards among the states, associated with the Common Core State Standards. Duncan now serves as a managing partner at the Emerson Collective鈥檚 office in Chicago and as a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Served Under: President Barack Obama
Dates of Tenure: 2009-2016
Fun Fact: Duncan was the co-captain of the Harvard men鈥檚 basketball team and played professional basketball in Australia from 1987 to 1991.
Achievements in Office:
- Duncan oversaw massive education spending under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, including the Race to the Top competitive-grant program that funded education redesign initiatives by the states.
- Under Duncan鈥檚 guidance, the Education Department offered conditional waivers from the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act if states agreed to initiatives such as common standards and based on student test scores.
- Poured more than $7 billion into the School Improvement Grant program, which was aimed at fixing the nation鈥檚 lowest-performing schools. The program yielded mixed results when it came to student outcomes.
Archives of Note:
(Includes photo gallery)
Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan, President-elect Obama鈥檚 pick for U.S. secretary of education, says 鈥榯here are no simple answers,鈥� but reform efforts can make a difference. (Dec. 16, 2008)
The new U.S. secretary of education would get a discretionary pot of $15 billion to dole out for state and local incentives under the economic-stimulus proposals (Jan. 30, 2009)
Education Secretary Duncan wants to use $350 million to help states draft common assessments, and has sharpened the time line for grants. (June 15, 2009)
The U.S. secretary of education said it was 鈥渄umb鈥� for him to characterize the hurricane as the 鈥渂est thing鈥� that has happened to New Orleans鈥� education system. (Feb. 2, 2010)
But a previous head of the Education Department鈥檚 civil rights office disputes that the Bush administration鈥檚 record was lackluster. (Mar. 15, 2010)
In a wide-ranging interview during his recent back-to-school bus tour, the education secretary discussed a variety of topics and highlighted some of his top priorities. (Sept. 17, 2014)
As his annual back-to-school bus tour rolled along, the secretary of education talked waivers, common core, and other issues with Education Week鈥檚 Alyson Klein. (Sept. 22, 2015)
Duncan鈥檚 analysis and opinion pieces will appear on the Brown Center Chalkboard, the institution鈥檚 policy blog. (Apr. 22, 2016)
What 3 Former Education Secretaries Think of Their Old Department鈥檚 Future
Margaret Spellings, John King Jr., and Arne Duncan on Linda McMahon and Donald Trump鈥檚 education policy. (Jan. 21, 2025)
Commentaries by Arne Duncan:
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan writes, 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 take aggressive action to fix the problems of low-performing schools, we are putting the children in them on track for failure.鈥� (Jun 12, 2009)
With the start of Teacher Appreciation Week, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan addresses the nation鈥檚 糖心动漫vlog. (May 2, 2011)
The former U.S. secretary of education discusses the department鈥檚 current approach to guns in schools, transgender students, zero-tolerance discipline, and more. (September 4, 2018)
The Trump administration has completely failed to protect Americans and lead during the COVID-19 crisis, writes former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. (July 9, 2020)
Let鈥檚 Get Back to School, But Differently
To combat the pandemic鈥檚 impact, districts need smaller classes for the youngest kids, writes former U.S. Ed. Secretary Arne Duncan. (November 16, 2020)
Arne Duncan and John King: Musk and Trump Are at War With Public Education
Two former ed. secretaries explain what鈥檚 at stake in dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. (Feb. 19, 2025)
