Reader contest: Name the next secretary of education!
After two years of campaigning and endless punditry and prognosticating, we finally know that Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States. So now we need something else to talk about. Here it is: who will be the next Secretary of Education? Does fellow Chicagoan Arne Duncan have the inside lane? Will former North Carolina governor Jim Hunt be the go-to grown-up? Could New Leaders for New Schools founder Jon Schnur bring reformers into power? Or is there a surprise candidate lurking in the heartland?
Cast your vote by 6:00 p.m. Friday and enter to win an autographed copy of Checker Finn’s Troublemaker! Just email us your best guess to TheGadfly@edexcellence.net. If multiple people pick the eventual nominee, books will go to the first three entrants. So vote today! Winners will be announced as soon as the nomination is made.
Clockwise from top left: Jon Schnur, Arne Duncan and Jim Hunt
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November 7th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I’m going for Jim Hunt, but I’m about 0 for everything in these kinds of things. I was also thinking about pulling a Stephen Hawking and pick my least favorite candidate (in which case I’d have the consolation of a book), but this election was all about hope.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
I’m going with either Linda Darling-Hammond or Peter McWalters
November 16th, 2008 at 1:24 am
I vote for Brown’s president Ruth Simmons. She’s also historic, done amazing things for the University (uncovered its ties to slavery and redefined the way the university should engage with its students and the community at large, launched the University’s largest and most successful fund raising campaign, brought the University back from mishandled previous administrations, etc.), she had similar successes at Smith and was courted by Harvard for her successes. She’s been named woman of the year, best college president by Time, and she’s encouraged several visits by Obama to Brown in the past. I think she could be a serious contender.
November 16th, 2008 at 1:38 am
I think this is a great idea. It’s time that we have a secretary of education who knows first and foremost about education.
November 24th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
I would like to see Dr. Joseph Aguerrebere, the President and CEO of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, become the next Secretary of Education.