Secretary Duncan’s Video to Principals; You Judge the Message

Below is a video in which Secretary of Education Arne Duncan addresses school principals. Take a look. In it he promises additional funding for Title I and for IDEA, and he states clearly that it will not become a competitive grant. Perhaps the Department of Education is beginning to listen rather than prescribe, prescribe, prescribe.

Secretary continues to state two more things we all agree as school leaders:

1. Federal law should help principals and I would add teachers in providing our students with a world-class education.
2. No Child Left Behind Act has been unfair to teachers and principals.

As they say, “The Devil is in the details” and we can only hope that Secretary is sincere and really means what he says about the reauthorization of ESEA. He and President Obama currently have a severe credibility problem with a number of educators. It is going to take more than posting a few videos to regain the trust of many who supported this administration in the last election.