Arne Duncan — American Public Servant born on November 06, 1964,

Arne Duncan is an American education administrator who has been the United States Secretary of Education since 2009. He will step down at the end of 2015. Duncan previously served as superintendent of the Chicago Public Schools district from 2001-2009... (wikipedia)

Teachers say their schools of education did not adequately prepare them for the classroom. They would have welcomed more mentoring and feedback in their early years.
Even in a time of fiscal austerity, education is more than just an expense.
I think every student needs access to technology, and I think technology can be a hugely important vehicle to help level the playing field.
State governments generate less revenue in a recession. As state leaders struggle to make up for lost revenue, legislatures tend to cut funding for higher education. Colleges, in turn, answer these funding cuts with tuition hikes.
To encourage more top-caliber students to choose teaching, teachers should be paid a lot more, with starting salaries more in the range of $60,000 and potential earnings of as much as $150,000.