Reid Statement On Education Secretary Arne Duncan

Statement

Nevada Senator Harry Reid released the following statement after President Obama announced U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will be stepping down:

"Secretary Duncan has been a hardworking advocate for improving education in our country. He has led the Department of Education through a challenging period and brought a sense of urgency and focus to serious issues facing our nation, such as the high school dropout rate and the achievement gap for minority students. Though more needs to be done, thanks in part to Secretary Duncan's efforts, we have seen real improvements in these areas.

"At the height of the recession, as states and districts around the country were laying off thousands of teachers and other school employees, Secretary Duncan managed the massive task of quickly getting Recovery Act aid to states and districts in order to help keep teachers in the classroom. The Department also successfully managed the transition to a new federal student loan program. When the Democratic Congress voted to eliminate wasteful subsidies to banks and direct those funds to student aid, Secretary Duncan worked to make sure the transition was done on time and with few glitches, something Republicans and the banks said could not be done. I also appreciate his firm stance in fighting to protect students from abusive practices in the for-profit college sector. While more can still be done to protect students and taxpayers, the Department's rules will help prevent more students from accumulating debt and worthless degrees.

"I thank Secretary Duncan for his service and look forward to working with his replacement, Dr. John King."

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