Arne Duncan

Arne Starkey Duncan (born November 6, 1964) is an American educator and former professional basketball player who served as the 9th United States secretary of education from 2009 to 2016 in the cabinet of President Barack Obama. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools from 2001 to 2009.

Duncan's focus as Secretary of Education was to expand the use of standardized tests, charter schools, and national learning standards like Common Core. He oversaw the Race to the Top program that offered grants and exemptions from the No Child Left Behind Act for states if they implemented these policies. Duncan had bipartisan support when he took office, but his policies became more divisive as teacher's unions objected to the use of testing to evaluate teacher performance and members of the opposing Republican Party accused him of government overreach. He expanded student financial aid and student loan forgiveness, but he was unable to implement his other higher education policies like regulating for-profit colleges or creating a government rating system for the performance of universities. Duncan resigned in 2015 to move back to Chicago with his family. After leaving office, he has worked on anti-violence programs in Chicago.

Before entering politics, Duncan was co-captain of the basketball team at Harvard College, and he then played basketball professionally for the Rhode Island Gulls in the United States and the Eastside Spectres in Australia. He continued playing while in office and used the game to build relationships with Chicago politicians. He won nine out of eleven Hoop It Up three-on-three competitions between 2003 and 2014, participated in the 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2020 NBA All-Star Celebrity Games, and won the USA Basketball three-on-three championship in 2014.