New Column: Reflections on Arne Duncan Leaving the Department of Education

It took me several days, but I published a column at The 74 Million sharing thoughts on Arne Duncan's resignation as Secretary of Education — and what that suggests about the future of education policy debates:

But in politics, Duncan’s blend of a small ego and deep commitment to his work runs up against the basic functioning of things. This is a world populated by people who prefer caution to determination. It is a world where self-effacement is usually career suicide, and where a man who genuinely isn’t concerned about his standing in the polls or the newspapers is deeply confusing. Read that Politico profile carefully, and you’ll start to notice that Duncan’s critics seem almost more puzzled by him than anything else. Why, you can hear them wondering, won’t he respond to the usual stimuli and response? Why isn’t he backing down when we snap at him?

Click here to read the whole thing!"