On March 14 the Senate confirmed John B. King Jr. will act as the new Secretary of Education, replacing his predecessor Arne Duncan. With President Obama’s support in King leading the Department of Education, Obama referred to him as “an exceptionally talented educator,” praising his commitment to “preparing every child for success.”
King, who previously worked under Duncan as deputy secretary, comes with a long history in education. Both his parents were public school educators, and he was a high school social studies teacher before co-founding and co-directing Roxbury Preparatory Charter School in Massachusetts.
He would go on to become the commissioner of education for the state of New York. At the time of his appointment he was one of the youngest state education leaders and was the first African-American and Puerto Rican to serve as a New York education commissioner. In that role, he served as chief executive officer of the State Education Department and as president of the University of the State of New York.
In a daring first move as the new Secretary of Education, King called out higher education and its increasing costs, which he says are shutting out those in lower classes from being able continue their education.
As part of his College Opportunity Across America Tour, in a speech delivered to an audience of college presidents, trustees and other campus leaders at the Education Department’s Washington headquarters, he made pointed remarks about academia’s misguided focus comparing America’s educational system to a caste system making mockery of the American dream.
“By your words and actions, what you have proven is that the notion of choosing between providing an excellent education and ensuring equitable access is a false choice,” King said. “Let’s begin by acknowledging that we have a growing crisis in higher education – and it is disproportionately affecting those who need our help the most.”
A recent report released by the White House found that the country’s colleges and universities need to improve access, opportunity and success for low-income students. The report specifically found that efforts to help low-income students who receive financial assistance through Federal Pell Grant Programs differ among similarly situated colleges and universities.
King believes campus leaders need to develop strategies that increase access, affordability and positive outcomes for all students – no matter their zip code. The theme of his tour centers around his concerns about the accessibility of education, not the ability of students.
“The share of young adults who are white and hold a bachelor’s degree totals nearly twice the share of black young adults with a bachelor’s degree,” he said. “By the age of 24, young people from the poorest families are more than seven times less likely to have earned an undergraduate degree than young people from the richest families.”
His concerns about the separation of classes continued.
“Rising college costs are impacting all of us, they’re most challenging for the students we should be most concerned with protecting – those from low- and middle-income families,” he said. “If we don’t find ways to keep a college degree within reach for middle- and lower-class families, our institutions of higher education could end up having the opposite effect – they could become a barrier, not a bridge, to greater prosperity.”
Further statistics King gave included that 72 percent of higher education’s student body comes from the nation’s richest families, whereas only 3 percent of the student body comes from the poorest families. He also said fewer than 50 public four-year institutions enroll more than 40 percent of their students as Pell recipients while just over 100 private nonprofit institutions do the same.
“We need more from our top colleges, and better uses of their multi-billion dollar endowments,” he urged.
As the leading federal education officer, his mission is clear. However, there is still much to do if the U.S. will lead the world in college completion for all students without the burden of an unmanageable debt.
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