U.S. Chamber Pledges to Work with Duncan to Strengthen America's Education System

WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Chamber President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue issued the following statement on President-elect Barack Obama's selection of Chicago Public Schools Chief Arne Duncan to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education:

"The U.S. Chamber welcomes the selection of Arne Duncan as Education Secretary and shares his commitment to improving student achievement alongside strengthening accountability in the U.S. public school system.

"Throughout his tenure in Chicago, Mr. Duncan has proven to be a reformer, tackling tough issues such as teacher accountability, the closing of low-performing schools, and support for charter schools. He has a lengthy track record of working with people across the ideological spectrum, which will be essential to building the necessary partnerships to take our nation's education system to a higher level of achievement.

"Today, nothing is more important than the global race for talent and workers. It starts with ensuring we have an accountable and high performing education system – one that is preparing our future workforce for the skills and demands of business in the 21st century.

"The Chamber and the business community are ready to get to work with Mr. Duncan and President-elect Obama's education team to ensure our nation's schools and students are putting good intentions into action, and creating the opportunity for every child to achieve the American dream."

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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