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SESSION TYPE: Plenary SESSION TITLE: Arne Duncan and Richard W. Riley, moderated by Paula Kerger STRAND: Whole School Issues DAY: Friday TIME: 1:00 - 2:15 pm LOCATION: Chase Center Grand Ballroom, 3rd floor |
Watch this live!
Live from the Celebration! A rare opportunity to hear from two U.S. Secretaries of Education in a live webcast of our Plenary Session: Two Secretaries, One Stage moderated by Paula Kerger, President and CEO of PBS. Current Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and former Secretary Richard W. Riley will share their experiences in this thought-provoking session that combines the lessons of the past with the resources of the present -- all shaping the possibilities of the future. CLICK HERE ON FRIDAY, MARCH 5TH, AT 1:00 PM TO BE PART OF THIS HISTORY-MAKING CONVERSATION. This webcast is made possible by Walden University.
BIOGRAPHY
Arne Duncan
Arne Duncan was nominated to be secretary of education by President-elect Barack Obama and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2009.
In his confirmation hearings, Duncan called education “the most pressing issue facing America,” adding that “preparing young people for success in life is not just a moral obligation of society” but also an “economic imperative.” “Education is also the civil rights issue of our generation,” he said, “the only sure path out of poverty and the only way to achieve a more equal and just society.” Duncan expressed his commitment to work under the leadership of President Obama and with all those involved in education “to enhance education in America, to lift our children and families out of poverty, to help our students learn to contribute to the civility of our great American democracy, and to strengthen our economy by producing a workforce that can make us as competitive as possible.”
Prior to his appointment as secretary of education, Duncan served as the chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Schools. As CEO, Duncan’s mandate was to raise education standards and performance, improve teacher and principal quality, and increase learning options. Among his most significant accomplishments during his tenure as CEO, an all-time high of 66.7 percent of the district’s elementary school students met or exceeded state reading standards, and their math scores also reached a record high, with 70.6 percent meeting or exceeding the state’s standards.
Duncan graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1987, majoring in sociology. He was co-captain of Harvard’s basketball team and was named a first team Academic All-American. He credits basketball with his team-oriented and highly disciplined work ethic.
The Honorable Richard W. Riley
Former U. S. Secretary of Education
Former Governor of South Carolina
The Christian Science Monitor said that many Americans regard Dick Riley as “one of the great statesmen of education in this (20th) century.” David Broder, a highly-acclaimed national columnist, called him one of the “most decent and honorable people in public life.” In 2009, TIME Magazine named him one of America’s “Top 10 Best Cabinet Members.” And when Riley was Governor, he was so popular that the people amended the South Carolina Constitution to enable him to run for a second term.
Wherever he goes, Richard Wilson Riley – former U. S. Secretary of Education and former Governor of South Carolina – wins respect for his integrity, principled leadership, commitment to children and passion for high-quality education.
After winning national recognition for his successful education improvements in South Carolina during the 1980s, Riley was chosen by President Clinton in December 1992 to serve in his Cabinet as the nation’s chief education officer. During the President’s first term, Secretary Riley helped launch historic initiatives to raise academic standards; improve instruction for the poor and disadvantaged; expand grant and loan programs to help more Americans go to college; prepare young people for the world of work; and improve teaching. He also created the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, which included more than 8,000 groups.
Riley gets things done by reaching out to all citizens. He prefers partnership to partisanship. Of his quiet, self-effacing style, the National Journal wrote, “He doesn’t grab headlines or clamor for credit . . . But, inevitably, Riley reaches his goal.”
Riley was so successful that, after the 1996 election, President Clinton asked him to continue leading his national crusade for excellence in education. During the second term, Secretary Riley helped win a historic F.C.C. ruling to give schools and libraries deep discounts for Internet access and telecommunications services (the E-rate) and major improvements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. He gained increased Federal support to help all children master the basics of reading and math; make schools safer; reduce class size in grades 1-3 by hiring 100,000 more quality teachers; modernize and build new schools to meet record-breaking student enrollments; help students learn to use computers; expand after-school programs; foster college preparation and access for underprivileged students; make post-secondary education more affordable; and promote lifelong learning. Riley also focused national attention on the need for people of all ages in America to learn more than one language and for increased international education exchanges in the United States and abroad in order to take advantage of the opportunities presented in the global society of the 21st Century.
Since leaving his national post in January 2001, Riley has rejoined the law firm of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough with more than 400 attorneys in offices throughout South Carolina and North Carolina, as well as in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Tallahassee, Huntington West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. He also is a Senior Partner in EducationCounsel, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the law firm.
Dick Riley also has been appointed Distinguished Professor and Trustee Vice Chair at his alma mater, Furman University, and serves as Advisory Board Chair of the Richard W. Riley Institute of Government, Politics and Public Leadership there. Additionally, Riley serves on the boards of South Carolina’s University Center in Greenville and Winthrop University, where the School of Education is named in his honor, as is the College of Education and Leadership at Walden University. He also has been named Distinguished Professor at the University of South Carolina. Riley speaks, provides leadership and serves in an advisory and collaborative capacity with many other entities to promote education improvement at all levels in the United States and abroad.
Dick Riley was born in Greenville County, South Carolina. He graduated cum laude from Furman University in 1954 and then served as an officer aboard a U. S. Navy minesweeper. In 1959, Riley received a law degree from the University of South Carolina. He served as a South Carolina state representative and state senator from 1963-1977, was elected Governor in 1978 and reelected in 1982. Riley and his wife (now deceased), the former Ann Osteen Yarborough, affectionately known by all as Tunky Riley, have four children and 13 grandchildren.
Paula A. Kerger
Paula A. Kerger is president and CEO of PBS, the nation’s largest non-commercial media organization with nearly 360 member stations. Since arriving at PBS in 2006, Ms. Kerger has made strong commitments to the arts, news and public affairs, education, diversity, and the use of new technology to bring public service media into the lives of all Americans. The rapid growth of the PBS online video services helps ensure that PBS programming is accessible across multiple platforms to families everywhere.
