Bridgette Outten

May 20, 2010 | Politics

Education Secretary Pushes Agenda in New York Among Political Tension

The debate over charter schools continues on as U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited New York this week, bringing a federal angle to what has already been a local issue.

Duncan’s trip to Brooklyn schools fanned the flames of a charter school vs. public school battle.

The education secretary is encouraging states to revamp education laws to compete for federal grants under the Race to the Top program. Under the program, states can earn more points by increasing their numbers of charter schools, among other changes.

The New York Senate has passed a bill to increase charter schools, but the same measure hit a wall in the Assembly due to opposition from teachers’ unions.

“A number of reform ideas are under consideration by the State Legislature, and while I can’t talk about the specifics of any of them, I can say we share many of the underlying values they propose,” Duncan said at a press conference. “The president has called on states to allow good charter schools to flourish while ensuring that there is real and equal accountability.”

Politics even affected what schools Duncan visited. Aides had scheduled a trip to Kings Collegiate Charter School in Brownsville and Public School in East New York, but after complaints from the head of the American Federation of Teachers, a third stop to Public School 241 in Crown Heights was added.

The second round of applications for Race to the Top is due June 1. Several states have already altered education policies, including Illinois, Louisiana and Tennessee.

A Chicago native, Bridgette has been a journalist since she first wrote for her seventh grade newsletter. Today, that passion is just as strong. She has written for several newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Defender, the Marshall News-Messenger (Texas) and the Springfield News-Sun (Ohio).