John King Jr.

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John King Jr.
John B. King official portrait.jpg
10th United States Secretary of Education
In office
March 14, 2016 – January 20, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
DeputyJames Cole Jr. (acting)
Preceded byArne Duncan
Succeeded byBetsy DeVos
United States Deputy Secretary of Education
Acting
In office
January 4, 2015 – March 14, 2016
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byJames H. Shelton
Succeeded byMick Zais
Education Commissioner of New York
In office
June 15, 2011 – January 4, 2015
Preceded byDavid Steiner
Succeeded byMaryEllen Elia
Personal details
Born (1975-01-05) January 5, 1975 (age 46)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Melissa Steel
Children2
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Columbia University (MEd, EdD)
Yale University (JD)
WebsiteCampaign website

John B. King Jr. (born January 5, 1975) is an American educator, civil servant and former government official who is the President and CEO of The Education Trust.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 10th United States Secretary of Education from July 2016 to January 2017 under President Barack Obama.[2] On April 20, 2021, King launched his campaign to become the Democratic nominee for governor of Maryland.

Immediately before he assumed leadership of the U.S. Department of Education, King served as its Acting Deputy Secretary from 2015 until 2016.[3][4] He previously was the New York State Education Commissioner from 2011 to 2014.[5] King's predecessor as U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan,[6][7] was charged with implementing the No Child Left Behind Act; however, King was obliged to carry out the provisions of that law's modified successor legislation, the Every Student Succeeds Act.[8]

Early life[]

John B. King Jr. was born in 1975 in Flatlands, Brooklyn, to John B. King Sr., a retired public school administrator and teacher, and Adalinda King, a school guidance counselor. He is of African-American and Puerto Rican descent. King Sr. had been Brooklyn's first black principal and later became New York City's executive deputy superintendent of schools. King Jr.'s mother died of a heart attack when King was eight years old. His father developed Alzheimer's disease and later died when King was 12. King moved to Long Island to live with his 24-year-old half brother. King later attended Phillips Andover but rebelled against its rules and was expelled in his junior year. He moved in with his uncle, a Tuskegee Airmen, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where he applied and was accepted to Harvard University.[9]

King earned a Bachelor of Arts in government at Harvard, was a 1995 Truman Scholar, and received the James Madison Memorial Fellowship for secondary-level teaching of American history, American Government, and social studies.[10] King received his masters at Teachers College, Columbia University in the Teaching of social Studies King and taught high school social studies. King co-founded Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, where he served as co-director for five years. Under King's leadership, Roxbury Prep's students attained the highest state exam scores of any urban middle school in Massachusetts, closed the racial achievement gap, and outperformed students from not only the Boston district schools but also the city's affluent suburbs.[11][12] King then joined as a managing director for Uncommon Schools, an urban, public charter school organization that operates some of the highest performing urban public schools in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.[9] In 2013 Uncommon Schools won the Broad Prize for top charter network.[13]

King later received a Juris Doctor at Yale Law School and a Doctor of Education in educational administrative practice at Teachers College, Columbia University.[10]

Career[]

King served on the board of New Leaders for New Schools from 2005 to 2009, and is a 2008 Aspen Institute-NewSchools Entrepreneurial Leaders for Public Education Fellow.[10]

New York Commissioner of Education[]

King was appointed Commissioner of Education of the State of New York in May 2011, succeeding David Steiner[9] as Commissioner of Education and President of the University of the State of New York (USNY), after serving since October 2009 as Senior Deputy Commissioner. USNY comprised more than 7,000 public and independent elementary and secondary schools; 270 public, independent and proprietary colleges and universities; 7,000 libraries; 900 museums; 25 public broadcasting facilities; 3,000 historical repositories; 436 proprietary schools; 52 professions encompassing more than 850,000 licensees plus 240,000 certified educators; and services for children and adults with disabilities. King was the first Black and Puerto Rican to serve as New York State Education Commissioner.

As Commissioner of Education and President of USNY, Commissioner King worked with the Board of Regents to pursue an ambitious education reform agenda. New York became a national leader in implementing Common Core standards. The state's educator engagement site, called EngageNY, has had over 100 million page views by educators throughout the state and country who want to learn more about Common Core implementation and access the state's Common Core curriculum modules and videos.[14] Through Race to the Top funding, network teams were launched in every region of the state and in every large district to provide training and embedded support to educators around implementation of the Common Core and the resources on EngageNY.[15][16] In 2013, New York became one of the first states in the country to administer exams that measure whether students are meeting Common Core standards.

In partnership with Governor Cuomo, the legislature, and the statewide teachers union, Commissioner King and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) worked to develop and implement a comprehensive new teacher and leader evaluation system, which for the first time incorporated student learning growth—bringing New York State's largest school district into compliance with state law.[17] To support this work, Commissioner King championed the creation of the Strengthening Teacher and Leader Effectiveness (STLE) grants program that funded school districts in utilizing a comprehensive approach to recruitment, development, support, retention and equitable distribution of effective teachers and school leaders. NYSED also revamped its school and district diagnostic tools and evaluations, making them more rigorous and comprehensive.

During his tenure, Commissioner King increased collaboration between P-12 schools and New York institutions of higher education, including strengthening teacher and principal preparation, raising the bar for teacher and principal certification, and creating partnerships to expand the state's P-20 data system. Under Commissioner King's leadership, NYSED also strengthened its approach to charter authorizing by launching a more rigorous Request for Proposals process for new schools and increasing accountability for existing schools.[18]

In October 2013 King launched a listening tour across the state, in response to the State of New York's adoption of Common Core Standards. After a forum near Poughkeepsie, where he was drowned out by the crowd, he canceled several other planned forums, then reformatted and rescheduled them, ultimately conducting more than two dozen forums across the state.[19] King was called on to resign by several anti-common core parent groups.[20] In April 2014, amidst the national Common Core Controversy, the state teachers' union called for his resignation.[21]

In one of his last efforts as State Education Commissioner, King piloted a program in New York city to increase socioeconomic diversity among schools through integration.[22]

In December 2014, King announced he was leaving the NY State Education Department to join the United States Department of Education.[23]

U.S. Department of Education[]

King at the signing of the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act
King's video introduction as Secretary of Education

In February 2011, King was appointed by United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to serve on the U.S. Department of Education's Equity and Excellence Commission.[24]

In January 2015, King became the Acting Deputy Secretary of Education (officially, the "Senior Advisor Delegated Duties of Deputy Secretary of Education"). In this position, he oversaw all policies and programs related to P-12 education, English learners, special education, and innovation. King also oversaw the agency's operations.

In the fall of 2015 when Arne Duncan announced that he would resign as Secretary of Education at the end of the year, U.S. President Barack Obama announced that King would succeed Duncan.[25] At the White House press briefing discussing King's appointment, President Obama called King "the right man" to lead the Department of Education, and King replied that the President and Secretary Duncan had laid out "an ambitious agenda ... and I'm proud to be able to carry it forward."[26] In choosing King to succeed Arne Duncan, The Washington Post stated that President Obama was "choosing continuity" and noted that King was pushing for the adoption of teacher evaluations, Common Core Standards and next generation student testing as the New York State Commissioner of Schools while the Obama administration was pushing for the adoption of similar reforms across the United States.[27] Even if their education reform agendas are similar, Duncan pointed out that King's background (he has African-American and Puerto Rican heritage, and was orphaned at age 12) gave him a "set of experiences that I think will help to make him especially impactful."[28]

On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act, the successor law to the No Child Left Behind Act. In remarks at the signing ceremony, the President said, "we are going to miss Arne Duncan a lot. Fortunately ... we also have a great replacement for Arne in Dr. John King, who is going to be doing outstanding work helping to implement this [new legislation]."[29]

On March 14, 2016, King was approved to be Secretary of Education by the United States Senate after a 49-40 vote.[30] King was the second African-American, the second Latino and first Afro-Latino to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education.[31] In September 2016, King travelled to six states to discuss education—visiting 11 cities and towns—for the Obama administration's final Back to School Bus tour.[31]

King worked to advance the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), saying that it provides for a "well-rounded education" and that he is "among those who worry that the balance has shifted too much away from subjects outside of math and English that could be the spark to a child's interest and excitement, and are actually essential to success in reading, and are critical to a child's future."[32][33]

In November 2016, the U.S. Department of Education released the final ESSA accountability rules, boosting state flexibility in key areas. "The final rules give states more time and flexibility to provide every student with a high-quality, well-rounded education while ensuring that states and districts keep the focus on improving outcomes and maintaining civil rights protections for all children, particularly those who need our support the most," King said in a statement.[34]

King continued his efforts towards socioeconomic and racial integration by centering federal education policy on increasing student diversity and in December 2016 he announced a $12 million grant competition "that would give up to 20 school districts the opportunity to craft new roadmaps for increasing student diversity and get started on those plans. Districts could use the money to get ideas from their communities on the best ways to bolster school integration, do a data analysis of where they currently stand on integration, and more."[35][36][37]

King has addressed school discipline directly—especially as it disproportionally affects students of color and students with disabilities—calling on states that continue to allow corporal punishment on students to cease and implement disciplinary measures that support students and reducing exclusionary disciplinary practices.[38][39][40] King has played an integral role in coordinating inter-agency work on My Brother's Keeper including allowing as many as 12,000 prison inmates to apply for federal Pell grants to finance college classes, despite a 22-year congressional ban on providing financial aid to prisoners.[41]

Preparing teachers to lead has been a top priority for King, allowing states to use Title II funds to aid in the development and preparation of teachers.[42] For example, states can use Title II funds[43] to:

  • Offer extra pay to teachers who teach in high needs subjects, or teach special populations, such as English-language learners.
  • Address working conditions in high-needs schools, or give teachers who work in them extra time to plan and collaborate.
  • Use federal teacher quality funds to support preparation programs at traditional universities, but also for alternative-preparation programs, and teacher residency programs.
  • Train principals, including giving them time to learn from each other.

King has also worked to increase and support teachers of color.[44]

In addition to improving Pre-K-12 outcomes, King focused on college completion, noting that "far too many students start college but do not finish, with students of color and first-generation and low-income students dropping out at higher rates than their white or better-off peer."[45] King introduced a number of initiatives and tools to increase college completion, crack down on predatory for-profit colleges,[46] and minimize student debt.[47][48][49]

The Education Trust[]

On February 2, 2017, The Education Trust announced that King would take on the role of President and CEO. He succeeds , who founded the organization in the early 1990s.[1] Education Trust is "a national nonprofit that works to close opportunity gaps that disproportionately affect students of color and students from low-income families."[50] Publications of the Education Trust focus on recruiting and retaining more teachers of color, centering racial equity in socio-emotional learning, eliminating bias in the discipline of girls of color, inequitable access to advanced coursework, disparities in access to quality early childhood education, and dismantling continuing racial disparities in access to public higher education.[51] In addition, King serves as Co-Chair of the Aspen Institute K12 Climate Action Commission with former Bush Administration EPA Administrator and NJ Governor Christine Todd Whitman.

Strong Future Maryland[]

In October 2020, King founded a new advocacy organization called Strong Future Maryland.[52] The mission of Strong Future Maryland is to "work to advance bold, progressive policy changes to address systemic inequality and promote a sustainable, just and prosperous economic future for all Marylanders."[53] The organization's areas of policy focus include investing in public education, strengthening the social safety net, broad-based economic development benefiting historically marginalized communities, and climate change and environmental justice.[54]

King serves as a Professor of the Practice at the University of Maryland College Park where he began teaching as a visiting professor in 2017.[55]

2022 Maryland gubernatorial election[]

On April 20, 2021, King announced that he would be seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor of Maryland in the 2022 election cycle.[56]

Personal life[]

King is married to Melissa Steel King, a senior associate partner at Bellwether Education Partners who began her career as a kindergarten and 1st grade teacher. They live in Silver Spring, Maryland and have two daughters who attend local public schools.

King serves on several boards including the Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence, Harvard University Board of Overseers, the Robin Hood Foundation, MDRC, Teach Plus, and the American Museum of Natural History.

King has deep family roots in Maryland. His great-grandfather was enslaved in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and the cabin in which he, his mother, and siblings lived as enslaved people is still standing. King's grandmother was among the earliest graduates of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 1894, a historically Black college which was then known as Princess Anne Academy.[57]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "John B. King Jr. to Serve as President and CEO of The Education Trust - The Education Trust". The Education Trust. Archived from the original on March 3, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  2. ^ "John B. King Jr., Acting Secretary of Education—Biography". www.ed.gov. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved August 5, 2016. Public domain This article incorporates public domain material from this U.S government document.
  3. ^ "NY Education Commissioner John King to Join Education Department as Senior Advisor | U.S. Department of Education". www.ed.gov. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  4. ^ Camera, Lauren (October 5, 2015). "5 Things to Know About the New Education Secretary; Arne Duncan's replacement has gone to battle with teachers unions, and they're not happy about his promotion". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  5. ^ Taylor, Kate (December 10, 2014). "New York State Education Commissioner to Leave for Federal Post". New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  6. ^ Harris, Gardiner; Rich, Motoko (October 2, 2015), "Arne Duncan, Education Secretary, to Step Down in December", The New York Times, retrieved August 5, 2016
  7. ^ Skiba, Katherine (October 2, 2015). "Arne Duncan stepping down, returning to Chicago". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  8. ^ Scott, Amy (August 4, 2016). "What to expect from new education chief John King". Marketplace. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c Otterman, Sharon (May 16, 2011). "Charter Founder Is Named Education Commissioner". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  10. ^ a b c "John B. King Jr., Senior Advisor Delegated Duties of Deputy Secretary of Education — Biography". United States Department of Education. October 2, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  11. ^ "A Man with a Mission". Teachers College - Columbia University. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  12. ^ Gewertz, Catherine (February 4, 2009). "High School and Beyond - Education Week". Education Week. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  13. ^ Connors, Kevin. "Uncommon Schools Wins Broad Prize for Top Charter Network". Education Week - Charters & Choice. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  14. ^ Cavanagh, Sean (June 10, 2015). "N.Y. 'Open' Education Effort Draws Users Nationwide - Education Week". Education Week. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  15. ^ "Support the Common Core with the right instructional materials | Kappan Common Core Writing Project". www.kappancommoncore.org. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  16. ^ Heitin, Liana. "Where Are Teachers Getting Their Common-Core Instructional Materials?". Education Week - Curriculum Matters. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  17. ^ Joseph, Channing (June 1, 2013). "New York to Evaluate Teachers With New System". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  18. ^ "New NY Education Reform Commission Final Action Plan" (PDF).
  19. ^ Taylor, Kate (December 11, 2014). "John King Jr., New York State's Education Chief, to Leave Many Policy Wars Behind". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  20. ^ Clukey, Keshia. "Parents statewide call for resignation of Education Commissioner". Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  21. ^ Taylor, Kate (May 26, 2015). "MaryEllen Elia Named New York State Education Commissioner". The New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  22. ^ "Will John King's last effort to desegregate New York's schools work?". Chalkbeat. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  23. ^ Taylor, Kate (December 10, 2014). "New York State Education Commissioner to Leave for Federal Post". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  24. ^ "U.S. Secretary of Education Appoints Members of Equity and Excellence Commission" (Press release). Press Office of the U.S. Department of Education. February 17, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  25. ^ "Arne Duncan resigns, one of last members of Obama's original cabinet". Associated Press via the New York Post. October 2, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  26. ^ "Remarks by the President, Secretary Arne Duncan, and Dr. John King in Personnel Announcement" (Press release). The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. October 2, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  27. ^ Emma, Brown; Layton, Lyndsey (October 11, 2015). "The next education secretary: Polarizing, powered by personal story". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  28. ^ Camera, Lauren (October 20, 2015). "What John King Has That Arne Duncan Doesn't; Incoming education secretary John King's past could make him especially effective". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  29. ^ Obama, Barack (December 10, 2015). Remarks by the President at Every Student Succeeds Act Signing Ceremony (Speech). whitehouse.gov. Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C. Retrieved December 23, 2015 – via National Archives.
  30. ^ Severns, Maggie (March 14, 2016) "Senate confirms education secretary", Politico. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  31. ^ a b Evans, Kelley D. (September 29, 2016). "On 11-city tour, U.S. secretary of education talks about how education saved his life". The Undefeated. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  32. ^ Klein, Alyson. "ESSA Can Help States Offer a Well-Rounded Education, John King Says". Education Week - Politics K-12. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  33. ^ Brown, Emma (April 13, 2016). "Not just reading and math: Education Secretary to call for return to a 'well-rounded education'". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  34. ^ Klein, Alyson. "Final ESSA Accountability Rules Boost State Flexibility in Key Areas". Education Week - Politics K-12. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  35. ^ Klein, Alyson. "Ed. Dept. Announces $12 Million Grant Competition to Boost Diversity". Education Week - Politics K-12. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  36. ^ DeRuy, Emily. "A New Argument for More Diverse Classrooms". The Atlantic. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  37. ^ "Acting Education Secretary Champions Economic, Racial Integration". The American Prospect. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  38. ^ DeRuy, Emily. "School Discipline in a Post-Obama World". The Atlantic. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  39. ^ Heim, Joe (November 22, 2016). "Education Secretary calls on all states to abandon corporal punishment". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  40. ^ "U.S. Education Secretary to schools: Stop hitting, paddling students". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  41. ^ Douglas-Gabriel, Danielle (June 24, 2016). "12,000 inmates to receive Pell grants to take college classes". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  42. ^ "Uplifting Teachers A Priority On John King's Agenda". News One. May 3, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  43. ^ Klein, Alyson. "ESSA: Education Department Releases Guidance on Teachers". Education Week - Politics K-12. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  44. ^ King, John (May 15, 2016). "The invisible tax on teachers of color". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  45. ^ Jr, John B. King (June 22, 2016). "Taking On the Challenge of College Completion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  46. ^ "Department Of Education Creates Student Aid Enforcement Office". NPR.org. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  47. ^ "U.S. education chief highlights tools to reduce barriers to college during Memphis visit". Chalkbeat. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  48. ^ "U.S. education secretary talks college completion at Georgia..." myajc. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  49. ^ Douglas-Gabriel, Danielle (October 28, 2016). "New federal rules could make it easier to have student loans forgiven". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  50. ^ "The Education Trust". The Education Trust. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  51. ^ Malhi, Sabrina (October 2, 2020). "A teachable moment on sustainability". The Hill. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  52. ^ Cox, Erin (October 4, 2020). "Armed with $1 million, John King launches new group to address systemic racism in Maryland". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  53. ^ "Strong Future Maryland". Strong Future Maryland. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  54. ^ King, John B. Jr. (October 5, 2020). "John King: Crises Can Be Catalysts for Change". Maryland Matters. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  55. ^ "Former Education Secretary and President and CEO of The Education Trust, John B. King, Jr., Joins UMD COE Faculty | UMD College of Education". education.umd.edu. September 7, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  56. ^ Stole, Bryn (April 20, 2021). "John King Jr., former Obama education secretary, enters race for governor of Maryland". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  57. ^ Shapira, Ian (October 23, 2019). "Two families — one black, one white — shared a harrowing history. Then they met". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 19, 2021.

Further reading[]

External links[]

Government offices
Preceded by Education Commissioner of New York
2011–2015
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
James H. Shelton
United States Deputy Secretary of Education
Acting

2015–2016
Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Secretary of Education
2016–2017
Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""