Secretary of Education: Arne Duncan

Arne Duncan will take over the smallest cabinet department with one of the biggest jobs in America, because educational reform is a notorious ideological battleground. Previously working as chief executive officer of Chicago public schools, 44-year-old Duncan has been criticised for not being a real educator - ­ he is a former pro basketball player - and thus being out of touch with teachers and pupils. But Time magazine reports he has not shied away from closing under-performing schools in Chicago while supporting performance-related pay for teachers, sex-segregated classes, a school exclusively for gays and financial rewards for students' good grades. Drop-out rates and grades have both improved.

FIRST POSTED JANUARY 6, 2009