I think Obama's "Team of Excellence" just got its first genuine lemon. It appears that the Superintendent of one of the worst school systems in the country will get the nod as Education Secretary:Arne Duncan, the Chicago schools superintendent known for taking tough steps to improve schools while maintaining respectful relations with teachers and their unions, is President-elect Barack Obama’s choice as secretary of education, Democratic officials said Monday.Mr. Duncan, a 44-year-old Harvard graduate, has raised achievement in the nation’s third-largest school district and often faced the ticklish challenge of shuttering failing schools and replacing ineffective teachers, usually with improved results.He represents a compromise choice in the debate that has divided Democrats in recent months over the proper course for public-school policy after the Bush years.In June, rival nationwide groups of educators circulated competing educational manifestos, with one...(Read Full Post)