Obama Administration Lobbies Against NYC School Boss Candidate

Joshua Starr
(Image: montgomeryschoolsmd.org)

According to a report in today's Washington Post, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan actively spoke against a candidate being considered for New York City's education chancellor. Duncan's target was Joshua Starr, currently serving as school superintendent in the affluent DC suburbs of Montgomery County, Maryland.

Starr's offense was to dare criticize aspects of the Obama-Duncan education agenda, notably the use of standardized tests to evaluate an instructor's "value." He also called for a three-year break from high-stakes standardized exams. This moratorium strikes at the heart of the data-driven agenda Duncan and Obama have believed essential to so-called "education reform."

As the Post story noted, a Cabinet-level official very rarely intervenes in a local school district matter. However, a characteristic of the Obama and Duncan regimes is their thin skins when facing criticism. Their arrogant belief is that they are the smartest people in the room. As a consequence, they typically ignore contrary opinions and simply do what they want. (Obama's inability to touch voters' hearts is connected to this behavioral outlook.) Duncan's presumed torpedo sank Starr's chances, even though New York City mayor DiBlasio shares some of Starr's profound reservations about the education "reformers'" questionable assertions.

As Anthony Hopkins, playing Richard Nixon in the eponymous film, said: "Presidents don't threaten. They don't have to."