DCist unfortunately didn't have a critic there, but by all accounts Secretary of Education Arne Duncan made an onstage appearance at last night's Neko Case concert at the 9:30 Club.

... Arne made a special appeal to the college-aged crowd to consider careers in teaching. "We have a chance to change the country," he said. "We want to make sure every child has a great, great teacher. So I want to encourage you….Those of you who love music, love art, love math….We need that next generation of teachers coming in."

UPDATE: Wesley Denton, a spokesperson for Sen. DeMint, has responded by email: more ›

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan went on NPR yesterday and told Melissa Block that his two young kids will attend a D.C. public school. "There are great, great schools (in D.C.)," Duncan said. "We feel very confident they'll be able to get a great education here." There was some criticism lobbed at the Obamas for choosing a hoity toity D.C. private school for their girls, but you could at least make the argument that a desire for continuity prevailed in both families: the Duncan kids attended public schools in Chicago, while the Obama girls were in a private one. Interestingly, though, Duncan made his remarks right after the Obamas stopped by a D.C. public charter school to read to some second graders and sing the school's praises. Think Duncan's promise to send his kids to a "public" school could actually mean public charter? more ›

Richard Whitmire, head of the National Education Writers Association, puts it all in perspective today, arguing that like it or not, Arne Duncan, Obama's choice to be Secretary of Education, will need to wade into the local union battles being fought in the District by Chancellor Michelle Rhee. He predicts that a clash between Rhee's "Clint Eastwood-esque power" and the typical federal interference in DCPS will be impossible to avoid and cautions Duncan, "don't even try to ignore the Michelle Rhee confrontation over teacher competence. At 6-foot, 5-inches tall, you can dunk once on the diminutive Rhee. But don't try it a second time." (Via Eduwonk.) more ›

Over the weekend the Post launched its investigative series/Pulitzer bait on the District’s charter schools, which together enroll about a third of D.C.’s students. In addition to profiling the high-performing D.C. Prep, the Post dug into the suspect financial benefits some members of the D.C. Public Charter School Board have received as a result of their board work, mostly through the complicated world of charter school loans and financing. The Post found conflicts of interest involving nearly $200 million at more than a third of the city’s charter schools. more ›