Speeches

A New Approach to Teacher Education Reform and Improvement

Thank you all for coming out today—and my special thanks to Dennis Van Roekel and Wendy Kopp for joining me here and to the remarkable group of educators and leaders in the field who are participating in our panel discussion.

We Will Not Fail Our Children

I want to thank you for being here today. Over the past year, all of us in the Obama administration have been joining forces to address and reduce bullying. I believe we've made real progress – but I know that we have a long way to go.

Engaging the World Anew Conference

It is great to have the opportunity to talk with the HBCU family once again.

It's been almost three years since the President offered me this job. It has been a wonderful opportunity, one of the best jobs in the world.

The Digital Promise

Thank you so much Josneil.

Digital Badges for Learning

I'm excited to be here to celebrate the launch of the 2011 competition, and its potential to propel a quantum leap forward in education reform. We're on the verge of harnessing education's power to unleash the full measure of human potential.

The Road to a Rust Belt Renaissance

For the past week I've been on a bus tour of the Great Lakes Region. Everywhere I've gone, I've talked about the urgent need to elevate education to build a better workforce and an expanding economy.

And yet everywhere I've gone, I've heard a tale of two cities.

In Service of Home: The Journey for the Seventh Generation

Mitakuyepi.

This is a great day. It's a time to reflect on your wonderful accomplishments and look forward to your future and the future of our nation.

It's a chance to honor those who have supported you and nurtured you – and to think about how you can serve your community, your culture and future generations.

Working Toward "Wow": A Vision for a New Teaching Profession

Thanks for having me. It's a real honor to be addressing an organization that has done so much to strengthen America's most important profession.

I don't look at newspaper cartoons much, but someone showed me one the other day that got me thinking. It showed a sports fantasy camp with a bunch of athletes standing around waiting to get an autograph from a short, balding guy.

Duncan Testifies Before Senate Committee on ED Budget

Good morning Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Shelby. Thanks very much for having me here today to talk about education, the economy and the need to continue investing in our future—even as Congress and the administration work together to reduce overall spending and manage our deficit.

Iowa's Wake-Up Call

I’m excited to be here this morning--and to participate in the Iowa Education Summit with Governor Branstad and so many distinguished educators, school leaders, district administrators, lawmakers, and parents all committed to giving Iowa’s children a world-class education.