Word: duncan
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...While head of Chicago schools, Duncan did not shy away from controversy. His decision to close failing schools and use unconventional methods to increase academic performance has often been met with resistance from the community...
...Duncan has been a strong advocate for charter schools, performance pay for teachers, sex segregated education, and funding increases for No Child Left Behind. He also supported a proposal for a high school catering to gay students, called Pride Campus...
...Chicago public school students showed up for class on the first day of the year. By 2003, the rate was 89%. Duncan has sent district representatives to students' homes to urge them to attend and offered tickets to sporting events to lure students to school. First-day attendance levels help determine year-long state funding levels...
...After the federal government tried to yank No Child Left Behind funding in 2004 from a Chicago tutoring program, Duncan threatened to sue the U.S. Department of Education. The federal policy stated that under-performing districts, like Chicago, weren't eligible to use federal funds for tutoring programs. Duncan said the funding cut was "a slap in the face" to Chicago's neediest students. The DOE eventually relented and allowed the funding to be used as Duncan wanted...
...March 2008, Duncan decreed that although No Child Left Behind mandated students whose first language is not English take the same standardized tests as others, the scores for these bilingual students would not determine whether they would be allowed to move on to the next grade level. He justified his decision by saying that the federal rule would unfairly punish schools with bilingual students...