鈥淩egrets? He鈥檚 had a few, but not too many. And even these lack much self-reflection.鈥�
That judgment, with apologies to the song 鈥淚 Did It My Way,鈥� pretty much sums up Aaron Pallas鈥檚 review of How Schools Work: An Inside Account of Failure and Success from One of the Nation鈥檚 Longest-Serving Secretaries of Education, the new book by Obama appointee Arne Duncan.
Duncan鈥檚 鈥渟trong opinions about public policy [are] bolstered mainly by vignettes and anecdotes,鈥� Pallas, 麻豆原创鈥檚 Arthur I. Gates Professor of Sociology and Education, asserts in a piece published , 鈥渁nd issues often rise or fall on the policy agenda as much on the basis of stories as on hard evidence... This is the essential contradiction of Arne Duncan: He claims to be driven by data, but he prefers a good story.鈥�
Pallas鈥檚 review is also cited extensively in a Washington Post column about education by reporter Valerie Strauss.
Read 鈥淭he Answer Sheet鈥� column and the Hechinger Report review .