In a Senate vote 49-40, John B. King Jr. was confirmed as the new Secretary of Education in Obama’s cabinet. This is an important confirmation in the last 10 months of Obama’s administration as the country must put into action the replacement law to the controversial No Child Left Behind as well as other reform initiatives in the education department.

The former education commissioner in New York understands the importance of education in shaping children’s lives. As the son of two educators, and thanks to his teachers in NY public schools, he says school provided a refuge and inspired him to take his education seriously. He went on to Harvard and also co-founded the Roxbury Prep Charter School in Boston.

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