Education Secretary Arne Duncan to Step Down

The U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced plans to step down from his appointed post by the end of the year.

Deputy Secretary John King Jr. will be filling the secretary's position, Duncan explained in a letter obtained by The Washington Post.

"We have been lucky to have an a amazing team here from Day One, but I honestly believe our team today is the strongest it’s ever been. So it’s with real sadness that have come to recognize that being apart from my family has become too much of a strain, and it is time for me to step aside and give a new leader a chance," Duncan wrote.

A former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Duncan was appointed as the U.S. Education Secretary in 2009 by President Barack Obama. Since then, he has spearheaded the Race to the Top competition, a competitive federal grant program which allowed school disctricts to make pitches for federally funded program expansion. He also helped oversee the White House's ConnectED Initiative, which seeks to expand broadband connectivity in schools across the country.  and kick off an EdTech Developers Guide, which sets reccomendations and guidelines for educational technology developers.