Rumors are flying about who President-Elect Barack Obama will appoint as the next U.S. Secretary of Education.  As David Brooks suggests in his New York Times op-ed today, most of the whispered names fall into two camps:

Reformers like Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee and Arne Duncan who have pushed for performance pay and charter schools (and not to mention, have dramatically raised student performance in the public schools they lead in New York, D.C. and Chicago, respectively) and representatives of the education establishment like Linda Darling-Hammond (Stanford) who are cool to innovations like Teach for America and charters and weaker on accountability.  A few "safe" choices have also been mentioned, like former North Carolina Governor James Hunt.

Now is not the time to be cozying up to the business-as-usual education establishment or to play it safe.  Obama's historic win of the White House was based on the belief that he would deliver on his campaign promise of Change We Can Believe In.  

NOW is exactly the time to deliver change in our public schools, and more importantly, improved results.  As Brooks notes, the "stakes are huge."  U.S. student performance is now lagging behind other countries.  And the No Child Left Behind Act will be up for reauthorization during the next Secretary's tenure.  "If accountability standards are watered down, as the establishment wants, then real reform will fade," cautions Brooks.

Ensuring that all students receive a high-quality education that prepares for success in college and work is not only something every child deserves, but also the best investment we can make for our country's long-term competiveness and prosperity.  

Delivering this kind of change will take a courageous and skillful leader who is not afraid to do things differently because he or she understands that the status quo is not working.  The person will also need to bring a sense of urgency to the task because our kids' and our country's future are at risk.

As Brooks points out, "If Obama picks a reformer like Duncan, Klein or one of the others, he will be picking a fight with the status quo.  But there's never been a better time to have the fight than right now."

"Yes we can!"