Obama taps Arne Duncan for secretary of ED

President-elect Barack Obama has picked fellow-Chicagoan Arne Duncan to be Secretary of Education. Duncan has served for the last seven years as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools. In 2004 Duncan launched a program called Renaissance 2010, which aims to open 100 new schools by 2010. In the program's first four years, 55 schools have opened, including a public school known as the Virtual Opportunities Inside a School Environment (VOISE). The school opened in the fall and touts the latest in education technology. In October, the Chicago Board of Education approved the construction of two more technology-focused high schools. VOISE students are given wireless-enabled laptops in the classroom and students without home access to a computer are provided with one. The school started with 150 freshmen, and Chicago education officials plan to increase enrollment by 150 each year until there are 600 VOISE students. Attendance and graduation rate have proven higher at Renaissance 2010 schools compared to other Chicago public schools. The attendance rate at schools opened since 2004 is 95 percent ­ 1 percent higher than the overall district average. Renaissance 2010 high schools have a 90 percent graduation rate, compared to a 73 percent rate overall. Students are also less likely to transfer out of the new, technology-focused Chicago schools, according to district statistics.