Obama's smart education pick

Barack Obama has named Arne Duncan, the Chicago schools chief, as his education secretary. While Duncan is no reform outrider, he has supported the sort of change needed in Chicago's schools and is a reformer, doing so in a way that has largely won plaudits from both reformers and teachers. And those who believe that reform matters will be mightily relieved that he has not appointed the teaching union favourite Linda Darling-Hammond.