Obama names education chief, focuses on economy

CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday called the high U.S. school dropout rate "economically untenable" and said making schools more competitive would be a top job of his education secretary.

Saying the road to jobs and growth begins in the classroom, Obama announced Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan -- a longtime basketball partner and friend -- as his choice for education secretary. He charged Duncan with improving America's teachers and schools to help the United States become more competitive.

"If we want to out-compete the world tomorrow, then we're going to have to out-educate the world today," Obama told a news conference at an elementary school.

Obama, who takes office on January 20, noted that the U.S. high school dropout rate is one of the highest in the industrialized world and many young American children cannot even do basic math.

"We can't continue like this," he said. "It's morally unacceptable for our children and economically untenable for America."

After the news conference, Obama held a meeting of the key members of his economic team amid continuing bleak news on the U.S. economy, with consumer prices plunging at a record pace and housing starts falling to a new low.


Credits: Associated Press