MSNBC: Sec. Duncan ‘sounds like a Republican’

We basically want to get out of the way of the states and we think the law, as the president said, had some good intent but there are many, many, basically, fatal flaws in it today. Its far too punitive; many, many ways to fail; no rewards for success; very prescriptive, top-down from Washington, led to a dumbing down of  standards; led to a narrowing of the curriculum. Our children need a well rounded curriculum. We can fix all those things, we’re going to do that, we’re going to keep a high bar. But we have to give states the distance – great teachers great educators – room to move, can’t keep beating down on them from Washington. That’s what’s going to change.