He desperately needs skilled guidance and sage advice. Unfortunately Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is neither skilled nor sage when it comes to education. 

A political creature of the Chicago Democratic machine, his apologists bristle at the notion that he is without relevant background. They point to his mother, owner of a private tutoring service in Chicago, as proof that Secretary Duncan has “the right stuff.” My own mom was a legal secretary in Mount Vernon, N.Y. for 25 years. I don’t expect a call from the president telling me that I’ve been nominated to the Supreme Court.