Yesterday, I shared a piece written by a Washington Post columnist who was commenting on article the Post ran highlighting the test scores in Chicago under Secretary Duncan’s reign were not that great (See “Why Duncan’s record in Chicago is a problem”).

I finally had a moment today to actually read the Post article on the test scores, and saw this absolutely great quote from Secretary Duncan:

“Obviously, you always want to get better faster,” Duncan said in an interview when asked about the federal math scores. “I was focused on outcomes — improving graduation rates, making sure that students who graduated had a chance to pursue higher ed. You can have the best test scores in the world, but if kids aren’t going that next step, you’re not changing their lives.”

I agree with that priority completely. I just hope he keeps that in mind before he next talks about (and/or acts on) tying test score improvement to teacher pay and federal education aid.