'We Must Do Better,' Duncan Says in Confirmation Hearing

Washington

There was little doubt last week that Arne Duncan was on track for swift confirmation as President Barack Obama's secretary of education.

What remains unclear, as Mr. Duncan prepares to take the helm of the Department of Education, is where he would take federal education policy over the next four years, with the already-overdue reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act looming in Congress.

Mr. Duncan told the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Jan. 13 that he supports merit-pay plans for teachers, wants to expand prekindergarten programs, and favors using early-intervention strategies to help combat the...