US Secretary of Education makes pitch for more teachers

United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan got an earful from Los Angeles high school students Friday at an assembly where he pitched the idea of pursuing a career in teaching.

Secretary Duncan recruited some high profile friends to make the pitch. Former prizefighter Oscar De La Hoya said his Garfield High School government teacher gave him the confidence to succeed.

"For the years I have left, till I die, Mr. Benson will always be in my heart because he was that person who changed my life," De La Hoya said.

Teachers, said singer John Legend, taught him that diligence and discipline are key.

"We can’t let the adults off the hook, the adults have to prepare you in the best way. But your job as a student is to take advantage of every opportunity that’s out there and make the most of it," he said.

The education secretary said the retirement of many teachers in coming years coupled with a baby boom will create a demand for 1 million new teachers nationwide. Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Miranda asked Duncan if he believes education is the only way out of poverty.

"Education is absolutely the only way out. And I think, as the mayor said, education is the civil rights issue of our generation, absolutely." Duncan said.

"So then why is education always the main target in budget cuts?" Miranda asked.

The cuts to schools, Duncan said, signal the country’s mixed-up priorities. His department has made millions of dollars available to schools, much of it under the condition that school districts engage in specific reforms to both classroom instruction and school administration.