U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has announced the appointment of David J. Johns as executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans.
In this role, Johns will identify best practices to improve African American student achievement.
Prior to this appointment, Johns was a senior education policy advisor to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) under the leadership of Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. Before that, he served under the leadership of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass.
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Johns earned a bachelor?s degree in English, creative writing and African American studies from Columbia University. His master’s degree is in sociology and education policy, also from Columbia University.
