U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today released the following statement on the resignation of Michelle Rhee as chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools.

"Michelle Rhee has been a pivotal leader in the school reform movement and we expect she will continue to be a force for change wherever she goes. I commend D.C. leadership for choosing Kaya Henderson, Michelle’s Deputy Chancellor, to run D.C. schools where she will continue implementing bold education reforms until a new Chancellor is appointed by the next mayor. I am especially pleased to see that Mayor Fenty and Council Chairman Vincent Gray have agreed to keep the current management team in place to avoid a mid-year disruption in the education of the students."