John B. King Jr., the former secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, is a visiting professor in the College of Education at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is teaching a course on education policy. He will remain as president and CEO of The Education Trust.
In accepting the appointment, Dr. King said, “Education has the power to be the great equalizer — a force that can overcome differences of race, and background, and poverty and privilege. But in too many places across the country students of color and those from low-income families do not have equitable access to opportunities that will allow them to reach their full academic potential.”
From 2011 to 2016, Dr. King was commissioner of education for the state of New York. He was the first African American to serve in that post.
A graduate of Harvard University and Yale Law School, Professor King holds a master’s degree and an educational doctorate from Teachers College at Columbia University.
