Secretary of Education Arne Duncan had an editorial in the Wall Street Journal yesterday that lays to rest any concern that he’s going to get wimpy about his commitment to higher standards (national ones?) or to linking student achievement to teacher quality:

When parents recognize which schools are failing to educate their children, they will demand more effective options for their kids. They won’t care whether they are charters, non-charters or some other model. As President Barack Obama has called for, states should eliminate restrictions that limit the growth of excellent charter schools, move forward in improving or restructuring chronically failing schools, and hold all schools accountable for results.

One of the most controversial elements of the sort of school reform is merit pay for teachers. Says Duncan,

When community leaders understand that teacher and principal quality varies dramatically as the best educators gravitate toward higher performing schools, they will push for incentives that bring our most talented educators to schools in need. That requires being open-minded to policies like differential pay.

Hey – maybe he’s serious. Got hope?