John King Jr.

John B. King Jr., born January 5, 1975, is an American educator and public administrator who has held several high‑profile leadership positions in the United States education system. After serving as the 10th United States Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama from 2015 to 2017, he went on to become the 15th chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY) in January 2023. His career has spanned roles in K‑12 public schools, charter school management, state education policy, and higher education administration.

Early life and career

King was born in Flatlands, Brooklyn, to John B. King Sr., a retired public school administrator who had been the first Black principal in Brooklyn and later served as New York City’s executive deputy superintendent of schools, and Adalinda King, a school guidance counselor. He is of African‑American and Puerto Rican heritage. The loss of his mother when he was eight and his father’s subsequent death from Alzheimer’s disease at age twelve had a profound influence on his perspective about the importance of education as a stabilizing force.

He attended Phillips Andover but was expelled in his junior year for challenging institutional rules. After moving to Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where he lived with an uncle who had served as a Tuskegee Airman, King enrolled at Harvard University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in government in 1996, during which time he received the Truman Scholarship and the James Madison Memorial Fellowship for secondary‑level teaching of American history, government, and social studies. While at Harvard, he was president of the Phillips Brooks House Association.

King completed a master’s degree in Teaching of Social Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1997 and taught high school social studies before entering the charter school sector. In 1999 he co‑founded Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, serving as its co‑director for five years. Under his leadership the school achieved the highest state exam scores among urban middle schools in Massachusetts, closed the racial achievement gap, and outperformed students from both Boston district schools and affluent suburbs.

Afterward, King joined Uncommon Schools as a managing director. The organization operates high‑performing urban public schools across New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. In 2007 he earned a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, followed in 2008 by a Doctor of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. His dissertation focused on bridging the achievement gap through lessons learned from three charter schools.

King’s early career also included service on the board of New Leaders for New Schools (2005‑2009) and recognition as an Aspen Institute‑NewSchools Entrepreneurial Leader for Public Education Fellow in 2008.

Cabinet tenure

In October 2009, King became Senior Deputy Commissioner of the State of New York’s Department of Education. He was appointed Commissioner of Education and President of the University of the State of New York (USNY) in May 2011, succeeding David Steiner. As commissioner, he oversaw an organization that included more than 7,000 public and independent elementary and secondary schools, 270 colleges and universities, 7,000 libraries, and numerous cultural institutions. He was the first Black and Puerto Rican individual to hold this position.

During his tenure in New York, King worked with the Board of Regents to advance a comprehensive education reform agenda that positioned the state as a national leader in implementing Common Core standards. The educator engagement platform EngageNY received over 100 million page views from educators nationwide seeking resources on Common Core implementation. Through Race to the Top funding, network teams were established across all regions and large districts to provide training and embedded support for teachers implementing Common Core curricula. In 2013 New York became one of the first states to administer exams measuring student attainment of Common Core standards.

King’s experience in state education policy led to his appointment as Acting Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Education in 2015, a role he held until early 2016. President Barack Obama nominated him for the position of Secretary of Education on January 1, 2016. The Senate confirmed his nomination, and he served from 2015 through 2017. In this capacity he succeeded Arne Duncan, who had overseen the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. King was responsible for carrying out the provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act, the successor legislation to No Child Left Behind.

During his two terms as Secretary, King continued to work on national education policy initiatives and maintained oversight of federal programs designed to support student achievement and educational equity.

Legacy

King’s legacy spans multiple levels of the American education system. As a charter school founder and director, he demonstrated how innovative school models could achieve high academic outcomes in urban settings. His leadership at Uncommon Schools further expanded this impact across several states.

In New York, King’s tenure as Commissioner helped embed Common Core standards into the state curriculum and fostered widespread professional development for teachers through EngageNY and Race to the Top initiatives. The state's early adoption of Common Core assessment provided a model for other states seeking to align instructional practices with national standards.

At the federal level, his service as Secretary of Education placed him at the forefront of implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act, ensuring that federal resources were directed toward closing achievement gaps and supporting schools serving disadvantaged populations. His confirmation by the Senate in both 2015 and 2016 underscored bipartisan support for his leadership.

After leaving the Department of Education, King continued to influence public education as President & CEO of The Education Trust, a national civil‑rights nonprofit focused on identifying and closing opportunity and achievement gaps from preschool through college. In December 2022 he was appointed chancellor of SUNY, becoming the second Black individual to hold that position after Clifton R. Wharton Jr., and the first Puerto Rican chancellor. He assumed office in January 2023, bringing his extensive experience in K‑12 and higher education administration to one of the largest public university systems in the United States.

King’s career reflects a sustained commitment to educational equity, policy reform, and leadership development across all levels of schooling. His work has influenced national standards implementation, charter school expansion, and higher education governance, leaving an enduring imprint on the American educational landscape.