TIME.com -- I spoke with the Hall of Famer turned school board member about his sympathy for parents who opt out of traditional public schools, why he never went to college and what qualifies him to help bring education reform to inner-city students.

The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided more than $100 billion in one-time funds for education—funds designated not just to patch holes in state and local budgets, but also to advance education reform. Based on data and interviews with organizations that worked with states and districts to help them make good use of ARRA funds, this paper identifies key themes and challenges in states' and districts' efforts to use ARRA to support reform, as well as implications for education policy and practice going forward.

TIME.com -- What kind of credentials do you need to run a school district? Especially a really big one? Is a degree in education a better predictor of a superintendent’s success than, say, a track record of turning around distressed companies? These are hot questions in the education world right now.

TIME.com -- A seasoned negotiator who in the past has succeeded in passing education laws, he could hold sway over policymaking in Washington. But in many ways, his views about education matter less than the question of what he can accomplish given the fractious caucus he will be leading.