Education isn’t just a career for John B. King Jr.; it’s basically the reason he’s alive. You’ve probably seen his name in the news lately as the Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), or maybe you remember him from the Obama Cabinet. But the guy’s story goes way deeper than just a fancy resume. Honestly, if you want to understand why he pushes so hard for things like "equity" and "access," you have to look at a kid from Brooklyn who lost everything.
Both of his parents were New York City educators. By the time he was 12, they were both gone. His mom died when he was eight; his dad, who was the first Black deputy superintendent in NYC, died from Alzheimer's just four years later.
A Life Saved by a Classroom
School was his sanctuary. It wasn't just a place to learn math or history; it was the only place that felt safe and predictable when his home life was falling apart. He often talks about teachers like Mr. Osterweil at P.S. 276 who didn't just see a grieving orphan—they saw a kid with a future.
That’s the spark. That’s why John B. King Jr. became a social studies teacher in San Juan and Boston before ever touching a policy paper. He wasn't some Ivory Tower academic who decided to dabble in schools. He was on the ground, co-founding Roxbury Prep and trying to prove that kids from tough backgrounds could out-perform the wealthiest zip codes in the state.
The Turbulence of the New York Years
If you were in New York around 2011, you know King’s name. He became the state’s first African American and first Puerto Rican Education Commissioner. It was... intense.
He didn't exactly ease into the job. He went full-throttle on the Common Core standards and teacher evaluations tied to test scores. It made a lot of people very angry. There were "opt-out" movements, shouting matches at town halls, and calls for his resignation from unions.
But here's the thing about King: he doesn't really flinch. He truly believed that if you don't have high standards and data to track progress, the kids who need the most help are the ones who get ignored. Whether you agree with his methods or not, the guy has the skin of a rhino when it comes to his convictions.
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From D.C. to the SUNY System
Obama noticed. In 2016, he tapped King to be the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education. He spent his time in the Cabinet working on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and pushing for "My Brother's Keeper," an initiative focused on helping boys of color succeed.
Fast forward to right now, January 2026. He’s leading SUNY, the biggest comprehensive public university system in the country. He’s been there since early 2023, and he isn't just sitting in an office in Albany.
- Massive Funding: He helped secure the largest operating aid increase for SUNY in fifty years.
- The ASAP|ACE Expansion: This is a big deal. It’s a program designed to help students actually finish their degrees—providing transit passes, textbook money, and intensive advising. He’s scaling it to reach 10,000 students.
- Universal Child Care: Just this month, King has been a vocal supporter of Governor Hochul’s push for universal child care, calling it "essential infrastructure" for student parents.
- AI and the Future: He just launched a partnership with NYU to create a "Higher Education Design Lab" to study how AI is changing the workforce and how colleges need to adapt.
What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of people think he’s just a "testing" guy because of the Common Core drama years ago. But if you listen to him talk now, he’s obsessed with the "whole student." He’s putting $10 million recurring annual funding into mental health services and disability support. He knows that if a student is hungry or depressed, a high-quality curriculum doesn't mean much.
His 2025 book, Teacher by Teacher: The People Who Change Our Lives, kind of brings it all full circle. It’s a tribute to the mentors who kept him from falling through the cracks. It’s a reminder that even at the highest levels of government and academia, it still comes down to one adult caring about one kid.
Why He Still Matters in 2026
We are in a weird moment for education. There’s a lot of debate about DEI, the value of a degree, and how AI is going to break everything. King is right in the middle of it.
He’s pushing for every SUNY student to have an internship or "experiential learning" before they graduate. Basically, he wants to bridge the gap between "I have a degree" and "I can actually do a job."
John B. King Jr. isn't just a bureaucrat. He’s a survivor who thinks every kid deserves the same safety net he had. He’s polarizing for some, sure. But his track record of moving huge systems—from the NY State Department of Ed to the U.S. Cabinet to SUNY—is pretty much unmatched in the field today.
Actionable Takeaways for Educators and Leaders
If you’re looking at King’s playbook for your own school or organization, here is how he actually gets things done:
- Prioritize "Student Success" Models: Don't just enroll people; look at the ASAP|ACE model. It shows that small, consistent supports (like bus fare or regular check-ins) are often what keep a student from dropping out.
- Evidence-Based Decisions: King is big on data. Use it to find where the gaps are—who isn't graduating? Why? Don't guess.
- Cross-Sector Partnerships: Look at the SUNY-NYU lab. In a fast-moving world, even the biggest systems can't work in a vacuum. Partner up to share research on things like AI and career readiness.
- Support Student Parents: With the push for universal child care in NY, it's a reminder that your workforce or student body has lives outside your building. Providing or advocating for child care is an economic move as much as a social one.
He's not done yet. As SUNY continues to evolve under his "four pillars"—student success, research, DEI, and economic mobility—you can expect King to stay at the center of the national conversation on what a "public" education should actually look like.
Next Steps:
- Check out the SUNY ASAP|ACE program details if you're an administrator looking for proven retention strategies.
- Read King’s 2025 memoir, Teacher by Teacher, to see his specific philosophy on trauma-informed pedagogy.
- Review the SUNY Transfer Task Force Report (released late 2024) to see how the system is trying to make moving between community colleges and four-year schools easier.