U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has announced the appointment of David J. Johns as executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. Mr. Johns’ duties will focus on improving the academic performance of black students, promoting understanding and tolerance among all Americans, as well as reducing “racial isolation and resegregation of elementary and secondary schools.” According to the president’s executive order last summer, this new position is part of an initiative to help “strengthen the Nation by improving educational outcomes for African Americans of all ages, and to help ensure that all African Americans