The superintendent of Durham's public schools will leave at the end of the calendar year to work for the U.S. Department of Education.

Carl E. Harris will serve as the federal agency's deputy assistant secretary for policy and strategic initiatives, Sadia Latifi reports.

Harris has been credited with improving student performance and calming turmoil within the system. Like Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Harris has ties to the Broad Foundation, a philanthropic organization for school reform that encourages charter programs, testing for accountability and a corporate model for school governance.