Spellings to Face Senate Panel This Week

Other Vacancies Could Slow 2nd-term Agenda

As the Bush administration prepares the education agenda for its second term, personnel changes at Department of Education could play a decisive role in how effectively those plans are carried out.

The latest clues about the scope of the administration’s goals for K-12 education will come this week, when Margaret Spellings, President Bush’s nominee to become the next secretary of education, has a confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

Although Ms. Spellings will face questions from both Democrats and Republicans, she is expected to sail through the Jan. 6 hearing. Democrats on the education committee, including Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the ranking minority member, have praised her, and there have been no...