Senate Confirms Spellings as 8th Secretary of Education

Just hours after President Bush was sworn in last week for his second term, the Senate confirmed White House adviser Margaret Spellings by voice vote as the eighth U.S. secretary of education.

Republicans and Democrats alike took to the Senate floor on Jan. 20 to praise Ms. Spellings, who had served as the president’s chief domestic-policy adviser and helped craft his far-reaching No Child Left Behind Act. Senators cited Ms. Spellings’ accessibility, knowledge, and willingness to listen, but they also used the opportunity to advance their own education agendas for the coming term and to address a myriad of current policy issues.

“I believe Margaret Spellings can help President Bush complete eight years as a genuine education president,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who served as education secretary under President George H.W. Bush. “She knows the president, she knows the subject, she knows the politics, she knows the Congress, she knows the White House. She...