Blog

Your Education Road Map

Politics K-12®

ESSA. Congress. State chiefs. School spending. Elections. Education Week reporters keep watch on education policy and politics in the nation’s capital and in the states. Read more from this blog.

Federal

Who’s Going to Be Education Secretary?

By David J. Hoff — October 22, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

At the end of last night’s debate at Teachers College between presidential education advisers, moderator Susan Fuhrman asked the question everyone loves to talk about: Do you want to be the next U.S. secretary of education? (To watch the whole debate, register here. UPDATE: Watch the exchange in the YouTube video embedded below.)

Both Lisa Graham Keegan of the McCain campaign and Linda Darling-Hammond of the Obama camp ducked the question. But that won’t stop everyone’s tongues from wagging or bloggers’ fingers from flying across their keyboard. Somebody’s going to parse the answers and say that both wanted to say: “I hope it’s me.”

To which, I’d like to add: Stop.

Self-appointed pundits and journalists look through a list of smart, committed, and connected people. Then they make arguments about whose got the inside track. (See examples here and here.) Others raise potential candidates based on one small news events. American Spectator seems to think DC schools’ chancellor Michelle Rhee would be a great education secretary based on the mentions of her at the end of last week’s presidential debate. Rhee isn’t so sure, she told Fast Company.

But none of this considers what the president-elect will need to take into account in selecting his education secretary. The choice won’t be made until after other Cabinet selections have been announced. At that point, the makeup of the Cabinet becomes a balancing act. If there are several governors on board, it makes it tougher for a candidate like Jim Hunt or Mike Huckabee. Too many pals from back home? Obama’s hoops partner Arne Duncan or Keegan might be left out. No African-American women? The transition team might be looking for one. Until we know who the president-elect is and who he has chosen for the four most important Cabinet posts (State, Treasury, Justice, and Defense), we won’t know the type of person he wants to be education secretary.

So, everyone, take a deep breath, and wait a month or so. When the transition team is narrowing in on picking an education secretary, the Campaign K12 team will be reporting the news as it happens. Until then, we’ll be focusing on who wins the presidential election and other races that are relevant to the future of education.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Equity & Diversity Webinar
Classroom Strategies for Building Equity and Student Confidence
Shape equity, confidence, and success for your middle school students. Join the discussion and Q&A for proven strategies.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Disrupting PD Day in Schools with Continuous Professional Learning Experiences
Hear how this NC School District achieved district-wide change by shifting from traditional PD days to year-long professional learning cycles
Content provided by BetterLesson
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal The Push for a $60K Base Teacher Salary Gains Steam as Bernie Sanders Signs On
Sanders' legislation complements a proposal in the House and comes as state lawmakers from both parties prioritize legislation to boost teacher pay.
6 min read
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., outlines his priorities during an interview in his Capitol Hill office, Feb. 7, 2023.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., outlines his priorities during an interview in his Capitol Hill office, Feb. 7, 2023.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal Q&A Ending 'Government-Run Monopoly' on Schools Is Top Priority for Rep. Virginia Foxx
The Republican chair of the U.S. House's education committee plans to pass parents' rights and school choice bills.
5 min read
House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., greets then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at the conclusion of a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on "Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.' Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 6, 2018.
House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., greets then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at the conclusion of a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington in June 2018. Foxx spoke to Education Week about her priorities as she becomes chair of the committee for a second time.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Federal Opinion Is This the Key to Unlocking Breakthrough Education Research?
An innovative federal R&D program for education is getting underway. Rick Hess and Jal Mehta discuss their mixed feelings about it.
5 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Federal Educators' Mental Health Gets New Attention in Federal Bill
The legislation aims to support the mental health of school staff as they report high levels of depression and work-related stress.
5 min read
Photo of stressed teacher.
iStock / Getty Images Plus