United States Secretary of Education


The United States secretary of education is the head of the United States Department of Education. The secretary advises the president of the United States, and the federal government, on federal policies, programs, and activities related to all education in the United States. As a member of the president's Cabinet, the secretary is fifteenth in the line of succession to the presidency.
The current, and 11th, secretary of education is Betsy DeVos, who was nominated by President Donald Trump and approved by the United States Senate on February 7, 2017.

Function

The United States secretary of education is a member of the president's Cabinet and is the fifteenth in the United States presidential line of succession. This secretary deals with federal influence over education policy, and heads the United States Department of Education.
The secretary is advised by the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, an advisory committee, on "matters related to accreditation and to the eligibility and certification process for institutions of higher education."

List of secretaries

Prior to the creation of the Department of Education in 1979, Education was part of the ambit of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
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List of secretaries of health, education, and welfare

List of secretaries of education

Living former secretaries

As of, there are eight living former secretaries of education, the oldest being Lauro Cavazos. The most recent secretary of Education to die was Shirley Hufstedler on March 30, 2016. The most recently serving secretary to die was Terrel Bell on June 22, 1996.
NameTermDate of birth
William Bennett1985–1988
Lauro Cavazos1988–1990
Lamar Alexander1990-1993
Richard Riley1993–2001
Rod Paige2001–2005
Margaret Spellings2005–2009
Arne Duncan2009–2015
John King Jr.2016–2017