
Education policy likely to undergo significant change under a Biden presidency
President-elect Joe Biden's victory over President Donald Trump is expected to lead to significant changes in the nation's education policy.
The Washington Post reports that Biden has promised hundreds of billions of dollars in new education spending, has proposed college debt forgiveness, and wants to overturn a regulation on sexual harassment and assault that universities and others strongly opposed.
He also has promised to appoint an educator as education secretary
Biden has said he wants a diverse Cabinet, and many of those being touted or considered for education secretary are people of color. People familiar with the planning say those under consideration include two teachers-union leaders: Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Lily Eskelsen García, former president of the National Education Association.
More possibilities include school district administrators such as Sonja Brookins Santelises of Baltimore City Public Schools, Janice K. Jackson of Chicago Public Schools, William Hite of the School District of Philadelphia, and Denise Juneau, superintendent of Seattle Public Schools.
Other potential candidates that have been mentioned: Tony Thurmond, the California state superintendent of public instruction; U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), a former national teacher of the year; and Betty A. Rosa, interim commissioner of education in New York state.
Biden has promised to triple spending for the $15 billion Title I program, which targets high-poverty schools. He has promised new money for school infrastructure. And he has said he would dramatically increase federal spending for special education.
The president-elect also has endorsed spending at least $88 billion to stabilize state education funding and help pay for protective equipment, ventilation systems, reduced class sizes and other expenses associated with operating school during the pandemic.
The new administration is likely to undo many of the things that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has done and reinstate some of the Obama administration policies that DeVos discarded.
DeVos rescinded Education Department guidance meant to reduce racial disparities in school discipline. The Trump administration also spiked Obama-era guidance that offered protections for transgender students, including the right to use bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity. And it killed guidance on the use of affirmative action in college admissions.
Another likely target: a Title IX regulation giving students accused of sexual assault more due-process rights in investigations. This would require formal regulations or legislative action.
The Biden administration also will need to decide how it will handle student debt forgiveness and collections for millions of borrowers.
Some observers expect the incoming administration to be even tougher on for-profit colleges than Obama was. Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris was instrumental in bringing down Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit giant, when she was California attorney general.

Gwinnett County (Ga.) board picks finalist for superintendent
The Gwinnett County (Ga.) school board has chosen an administrator from Washington state as the sole finalist for the district superintendent’s job.
The district says in a news release that Calvin Watts is the board’s choice to lead the 178,000-student school system, the largest in Georgia. Watts is returning to Gwinnett County after serving six years as superintendent of the 26,500-student Kent (Wash.) School District.
Watts will replace Alvin Wilbanks, who is retiring after serving as superintendent for 25 years. The board voted in March to terminate Wilbanks’ contract as of July 31.
“Our goal was to select the superintendent who would be able to lead Gwinnett County Public Schools during this critical time, building on our legacy of success and working with our outstanding staff to serve our students in our quest to become a system of world-class schools,” says Board Chairman Everton Blair Jr. “We feel we’ve done that with this outstanding finalist.”
Before taking the position in Kent, Watts worked for 13 years in the Gwinnett district in varied leadership roles with increasing levels of responsibility.
The board’s selection of a finalist follows a nationwide search conducted by the Georgia Schools Boards Association that yielded 27 qualified applicants.
Under Georgia law, the board must wait a minimum of 14 days between announcing a finalist for superintendent and approving a contract.
The board is expected to vote to make Watts’ appointment official at a meeting on July 29.




