United States Secretary of Education - wikipedia United States Secretary of Education `` Secretary of education '' redirects here. For other uses, see Secretary of Education. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( November 2016 ) Secretary of Education of the United States Seal of the Department of Education Flag of the Secretary of Education Incumbent Betsy DeVos since February 7, 2017 United States Department of Education Style Madam Secretary Reports to The President Seat Washington, D.C. Appointer The President with Senate advice and consent Constituting instrument 20 U.S.C. § 3411 Formation November 30, 1979 ; 38 years ago ( 1979 - 11 - 30 ) First holder Shirley Hufstedler Succession Sixteenth Deputy Deputy Secretary of Education Salary Executive Schedule, level 1 Website www2.ed.gov Education in the United States By state and in insular areas By subject area History of Issues : Finance -- Law -- Literacy -- Reform Levels : Primary -- Secondary -- Higher Organizations Education portal United States portal The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the U.S. Department of Education. The Secretary advises the President on federal policies, programs, and activities related to education in the United States. As a member of the President 's Executive Cabinet, this Secretary is fifteenth in the line of succession to the presidency. The current Education Secretary is Betsy DeVos, who was nominated by President Donald Trump and approved by the Senate on February 7, 2017. Contents 1 Function 2 List of Secretaries 2.1 List of Secretaries of Health, Education, and Welfare 2.2 List of Secretaries of Education 3 Living former Secretaries 4 References 5 External links 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 U.S. 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. Parties Democratic Republican Status Denotes an Acting Secretary of Education List of Secretaries of Health, Education, and Welfare No. Portrait Name State of residence Took office Left office President Oveta Culp Hobby Texas April 11, 1953 July 31, 1955 Dwight D. Eisenhower Marion B. Folsom New York August 2, 1955 July 31, 1958 Arthur S. Flemming Ohio August 1, 1958 January 19, 1961 Abraham A. Ribicoff Connecticut January 21, 1961 July 13, 1962 John F. Kennedy 5 Anthony J. Celebrezze Ohio July 31, 1962 August 17, 1965 Lyndon B. Johnson 6 John W. Gardner California August 18, 1965 March 1, 1968 7 Wilbur J. Cohen Michigan May 16, 1968 January 20, 1969 8 Robert H. Finch California January 21, 1969 June 23, 1970 Richard Nixon 9 Elliot L. Richardson Massachusetts June 24, 1970 January 29, 1973 10 Caspar W. Weinberger California February 12, 1973 August 8, 1975 Gerald Ford 11 F. David Mathews Alabama August 8, 1975 January 20, 1977 12 Joseph A. Califano Jr. District of Columbia January 25, 1977 August 3, 1979 Jimmy Carter 13 Patricia Roberts Harris District of Columbia August 3, 1979 May 4, 1980 List of Secretaries of Education No. Portrait name State of Residence Took Office Left Office President Shirley Hufstedler California November 30, 1979 January 20, 1981 Jimmy Carter Terrel Bell Utah January 22, 1981 January 20, 1985 Ronald Reagan William Bennett New York February 6, 1985 September 20, 1988 Lauro Cavazos Texas September 20, 1988 December 12, 1990 George H.W. Bush -- Ted Sanders Acting Illinois December 12, 1990 March 22, 1991 5 Lamar Alexander Tennessee March 22, 1991 January 20, 1993 6 Richard Riley South Carolina January 21, 1993 January 20, 2001 Bill Clinton 7 Rod Paige Texas January 20, 2001 January 20, 2005 George W. Bush 8 Margaret Spellings Texas January 20, 2005 January 20, 2009 9 Arne Duncan Illinois January 21, 2009 January 1, 2016 Barack Obama 10 John King Jr. New York January 1, 2016 March 14, 2016 March 14, 2016 January 20, 2017 -- Phil Rosenfelt Acting Virginia January 20, 2017 February 7, 2017 Donald Trump 11 Betsy DeVos Michigan February 7, 2017 Incumbent Living former Secretaries See also : List of living former members of the United States Cabinet As of December 2017, there are eight living former Secretaries of Education, the oldest being Lauro Cavazos ( served 1988 -- 1990, born 1927 ). The most recent Secretary of Education to die was Shirley Hufstedler ( served 1979 -- 1981, born 1925 ) on March 30, 2016. The most recently serving Secretary to die was Terrel Bell ( served 1981 -- 1985, born 1921 ) on June 22, 1996. Name Term Date of birth ( and age ) William Bennett 1985 -- 1988 ( 1943 - 07 - 31 ) July 31, 1943 ( age 74 ) Lauro Cavazos 1988 -- 1990 ( 1927 - 01 - 04 ) January 4, 1927 ( age 90 ) Lamar Alexander 1990 - 1993 ( 1940 - 07 - 06 ) July 6, 1940 ( age 77 ) Richard Riley 1993 -- 2001 ( 1933 - 01 - 02 ) January 2, 1933 ( age 84 ) Rod Paige 2001 -- 2005 ( 1933 - 06 - 17 ) June 17, 1933 ( age 84 ) Margaret Spellings 2005 -- 2009 ( 1957 - 11 - 30 ) November 30, 1957 ( age 60 ) Arne Duncan 2009 -- 2015 ( 1964 - 11 - 06 ) November 6, 1964 ( age 53 ) John King Jr. 2016 -- 2017 1975 ( age 41 -- 42 ) References Jump up ^ https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/3/19 Jump up ^ Wilson, Reid ( October 20, 2013 ). `` The Presidential order of succession ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 December 2016. Jump up ^ `` US Department of Education Principal Office Functional Statements ''. United States Department of Education. Retrieved 28 December 2016. Jump up ^ NACIQI Staff ( November 23, 2016 ). `` Welcome ''. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Department of Education, National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity ( NACIQI ). Retrieved November 23, 2016. Jump up ^ Harris was Secretary on May 4, 1980, when the office changed names from Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to Secretary of Health and Human Services. Because the department merely changed names, she did not need to be confirmed again, and her term continued uninterrupted. ^ Jump up to : Eilperin, Juliet ; Layton, Lyndsey & Brown, Emma ( October 2, 2015 ). `` U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan to step down at end of year ''. Washington Post. Retrieved 23 November 2016. CS1 maint : Uses authors parameter ( link ) External links Government of the United States portal Education portal Official website Current U.S. order of precedence ( ceremonial ) Preceded by Rick Perry as Secretary of Energy Order of Precedence of the United States as Secretary of Education Succeeded by David Shulkin as Secretary of Veterans Affairs Current U.S. presidential line of succession Preceded by Secretary of Energy Rick Perry 15th in line Succeeded by Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin United States Secretaries of Education Hufstedler Bell Bennett Cavazos Alexander Riley Paige Spellings Duncan King DeVos Agencies under the United States Department of Education Headquarters : 400 Maryland Avenue SW ( Education Department Building ) Betsy Devos, Secretary of Education Vacant, Acting Deputy Secretary of Education Secretary of Education Office for Civil Rights Institute of Education Sciences Deputy Secretary of Education Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools Office of Innovation and Improvement Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Office of English Language Acquisition Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Under Secretary of Education Office of Federal Student Aid Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education Office of Postsecondary Education White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities Programs National Center for Education Statistics National Library of Education National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research Office of Migrant Education Education Resources Information Center National Assessment of Educational Progress Independent organizations Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance National Institute for Literacy National Assessment Governing Board National Board for Education Sciences White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics Leaders of the United States federal executive departments Current Agriculture Commerce Defense Education Energy Health and Human Services Homeland Security Housing and Urban Development Interior Justice Labor State Transportation Treasury Veterans Affairs Past Commerce and Labor Health, Education, and Welfare Navy Post Office War Presidential line of succession in the United States of America Vice President ( Mike Pence ) Speaker of the House of Representatives ( Paul Ryan ) President pro tempore of the Senate ( Orrin Hatch ) Secretary of State ( Rex Tillerson ) Secretary of the Treasury ( Steven Mnuchin ) Secretary of Defense ( Jim Mattis ) Attorney General ( Jeff Sessions ) Secretary of the Interior ( Ryan Zinke ) Secretary of Agriculture ( Sonny Perdue ) Secretary of Commerce ( Wilbur Ross ) Secretary of Labor ( Alex Acosta ) Secretary of Health and Human Services ( Eric Hargan ) Secretary of Housing and Urban Development ( Ben Carson ) Secretary of Transportation ( Elaine Chao ) Secretary of Energy ( Rick Perry ) Secretary of Education ( Betsy DeVos ) Secretary of Veterans Affairs ( David Shulkin ) Secretary of Homeland Security ( Kirstjen Nielsen ) Jump up ^ Although Elaine Chao is the current Secretary of Transportation, she is not a natural - born citizen ( acquired U.S. citizenship by naturalization ) and thus ineligible for the Presidency. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Secretary_of_Education&oldid=814041259 '' Categories : 1979 establishments in the United States Lists of members of the Cabinet of the United States United States Department of Education Cabinet of the United States United States Secretaries of Education Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Uses authors parameter Articles needing additional references from November 2016 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia فارسی Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Русский Simple English Svenska Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 6 December 2017, at 15 : 51. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: who is the head of the us department of education
Answer: Betsy DeVos