One position race with no clear frontrunner is that of secretary of education.
"The educational community needs a secretary of education who is able to work well with all constituents, from the K-12 levels to the higher-education levels as well," said Tod Massa, the director of policy research and data warehousing for the Virginia State Council of Higher Education.
The president-elect's transition team is responsible for filling all Cabinet roles and has released several names of people in contention for the position. The list includes several advisers to the Obama campaign, including Andrew J. Rotherham, a member of the Virginia Board of Education and Linda Darling-Hammond, an education professor at Stanford University.
Several governors are also viable options, including Virginia's own Tim Kaine.
Kaine's contention for the position isn't the only thing tying the secretary of education to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
"The secretary of education's staff helps establish the research policies for state colleges, like here at Virginia Tech," said university spokesman Larry Hincker.
However, that's where the majority of the ties end.
"The state's work with the secretary is very indirect," Massa said. "We work with the secretary's staff on several issues such as federal grants, but are not often involved directly with the Cabinet."
This year's presidential election isn't the only change Virginia saw. Typically a Republican-run state, Virginia is now controlled by Democratic senators, a Democratic governor, and a Democratic president. The party-switch doesn't seem to phase Virginia higher education, though.
"Such political change has very little short-term impact; we'll continue to see the main issues such as the access to, quality, and affordability of higher education at the forefront," Massa said.
Despite the large list of possible candidates, polls taken by Mike Petrilli, the Fordham Institute's vice president for national programs and policy, suggest that Arne Duncan is the leading candidate for the job. "The Democrats for Education Reform have sent out a 'wish list' of people they'd like to see fill certain Cabinet positions," Petrilli said. "Duncan was listed as their number one option for secretary of education."
Duncan is the Chicago public-school system's chief executive. Given his close relationship with the president-elect and promise to bring change to the school system, educational insiders believe he may be a shoe-in for the position.
There are some major issues that the new secretary of education will have to face during his or her tenure. The No Child Left Behind Act is up for reimbursement from Congress, and will undergo serious scrutiny in the process.
Obama has stated he thinks the theory behind NCLB is positive, so the new secretary will undoubtedly be brought to the forefront on this issue.
Another issue is the effectiveness of American education.
"Foreign countries have been producing higher test scores and we're falling farther and farther behind," said Liz Willen, the associate director of the Hechinger Institute. "We need to improve access to early education programs and work on the affordability of college. Which is going to be a truly difficult task regarding the countries current economical state."
The economy was a loaded topic for debate in the presidential campaigns, with some focus placed on education. Obama promised to increase government spending on education by $18 million.
"The financial crisis may prevent the Obama administration from accomplishing everything they want to," Willen said. "So it may not be a matter of who Obama chooses, so much as what they might be able to accomplish."
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