UPDATE: Michelle Rhee, previously speculated to be in consideration for President-elect Donald Trump's position of education secretary, has opted to remove herself from the running, per her Twitter feed:

In light of the speculation about the Secretary of Education role, I wanted to clarify my position and what's best for America's students. pic.twitter.com/DXRZxdAZNX

— Michelle Rhee (@MichelleRhee) November 22, 2016

Dive Brief:

• Michelle Rhee is among those President-elect Donald Trump is considering as the next leader of the U.S. Department of Education, but other Democrats have called on their party to stay out of his White House.
• The Los Angeles Times reports Democrats for Education Reform released a statement warning Democrats against taking positions in Trump’s cabinet, where the group said they would have to champion an agenda that could harm vulnerable children, and Success Academy charter schools CEO Eva Moskowitz has already made clear she would not accept the position.
• Rhee, a former chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools, has been a controversial figure in the education reform community, and while she has not commented on a potential position in Trump’s cabinet, she did meet with the president-elect this weekend along with Republican Betsy DeVos, chairwoman of the American Federation for Children.

Dive Insight:

The next secretary of education will have considerable power over the lives of some of the nation’s most disadvantaged students, even if the Every Student Succeeds Act returns a considerable amount of control to state capitals. The secretary will set the tone for enforcement of civil rights law, and his or her staff will offer guidance to schools and districts about how to interpret federal law. It will also be Trump’s Education Department that considers newly created accountability systems for approval next summer.

On the campaign trail, then-candidate Trump mentioned eliminating the Department of Education all together, and while that would not mean federal education funding disappears, the number of strings attached to it could whither. Because Trump released so few concrete plans about education, however, commentary at this point is based on speculation. Still, educators are hopeful the K-12 system can improve under the next president.