We Do Have Some Allies at the U.S. Department of Education

We’ve been pretty harsh about some of the appointments and hires at the U.S. Department of Education. I thought I would highlight some good news.

We need some good news, right?

The U.S. Department of Education announced yesterday that Kent Talbert joined the department as Senior Policy Advisor.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today announced the appointment of Kent D. Talbert as Senior Policy Advisor to the Deputy Secretary. Mr. Talbert has been delegated the duties of the Deputy Secretary pending the confirmation of General Mick Zais by the U.S. Senate.

“We are thrilled to have Kent join our team,” said Secretary DeVos. “He has dedicated the better part of his professional career to serving our nation’s students, and his expertise will be a tremendous asset as we work to improve opportunities for all students throughout their lifelong learning journey.”

Mr. Talbert most recently practiced law in Washington, DC, where he counseled educational institutions, accreditation agencies, charter school organizations and professional and trade associations. From 2006-09, he served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Education, and from 2001-06 as Deputy General Counsel for Departmental and Legislative Service. Earlier in his career, Mr. Talbert served for over 12 years on Congressional staff as Education Policy Counsel for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and as a professional staff member of the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources (now HELP).

Talbert, you may remember, was the co-author of the Pioneer Institute/American Principles Project/Pacific Research Institute/The Federalist Society white paper, The Road to a National Curriculum along with Robert Eitel and Bill Evers.

Also, I did not realize, but Robert Eitel was hired back in April a senior counsel to the Secretary. He is also the co-chair for the regulatory task force and regulatory reform officer for the department that is looking at rolling back the regulatory burden on the states.

There aren’t enough of them, but we do have some allies at the department.