Former ed chiefs

Education circles are abuzz with speculation that Denver's own Michael Bennet may be the next education secretary. Bennet is not a career educator, but he has more experience running schools than most of the people who have been U.S. secretary of education.

The Denver school superintendent followed a circuitous career path that took him through law, business and municipal government. But his three years in the top Denver school job gives him more experience on the front lines of education than the current education secretary, Margaret Spellings. Spellings has a political science degree. She was an adviser to Bush when he was Texas governor.

Rod Paige

* Education secretary during George W. Bush's first term, had a background in public education.

Richard Riley

* President Bill Clinton's education chief, was governor of South Carolina.

Lamar Alexander

* Served under the first President Bush, headed the University of Tennessee, but his career was mostly in politics and was governor of Tennessee.

Lauro F. Cavazos

* Served under Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, came from a higher-education background.

William J. Bennett

* Reagan's second education chief, held a doctorate in philosophy and a Harvard law degree.

Terrel H. Bell

* Reagan's first education secretary, had a background in public education.

Shirley Hufstedler

* Judge on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals when President Jimmy Carter created the education post and named her first chief.