WASHINGTON, Nov 17 (AFP) - President George W. Bush on Wednesday named Margaret Spellings as the new education secretary as he carries major changes to his cabinet after a wave of resignations.
Spellings, 46, replaces Rodney Paige who tendered his resignation after Bush's re-election triumph this month.
She was formerly a domestic policy advisor to the president at the White House and also an education advisor to Bush while he was governor of Texas in the 1990s.
Spellings will have to preside over sweeping reforms ordered by Bush in his No Child Left Behind legislation which aims to improve educational standards.
Opposition Democrats have accused the government of not putting enough funding into the reforms.
11/17/2004 16:23 GMT - AFP