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As President Obama's first term nears an end, two Education Department officials -- Russlynn Ali, head of the department's Office of Civil Rights, and Justin Hamilton, the department's chief spokesman -- are leaving the federal government. Ali, the assistant secretary for civil rights, headed an office widely perceived as more aggressive than its predecessors on issues like such as Title IX and sexual harassment. Seth Galanter, the office's deputy assistant secretary for policy, will take her place as acting assistant secretary. Hamilton plans to work on education reform outside the federal government; Daren Briscoe, a former deputy press secretary, is acting press secretary.
The departures are among several from education policy positions as Obama's first term draws to a close. Zakiya Smith, a key White House adviser on higher education policy, left in November for the Center for American Progress.
