As Obama takes office, the economic crisis will undoubtedly land at the top of the Democrat’s agenda. But as those priorities push education out of the public eye, higher education is becoming increasingly unaffordable, federal financial aid is weakening in proportion to the cost of college and still-frozen credit markets are limiting loan options for students.

Margaret SpellingsBIO: Margaret Spellings, 50, was sworn in as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education in January 2005. The Michigan native has worked on education policy from several perspectives: local school boards, college campuses, on a statewide level and in the executive cabinet, though she was never a teacher nor a school administrator. Before serving as the head of the education department, Spellings was the assistant to the president for domestic policy.