The presidential election dust has finally begun to settle enough so that we can catch some glimpses of the changes that may be coming our way. While Barack Obama will in no way radically transform our country, his election is undeniably a magnificent giant step forward for all of us, on many levels. Without even taking into account the almost breathtaking significance of having a black man as President (something that many across the country thought we would never see in our lifetimes), there are early indicators of the positive differences the Obama administration will usher in post-inauguration, from closing Guantanamo Bay prison to finally paying some positive attention to public education.

Sticking true to the grassroots nature of his campaign, Obama and his transition team have created a web-based vehicle for informing him about our priorities and concerns. Now is the time to let the President-Elect know what we want. In the realm of education, filling out this simple form is one way to take advantage of this historic opportunity to transform federal education policy, an opportunity arising from the fact that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is moribund, stuck in a failed reauthorization effort, and that we have an incoming president who, at least on paper, favors strong, multi-dimensional educational approaches as opposed to the cookie-cutter templates of NCLB.

The co-occurrence of these two events is an unforeseen stroke of luck for public education supporters; the potential for change that this moment in time represents cannot be overstated. We have an opening in which we can forcefully express how destructive NCLB has been. More importantly, we can speak loudly and clearly about what a new policy should include to ensure that all children are receiving a quality education—and we can have some measure of confidence that someone in a decision making position will actually be listening.

But our voices alone will be insufficient. Whoever Obama chooses as his Secretary of Education will be a huge factor in the education policy that his administration tries to implement. As we’ve seen from the Bush presidency, the Secretary of Education has tremendous power over our schools. The decisions and policies championed by the person in this position affect what and how our children learn every single day. The connection, then, between our personal lives and what happens in this highest of inner circles is quite direct.

A number of names have been thrown out. The most exciting person to be put forward is Linda Darling-Hammond, a professor of education at Stanford who is also chairing Obama’s transition education task force. Darling-Hammond is one of our nation’s most significant education researchers, whose theory has been directly applied, who involves herself in thinking about the actual implementation of educational programs and the real experiences of students and families, and for whom the quality of education for all students is of paramount importance. Someone with this kind of vision of both equity and rigor is just the person required for developing a new federal approach to education. An online petition is currently circulating, encouraging Obama to pick Darling-Hammond for this top post.

By contrast, a worrisome possible candidate is Northern California’s own Representative George Miller. Miller has let it be known that the position of Secretary of Education is one of several he would be interested in. Whatever Miller’s positions may be in other areas, he is a disaster in education, as evidence by his role as one of the primary sponsors and supporters of NCLB. He is currently digging in his heels, pushing for modifications to NCLB, such as more funding to fully implement it—truly a recipe for more disaster.

Miller obviously has no understanding of what goes on in schools, of the challenges they face, and of how meaningful, solid educational opportunities can and should be provided to children. His appointment as Secretary of Education would mean four more years of fighting the same old fight as opposed to working collaboratively and creatively to build stronger schools. Our strategy with him must be two-fold—first, communicating to Miller himself how clearly NCLB has failed and second, letting Obama know that Miller is not an acceptable choice for Secretary of Education.

On a local note, the final winners of San Francisco’s four open Board of Education seats have finally been determined. In a change from earlier tabulations, incumbent Jill Wynns overtook newcomer Bobbi Lopez. Returning to the BOE then will be Norman Yee and Jill Wynns, and joining them for the first time will be Sandy Fewer and Rachel Norton. The job will be as challenging as ever, perhaps more so with the state’s current economic crisis, but the possibilities the Obama administration presents provide much hope for positive change as well.

Lisa Schiff is the parent of two children who attend McKinley Elementary School in the San Francisco Unified School District and is a member of Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco and the PTA and is a board member at the national level of Parents for Public Schools.