The book U.S. Secretaries of Education: A Short History of Their Lives & Impact by Catherine L. Sommervold is a new approach to examining education history. The first Secretary of Education took office in 1979 and, excluding interim Secretaries, there have been thirteen to date. This book contains a short biography of each Secretary of Education and discusses their activities. Also included is a table that allows for a side-by-side comparison of the Secretaries, their demographics and their budgets. U.S. Secretaries outlines the secretaries and details about their tenure in an attempt at an objectivity with the hope to encourage critical thinking and conversations about education and education policy.

Catherine L. Sommervold is a Professor and the Director of the Education Doctorate at Doane University. Dr. Sommervold has spent the last thirty years in education research creating programs, supervising dissertations, and studying biology and education.