State leaders around the U.S. are increasingly pushing for schools to reopen this winter as teachers begin to gain access to the vaccine against the raging pandemic. Ohio's governor is offering to give vaccinations to teachers at the start of February, provided their school systems agree to resume at least some in-person instruction by March 1. And Arizona’s governor is warning schools that he expects students back in the classroom despite objections from top education officials and the highest COVID-19 diagnosis rate in the nation over the past week. Meanwhile, the coronavirus deaths in the U.S. hit another one-day high at more than 4,300.

In a farewell letter to Congress, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urged lawmakers to reject policies supported by President-elect Joe Biden, and to protect Trump administration policies that Biden has promised to eliminate. Monday's letter does not explicitly acknowledge President Donald Trump’s election defeat nor does it refer to Biden by name. Instead, it gives lawmakers “some encouragement and closing thoughts” as DeVos prepares to exit the Education Department. DeVos’ letter offers an unemotional farewell to a Congress that had a chilly relationship with her from the start. Her 2017 Senate confirmation required a tiebreaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence.

The British government is facing mounting pressure to keep all schools in England closed for at least two more weeks as a result of surging coronavirus cases. One leading teachers' union said Saturday that teachers had the right to stay away from the classroom if their work environment was not safe. Britain on Saturday reported another daily record in the number of new infections — over 57,700 in one day. It was the fifth day in a row that new infections were over 50,000 cases. The U.K. is in the midst of a sharp spike in new coronavirus cases as a result of a new, more infectious virus variant. It plans to ramp up vaccinations on Monday using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Miguel Cardona, Connecticut’s education chief to serve as education secretary. Biden says reopening schools is his “national priority” and said Cardona, a life-long champion of public schools, a “brilliant” educator who could deftly lead the department through the challenges of educating students during the pandemic. The selection delivers on Biden’s promise to nominate someone with experience working in public education and would fulfill his goal of installing an education chief who stands in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump's Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The decision has drawn praise from public school advocates and the nation’s major teachers unions.

President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Miguel Cardona, Connecticut’s education chief and a lifelong champion of public schools, to serve as education secretary. The selection delivers on Biden’s promise to nominate someone with experience working in public education and would fulfill his goal of installing an education chief who stands in sharp contrast to Secretary Betsy DeVos. In the announcement of his nomination, Biden said that Cardona would offer America “an experienced and dedicated public school teacher leading the way at the Department of Education.” Biden’s decision drew praise from public school advocates and the nation’s major teachers unions.

Teachers in the nation’s capital and the D.C. public school system have reached an agreement on COVID-19 safety protocols, ending a monthslong standoff and paving the way for school buildings to reopen early next year for in-person instruction. The Washington Teachers Union had fiercely opposed previous DCPS reopening proposals on safety grounds, causing the administration to repeatedly delay and scale back their plans. The school system is now aiming for a large-scale return to classrooms in early February when the third term begins.