The education department announced today that President Obama has nominated Education Trust vice president Russlynn Ali as the new assistant secretary for civil rights.

The EdTrust, of course, is very pro-accountability and championed NCLB as it was being written. And, Ali has done a lot of work on teacher quality and compensation issues. She’s also the executive director of the group’s West Coast arm, Education Trust-West.

Of course, we’re still waiting for the official word on who will be Duncan’s deputy secretary.