Betsy DeVos, a long-time supporter of charter schools and voucher programs who most recently served as chairwoman of the American Federation for Children, a school choice advocacy group, has been confirmed as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education after some contentious proceedings. Every Senate Democrat voted against her, as did two Republicans. Vice-President Mike Pence cast a historic vote to break the 50-50 tie and get DeVos across the finish line.
Liberals are riled up about the confirmation. The reason for their agitation, explained here by NPR, reveals what DeVos’ appointment could mean for the U.S. education system:
DeVos’ department may take a leaf from Arne Duncan’s book and set up a competitive grant program that encourages states to expand school choice. If so, we’ll likely be hearing more about the benefits of private, virtual, religious and for-profit schools.
The school reforms DeVos backed in Michigan have favored for-profit charter school operators. And her husband previously held financial stakes in the for-profit and online K12 Inc., whose numbers she (erroneously) cited in defending virtual schools in her written answers to the Senate.
The organization she chaired, the American Federation for Children, favors both vouchers and a device called “tax credit scholarships,” which allows companies to offset tax liability by funding students to attend private schools. In Florida, which the AFC has called out as a model program, 70 percent of these scholarships go to religiously affiliated schools.
If the left is upset about DeVos’ confirmation, it’s a good sign. “The times, they are a’changin’.” Finally.
SOURCE: NPR
IN THIS ISSUE:
- HOMESCHOOLING: A Buffalo, New York mother says Child Protective Services took her children away from her and put them in foster care, claiming she’s not eligible to homeschool them.
- NEW JERSEY: The New Jersey Board of Education refuses to make it easier for charter schools to hire staff.
- REPUBLICANS: While Democrats were protesting DeVos, congressional Republicans have been busy introducing several school choice bills, reports the74million.org.
- CATHOLIC SCHOOLS: Tax-credit scholarships are key to the survival of Catholic schools, writes Education Dive.
Common Core and Curriculum Watch
- CODING: Florida lawmakers are trying, again, to make coding count as a foreign language.
- NYC GRADS: High graduation rates are no indication New York City schools are preparing kids for college, a New York Post analysis shows.
- YOGA: One St. Louis school hopes to teach kids discipline through yoga.
- DeVOS: See how your senator voted on Betsy DeVos’ confirmation.
- UNION DUES: A group of California teachers is suing over mandatory union dues.
- TEST SCORES: Massachusetts wants to limit the influence students’ test scores have on teacher evaluations.
- SMALL TOWN: A small Minnesota school district keeps having its requests for building funds denied by voters in big cities.
- MORE MONEY: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) pushes to add $649 million to the state education budget over the next two years.
Thank you for reading! If you need a quicker fix of news about school choice, you can find daily updates online at https://heartland.org/topics/education.
Teresa Mull is a policy advisor for education and an editor at The Heartland Institute.
