DeVos And The Fight For Education
Earlier today, Vice President Pence casts the first tie-breaking vote in Senate confirmation history, and Betsy DeVos is confirmed as the new U.S. Secretary of Education.
The Chairman of the American Federation for Children, William E. Oberndorf, made a public statement celebrating DeVos' new position: “On behalf of the board and staff at the American Federation for Children, we congratulate Betsy on her confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Education. I have worked with Betsy for many years and I know she will challenge the status quo and fight hard every day for America’s students. This is a time of opportunity and transformation for our nation’s education system, a time to put politics aside to ensure every child – regardless of family income or ZIP code – has access to a great education and work together to improve educational outcomes across the board.”
Her nomination has been controversial from the start, and rightly so. DeVos' stance against public education is strikingly devastating. She shouldn't focus purely on private schooling but also on creating a better public system. Much of the controversy around Mrs DeVos focuses on her support of charter schools, which are publicly funded and set up by teachers, parents, or community groups, outside the state school system.
The American Civil Liberties Union said her work in Michigan involved "elevating for-profit schools with no consideration of the severe harm done to traditional public schools" despite "overwhelming evidence" that charter schools were no more successful than their traditional counterparts.
Last month in her confirmation hearing, at perhaps the most uncomfortable moment, she struggled to show she was familiar with the Individuals With Disabilities in Education Act, a federal law that requires public schools to make accommodations for disabled students. The American Association of People with Disabilities said it was "very concerned" that she seemed "unfamiliar with the Idea and the protections it provides to students with disabilities". But the most striking moment of the session is when DeVos, discussed whether to allow firearms in schools.
It's no secret that America is falling on the global educational ranking. As a mother, and a mother with a special needs child, this concerns me greatly. I home-school my youngest. My other son is in a public elementary school. He has an IEP in an ESE classroom. This school is NOT good for him. They change his teacher every couple months, non of whom are officially qualified to be his teacher, and are failing not only my child but most of the children attending. Though I'm proud to admit my son is very smart, he's not getting what he properly deserves. I've been asked "If it's so bad, why do you not home-school him like your other kid?" The doctors where I live also haven't officially diagnosed him with anything, despite it being a many year process, and won't do so without him attending a traditional brick-and-mortar school setting. Also, like most American families, I can't afford a private education. I've applied for scholarships and still haven't received one. So, despite my efforts, he must remain where he is.
So what does Betsy DeVos' new position as the U.S. Secretary of Education mean for my child and countless others in the same position? That's the question parents across the country are asking. I hope she'll have a change of heart and do more for all of our children. But we can't depend on hope. Parents must do all we can for the future of our children. We, as a nation, must fight not only for a better America, but also a better world.