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January 17: Republicans defended education
secretary nominee [Betsy DeVos] as a bold reformer who would disrupt the status
quo in U.S. education. ... DeVos has lobbied for decades to expand charter
schools and taxpayer-funded vouchers for private and religious schools ... [DeVos]
said that if confirmed, she will be a “strong advocate for great public
schools.” But when public schools are “troubled, or unsafe, or not a good fit
for a child,” she said, parents should have a “right to enroll their child in a
high-quality alternative.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/senators-to-scrutinize-betsy-devos-trumps-pick-for-education-secretary/2017/01/17/3a0e6168-da8f-11e6-9a36-1d296534b31e_story.html
January 18: Republicans hailed the Michigan
billionaire, who is a strong advocate for charter schools and publicly funded
vouchers for private education, as a reformer who will give parents more choice
in their children’s education. In his introduction, former senator Joe Lieberman
said DeVos’s lack of experience — she’s never attended public school or held a
government job — is an asset. “She doesn’t come from within the education
Establishment. But honestly, I believe that today that’s one of the most
important qualifications you could have for this job,” he said. “We need a
change agent.”
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/01/testy-moments-from-trump-education-picks-senate-hearing.html
January 17: Former Senator Joe Lieberman
(D-CT) tonight introduced Donald Trump’s controversial nominee for Secretary of
Education, Betsy DeVos, to the Senate HELP Committee. ... “I can tell you that
in all my work with her, I have never heard Betsy speak against our public
school system,’’ Lieberman told the Senate panel after offering them a litany of
public education failures, particularly in graduation rates and preparedness for
college or careers. “I think it’s in our national interest to give her a chance
to change the status quo in public schools.’’
http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Liberman-introduces-Trump-s-controversial-10863828.php
January 22: Education secretary nominee
shows lack of experience and knowledge
The Michigan billionaire and school choice champion has no education training,
did not attend public schools or send her own children — making her a departure
from prior U.S. education secretaries who had long years in the profession and a
strong commitment to public education. (Nor has she ever taken out a federal
student loan for herself or her children.)
February 7: DeVos, a
wealthy Republican fund-raiser and philanthropist who is a major supporter of
school vouchers, has faced
vociferous opposition [as education secretary]. Her support for directing
taxpayer dollars to privately run schools, and her efforts to shape education in
her home state of Michigan and across the country, elicited criticism from
opponents who argued that she had neglected the public schools she would be
charged with improving as the head of the Department of Education.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/us/politics/betsy-devos-education-secretary-confirmation.html?_r=0
February 7: In a move that put Ms. DeVos’s
nomination in question, two Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine and
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska —
announced last week that they would not vote to confirm her, citing the
concerns of their constituents. “I have serious concerns about a nominee to be
secretary of education who has been so involved in one side of the equation, so
immersed in the push for vouchers, that she may be unaware of what actually is
successful within the public schools, and also what is broken and how to fix
them ..."
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/us/politics/betsy-devos-education-secretary-confirmation.html?_r=0
February 15: Can Trump abolish the
Department of Education?
... It would be messy, but it could be done
Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie loves brevity, which he
demonstrated with his new one-sentence bill
introduced last week: “The Department of Education shall terminate on
December 31, 2018.” Massie is probably just scoring some political points, but
abolishing the Department of Education is a favorite idea of Republicans,
including President Donald Trump. And while elimination is unlikely, it’s also
not impossible.
https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/how-trump-could-abolish-department-education/
April 26: Trump Aims To Limit The Education
Department’s Influence In New Order ... But so far, it’s more talk than action.
President
Donald Trump issued an executive
order on Wednesday that seeks to reduce federal intervention in education.
It builds on vows he made during the campaign to dismantle the Common Core State
Standards and hand greater control of schools back to states and localities.
But initially, at least, the order doesn’t do much.
May 1: On
Monday newly minted Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a rollback of
school lunch standards championed by the former first lady, declaring at a
Virginia school that the administration would "Make
School Meals Great Again."
May 3: AFT President: Betsy DeVos and Donald
Trump Are Dismantling Public Education
Donald Trump may say teachers are important, but he spent his
first 100 days undermining the schools most educators work in —America’s
public schools.
One of President Trump’s first acts was to appoint the most anti-public
education person ever to lead the Department of Education.
Betsy DeVos has called
public schools a “dead end” and bankrolled a private school voucher measure
in Michigan that the public defeated by a two-to-one ratio. When that failed,
she spent millions electing legislators who then did her bidding slashing public
school budgets and spreading unaccountable for-profit charters across the state.
The result? Nearly half of Michigan’s charter schools rank in the bottom of U.S.
schools, and Michigan dropped from 28th to 41st in reading and from 27th to 42nd
in math compared with other states.
http://time.com/4765410/donald-trump-betsy-devos-atf-public-education/
May 24: [Betsy] ... DeVos said Trump's
budget proposal would return power to states and school districts and give
parents a choice in their child's education. ... Democrats, including New York
Rep. Nita Lowey, accused DeVos of taking money from public schools to fund
school choice. ... "If you're pouring money into vouchers, the money is coming
from somewhere," Lowey said.
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/05/24/529707712/here-s-what-betsy-devos-said-today-on-capitol-hill
May 26: Why Trump's Education Plan Will Make
Student Debt Crisis Worse
As a general rule, when you make it easier for people to pay back loans, they
take advantage of it. But when you make it harder, they stay in debt longer.
The college loan system, which impacts some 43 million who are $1.4 trillion in
debt, is at a crossroads. It can be reformed to make loan repayment simpler and
reduce the cost of financing.
September 5: Despite President Donald Trump4
and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ dismissal5
of the importance of this role,6
the federal government is essential to building the capacity and overseeing the
activities of states and localities [which have always provided the vast
majority of school funding and made the majority of important decisions about
how schools operate] . Regardless of the party affiliation or priorities of the
administration, federal dollars and influence help shape the policies that
govern every public school in the country.
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-k-12/reports/2017/09/05/438067/stakes-high-ignore-trump-devos-agenda/
September 7: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
announced Thursday that the department will review Obama-era guidance on campus
sexual assault [via Title IX], citing concerns that the current policy denies
due process to individuals accused.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/07/politics/betsy-devos-education-department-title-ix/index.html September 7: DeVos was asked in
an interview with CBS News' Jan Crawford if Thursday's announcement meant
she was "rescinding the Obama administration guidelines."
September 7: Today, Secretary DeVos chose to protect rapists and tip
the scales in favor of sexual assault perpetrators. As evidenced by this latest
announcement, the leadership of this Education Department has consistently
demonstrated failure to ensure access to education for all. This latest attack
is especially egregious, because it is veiled in false intentions to uphold the
interests and needs of survivors. The tactics that DeVos is using are the same
ones that rape apologists have used to silence survivors of sexual violence for
decades.
http://endrapeoncampus.org/eroc-blog/2017/9/7/betsy-devos-attacks-survivors-of-sexual-assault-protects-rapists
September 20: Where Donald Trump stands on
education
Broadly speaking, Donald Trump favors school vouchers and has denounced the
involvement of the federal government in the nation’s schools.
The GOP nominee and founder of the now-defunct Trump University-- tackled
education reform in a recent September speech.
“As your president, I will be the biggest cheerleader for school choice you’ve
ever seen,” he said, promising that in his White House “parents can home school
their children.” Trump’s website does not appear to specifically address
education, though in September, he unveiled a proposal on education vouchers.
Here are the components of
Trump’s educational platform so far:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/where-donald-trump-stands-on-education/
September 25:Trump wants the Department of Education to
commit $200 million per year to computer science education
“Today’s $200M per year commitment to computer science education marks a victory
for Code.org, and for the movement we started four years ago to expand access to
computer science and increase participation by women and underrepresented
minorities,” Code.org founder and CEO Hadi Partovi said in a statement to
TechCrunch.
November/December: It was the final day of
her “Rethink School” tour, the familiar fly-around trip taken by a Cabinet
secretary to capture some local news coverage and emphasize priorities—in DeVos’
case, to highlight unique and innovative learning environments across the
country. But at this particular stop, tension filled the air. Several hundred
protesters gathered outside—vastly outnumbering the 76 students, grades 6
through 12, who attend the school—while a procession of speakers
denounced DeVos as a destroyer of public education and an enabler of campus
rape ... This was not an atypical reception for [her] ...
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/01/betsy-devos-secretary-education-profile-2017-215768
November 8: How Education Has Changed Under
the Trump Administration Since the 2016 Election
This school year has not been ordinary. One year after the election of the 45th
president, students are in schools and on college campuses during a time when
this country may not seem to be living up to its ideals.
November 9: Report finds that people who
work in the DeVos family office have some pretty odd responsibilities ... Their
expenses include people to help their children discard outgrown clothing or
throw away broken toys
November 10: Education Secretary Betsy
DeVos’s extravagant multi-billion dollar lifestyle comes with a yacht scheduler,
a gift buyer and a toy repairer, according to a new report detailing her
family’s astounding fortune.
DeVos disclosed her family’s wealth and all its trimmings, including $580
million in assets, when she stepped into the role of education secretary in
February, according to
The Wall Street Journal. The Journal dug into her family’s office
to reveal the many assistants they hire on, from a household administrative
assistant to a personal assistant to take care of all their Christmas season
needs from suggesting gift ideas, buying gifts and wrapping presents.
And if the Christmas toys get broken, they have a property manager who takes
care of that along with other duties like ensuring that “doors are well-oiled to
avoid squeaking.” With all holiday season quickly approaching, the DeVos clan
has assistants to help with travel, too.
http://www.newsweek.com/can-you-afford-betsy-devoss-lavish-lifestyle-708369
January 20: Trump education nominee battles
BDS. That’s not why Democrats oppose him
Although some are pushing narrative that Kenneth Marcus’s Israel advocacy is
central to the controversy over his nomination, there is little evidence to
prove this is the case
Kenneth Marcus has worked for years inside and outside government to advocate
for civil liberties. He has also been involved for years in Jewish community
advocacy.
Now Marcus, the founder and president of the Louis S. Brandeis Center for Human
Rights Under Law, is up for a prestigious job at the Department of Education —
assistant secretary for civil rights. On Thursday, the Senate Health and
Education Committee approved Marcus along party lines, and now his nomination
goes to the full Senate.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/democrats-raise-objections-to-trump-education-nominee/
January 25: Women's rights group sue Trump's
Education Department for 'discriminating against victims of campus sexual
assault'
February 12:President
Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to
expand school choice, so it should come as no surprise that his latest budget
proposes that the federal government help underwrite private-school voucher
programs, which would be a first for the U.S. Department of
Education.
http://www.governing.com/topics/education/gov-trump-doe-education-budget-schools-states.html
February 13: Does Trump’s Education Budget
Even Matter?
A president’s proposal often looks very different from what Congress ultimately
approves, but Trump’s spending priorities could offer insight into his broader
agenda.
February 16: Trump’s education secretary
joins Democrats in calling for congressional hearings on school shootings
Betsy DeVos told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that Parkland shooting
should prompt “much more robust conversation around tracking and tackling mental
health issues.”
Keep Guns Out of the Classroom: Allow Teachers to Teach
As California Teachers of the Year and the State Superintendent of Public
Instruction, our focus is on our students, our classrooms, and education policy.
Now, however, we must talk about another topic: guns.
We can no longer remain silent while students, teachers, and classified
employees are slain on school campuses with assault weapons designed for combat.
Since Columbine took place nearly 20 years ago, we have witnessed tragedy after
tragedy with no significant changes in our national gun laws.
https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/el/le/yr18ltr0308.asp
March 12: White House officials alarmed at
education secretary's '60 Minutes' performance
White House officials were alarmed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' struggle
to answer basic questions about the nation's schools and failure to defend the
administration's newly proposed school safety measures during a tour of
television interviews Sunday and Monday, according to two sources familiar with
their reaction.
[Alarmed? But didn't Democrats argue against her appointment because of this?
How could the White House possibly express surprise or dismay at this late
date?]
March 12: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
says arming teachers should be an ‘option’
March 12: Trump's education secretary chided
him for calling NBC's Chuck Todd 'a sleeping son of a b----'
"I wonder, as the education secretary in charge of what our kids learn, what do
you think of that kind of language?" [NBC host Savannah] Guthrie asked. "Would
you wash someone's mouth out with soap?"
"I would probably use different language myself," DeVos responded with a smile.
"I think we all have an opportunity and responsibility to be examples to our
kids."
Guthrie pressed her, "And that includes the president?"
March 22: Congress blocks DeVos agenda in
spending bill
Some significant proposals championed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and
President Donald Trump were rejected in the $1.3 trillion spending bill that's
making its way through Congress.
DeVos and Trump proposed a budget that would have cut the Education Department's
budget by $3.6 billion and funneled more than $1 billion toward private school
vouchers and other school choice plans.
May 9: Acting Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau director Mick Mulvaney told staff Wednesday that he would be reorganizing
it to diminish what was known as the Office of Students and Young Consumers.
That office will be folded into the bureau’s office of financial education, a
move that could have implications for oversight of the $1.5 trillion student
loan market and the watchdog agency’s efforts to regulate lenders and servicers
— including its lawsuit against the servicer Navient, which it has accused of
cheating borrowers.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/mick-mulvaney-shakes-up-cfpb-curbing-student-loan-office
May 17: The attorney general of New Jersey said on Thursday that federal
education officials had stopped cooperating on issues involving fraudulent
activities at for-profit colleges, and requested that the Education Department
renew its investigations into the institutions or hand them over to the state.
Gurbir S. Grewal, who became attorney general in January, expressed frustration
with the officials in a letter to Betsy DeVos, the education secretary.
Mr. Grewal said they had ignored requests from New Jersey to work with the state
on behalf of students who were defrauded by Corinthian Colleges, a bankrupt
for-profit chain. And he raised concerns about the status of investigations by
the Education Department into large for-profit institutions like the DeVry
Education Group, which paid $100 million in 2016
to settle a lawsuit alleging that it misled prospective students with ads
about employment and salaries after graduation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/17/business/besty-devos-for-profit-colleges.html
June 21:After identifying they didn't have the funding
to support a school resource officer in every school, leaders in Lee County,
Virginia have come up with an alternative solution to protect students, and
staff.
Sheriff Gary Parsons said he was approached by the school system about the
possibility of arming teachers inside every school.
"After thinking it through, if it's done properly, I'm in full support of it."
Parsons said.
He added that discussing school safety has become a recurring conversation, and
he wants to see something done.
"That's the problem, every time we have a school shooting, we have meetings, we
have discussions, we have conferences, and we talk and we talk and we never take
any action, well it's time to take some type of action," Parsons said.
August 31: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
signaled on Friday that she does not plan to take action over the purchase of
guns for schools using federal funds.
In a letter to Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, the top Democrat on the House
Committee on Education and the Workforce, DeVos wrote, "Let me be clear: I have
no intention of taking any action concerning the purchase of firearms or
firearms training for school staff under the ESEA," a reference to federal
Elementary and Secondary Education Act funds.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration pushed back on
a New York Times report that DeVos was looking into a plan that would allow
states to use federal funding to buy firearms for teachers.
October 29: One of the goals of sex
education in schools is to help young people understand the risks of unprotected
sex, including sexually transmitted infection and pregnancy. For many in the
Trump administration, only one approach to sex ed is permissible: abstinence
until marriage. Through the positions they hold, adherents to this view apply
their influence over federal policy to ensure this approach is the only one
that’s federally funded. This work didn’t take place overnight; like most
conflicts over ideology, this one has been brewing a long time, even if it only
catapulted to prominence in the last two years.
November 16: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
announced sweeping rules on how colleges handle cases of sexual assault and
harassment that she says will fix a "failed" and "shameful" system that has been
unfair to accused students. In what the administration is calling a "historic
process," the proposed rules aim to significantly enhance legal protections for
the accused and reflect a sentiment expressed by President Trump that men are
unfairly being presumed guilty. More than a year in the making, the rules
replace Obama-era policies on how to implement Title IX, the law barring gender
discrimination in schools that get federal funding.
November 20: U.S. Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos' office for civil rights is reversing itself on several key changes
to how it investigates civil rights claims that had infuriated the civil rights
community.
December 21: Trump may roll back Obama
school discipline rules
Two Triangle school systems don’t plan to back away from their efforts to reduce
student suspensions, even as the Trump Administration moves to undo federal
policies designed to reduce racial discrimination in school discipline.
A federal school safety panel led by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
recommended Tuesday rolling back the 2014 guidance issued by the Obama
Administration that warned school districts they could be investigated if
minority students are suspended at disproportionately high rates.
Both the
Wake County school system and
Durham Public Schools reached agreements this year with federal civil rights
investigators to make changes to their discipline policies, including looking
for more in-school alternatives to removing students from school.
