With so much controversy in Washington, it’s difficult for the Senate and the public to settle on what’s important and what’s critical as the Trump administration comes on line. But preventing Betsy DeVos from becoming Secretary of Education is job one for the Senate tomorrow.
DeVos has long had a huge role in pushing Michigan’s ailing public schools system to the brink of total failure. She’s done that by dumbing down the state’s large charter school industry, removing desperately needed oversight and creating a massive waste of taxpayer money that cheats millions of students out of a good education.
Actually, DeVos, a billionaire heiress, didn’t directly diminish the public and charter schools in the state. She doesn’t actually do anything. She’s not an educator nor government official. She’s never worked for a public school. Never attended one. Never sent her own kids to one. She’s not a researcher nor anything like that. In fact, during recent Senate confirmation hearings, she made herself appear daft as she couldn’t explain nor provide intelligent conversation about critical and basic education issues. She doesn’t understand the difference between assessing schools on student test scores and assessing them on student test score growth, rather than overall achievement. She embarrassed herself and her supporters.
There’s no easy way to describe what DeVos is and why Trump nominated her. In essence, she’s long been a rich lobbyist who’s worked hard and spent untold millions trying to bend public education to what she thinks it should be — having no expertise or even experience with the issue her entire life.
It’s not that we don’t see huge value in experts from outside academia stepping in to seek out successful changes. Right here in Aurora Public Schools, former Air Force General John Barry became superintendent and implemented a long list of successful transformations during his tenure.
But DeVos’ only ideas have been pronounced and dismal failures in Michigan. There a huge field of charter schools siphoning off tax dollars into for-profit education companies, delivering as bad or worse results than public schools. Much of the problem is the lack of accountability and oversight, which DeVos proudly championed with her personal money, swaying state elections.
It gets worse: DeVos has an interest in a company that sells dubious biofeedback services as a supposed treatment for children with attention deficit disorder. She’s scoffed at the ethical problems posed by a U.S. Secretary of Education essentially endorsing a for-profit learning disorder treatment — a spurious one at that. Also, news sources have pointed out her long-running association with a family-run organization that’s contributed heavily to anti-LGBT groups and causes. Under scrutiny, DeVos gave questionable explanations that devolved into obvious prevarication about years and years of “clerical” errors proving her association with the bigoted Prince Foundation in Michigan.
DeVos is a mess, and she’s the last thing public education needs in Colorado and across the country. This agency desperately needs to find ways to improve the performance of all American schools and students, but especially students whose personal, economic, cultural or demographic challenges hold them back. DeVos has not only shown she’s ill-equipped to provide leadership or management, what little she does know and promote have been text-book examples of what not to do to create successful charter schools.
Trump will have enough problems finding examples of success as president, he doesn’t need an education secretary to hamstring any possible advance. American parents and students don’t deserve a change in government that promises nothing good for all students and teachers.
The Senate, including Colorado senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet, should vote against DeVos’ confirmation and insist Trump nominate a qualified candidate. We’re anxious to tell their Aurora and Colorado constituents just how the two senators handled their advise and consent job in this case.