Betsy Devos

Senate Panel Votes In Favor Of Betsy Devos, Trump’s Education Secretary Pick

... her nomination to the full Senate for final approval amid the first signs of fissures within the GOP majority over her fitness for the job. Two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), made clear that they have not decided how they will vote on the floor, suggesting that De Vos’s confirmation is not assured. Democrats are seeking to block De Vos’s confirmation, but they must vote as a bloc on the floor and persuade at least three Republicans to break with the new president. Collins and Murkowski both said they believe that De Vos — a billionaire who has spent decades advocating for charter schools and taxpayer-funded vouchers — has the best interest of children at heart. But the two senators also said they are not yet persuaded that she is prepared to lead the Education Department, given her lack of experience in public education. “She may be unaware of what’s broken in our public schools and how to fix it,” said Murkowski, who said that her state includes many isolated rural communities where vouchers and charter schools are not reasonable solutions to what ails education. ...

Professors Are A Threat To The Trumpist Movement

... “Invitation to Consider, Learn, Engage, and Grapple (see what I did there?).”. I’d planned to use Friday’s class as a writer’s workshop, but instead asked my students if they’d be open to a discussion about De Vos’s comments. They agreed. Together, we explored the question of what constitutes responsible neutrality by a professor or university, and to what degree a professor could promote opinions or shut down student speech. Their views ranged widely. I asked whether a professor could prevent students from jumping on a desk during physics class and reciting the lyrics to Public Enemy’s ‘Fight the Power.’ Only one student said that this was suppressing speech, and he agreed that the college system is structured to limit speech this way. None thought a professor should call a Trump-voting student a racist, but most agreed a professor could ask them to read an article about Trump supporters’ racial resentment. All agreed that a professor should assign materials ...

If Trump’s Guests Tonight Are Anything To Go By, He’s Deeply Committed To School Choice

... schools whether they’re public or not. De Vos and her husband have pumped millions into charter schools in Michigan, and all four of the couple’s children have been educated at private schools. This week, De Vos even praised America’s historically black colleges and universities for being “real pioneers when it comes to school choice” (a somewhat bizarre comment to make, as it both ignores the history of discrimination that necessitated those institutions, and conflates primary and secondary schools with higher education). But Trump himself hasn’t said much about school choice. Merriweather’s presence at his speech tonight implies he’s now putting it front and center—and the president may actually make good on his vague campaign promise to spend $20 million for parents to send their kids to schools of their choice. Supporters cheer the idea for potentially broadening educational access for poor families; ...

Betsy Devos Being Guarded By U.s. Marshals Service

... information about the number of marshals assigned to De Vos or say whether they are providing round-the-clock protection. It is unclear how long the arrangement will last. Cabinet nominees are getting more ‘no’ votes than ever View Graphic. Cabinet nominees are getting more ‘no’ votes than ever. Education Department officials did not respond to requests for information about why they have called on the marshals or what the security team normally assigned to the secretary is doing now. Federal policy allows the Education Department to pay other agencies for services, but it is unclear whether the department is reimbursing the marshals for the cost of deploying a security team. Marshals began providing security for De Vos on Monday, the first weekday after she encountered protesters outside the District’s Jefferson Middle School Academy last week, Donahue said. The demonstration was mostly peaceful, but several protesters tried to block the movement of a government car entering the ...

Betsy Devos Is Riling Up Education Advocates. Here's Why

... The measure's failure is attributed to De Vos' hefty lobbying dollars, said Bailey. Related: Senate Dems Grill Betsy De Vos, Trump's Education Secretary Pick. Charter school students in Michigan actually scored lower on performance tests than students at more traditional schools, according to an investigation by the Detroit Free Press. The investigation found that roughly 150 Michigan charter schools have been around for 10 years or more and 64 percent are in the bottom half of ranked schools. "Both traditional and charter schools can coexist, but the policy De Vos advocated has been destabilizing to both," said Michigan state representative Sherri Gay-Dagnogo. Stability through choice and local control is exactly what De Vos is looking to bring back to public education, supporters say. She "understands the need to bring back education control to state and local boards," and will "empower our parents, teachers, students, and local education officials," said Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nevada, in a statement ...

Does Betsy Devos Know What ‘choice’ Means

... Once you remedy that, history becomes a lot better. Internment was just a lovely way of providing more housing options to people. Before, U. S. citizens and noncitizens of Japanese descent did not have the option of moving to a cool gated community with a watchtower and barbed wire fences, but, afterwards, they did. Similarly, with the Indian Removal Act, President Andrew Jackson created a whole range of options for many communities. Instead of the option of staying in the place where they lived, they had the option of — moving! With help from the U. S. Cavalry. This was clearly the essence of Jim Crow laws: giving people a greater range of options. Without Jim Crow laws, there would only have been one set of water fountains for everyone. Being denied the right to vote for years was a way of increasing women’s options. Everyone else had to go to the polls — but women were given the option to do literally anything else during that time. Except own land and property. But, again, those so-called restrictions were just ways of increasing their ability to do other things. In a way, there are no limitations. Limitations are just in your mind. If ...

Snl Takes A Jab At Betsy Devos During A Mock Sean Spicer News Conference

... education system a “dead end,” has led critics to say she isn’t qualified for the job. At one point in the Jan. 17 hearing on Capitol Hill, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) asked her whether she would agree that guns don’t belong in schools. She responded: “I will refer back to Sen. [Mike] Enzi and the school he was talking about in Wyoming. I think probably there, I would imagine that there is probably a gun in the schools to protect from potential grizzlies.”. Betsy De Vos, Donald Trump's nominee for education secretary, appeared before senators at her confirmation hearing on Jan. 17, but some of her responses created more questions than they answered. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post). Back to SNL. Mc Kinnon as De Vos points to a “reporter” and says, “Yes, the man.” He asks the question on growth vs. proficiency and she responds. Well yes, I don’t know ...

Bill Cassidy Wasn't Bought By Betsy Devos; He Was Bought By The Devos Family

... But in that same election year, Dan De Vos made three contributions of $2,600 each. That's a total of $7,800. The contributions were made June 26, 2014, September 25, 2014, and November 11, 2014. Dick De Vos Jr. made three contributions of $2,600 each to Bill Cassidy's 2014 senate campaign. That's a total of $7,800. The contributions were made June 26, 2014, September 25, 2014, and November 11, 2014. Doug De Vos made made three contributions of $2,600 each to Bill Cassidy's 2014 senate campaign. That's a total of $7,800. The contributions were made June 26, 2014, September 25, 2014, and November 11, 2014. Helen De Vos made three contributions of $2,600 each to Bill Cassidy's 2014 senate campaign. That's a total of $7,800. The contributions were made June 26, 2014, September 25, 2014 and November 11, 2014. Maria De Vos made three contributions of $2,600 each ...

So Far, Education Secretary Betsy Devos Is Just What Her Critics Feared

... who come to class with overwhelming problems, such as hunger, sickness or the effects of living in a violent area. This was the back and forth. Q. What about family situations that government can’t fix — the absent father, for example. A. The whole child. Q. Yes. A. It’s not an easy or a single answer, but again it goes back to having the power to influence those things at the classroom level. Address that at the classroom level? Exactly how? What are her expectations of educators. Meanwhile, De Vos angered teachers at Jefferson Academy in Washington when she told Townhall  that teachers there seemed dedicated and sincere but were in “receive mode.”. “I visited a school on Friday and met with some wonderful, genuine, sincere teachers who pour their heart and soul into their classrooms and their students, and ...