Betsy Devos

Betsy Devos Confronts Transgender Controversy

... the freedom to learn and thrive in a safe and trusted environment. This is not merely a federal mandate, but a moral obligation no individual, school, district, or state can abdicate. At my direction, the [Education] Department’s Office for Civil Rights remains committed to investigating all claims of discrimination, bullying, and harassment against those who are most vulnerable in our schools. The Trump administration’s actions Wednesday night could affect a gender identity case set for oral argument at the Supreme Court next month, one that depends in large part on the Department of Education’s position. De Vos had a rocky start to her new role as head of the Department of Education. She faced one of the toughest confirmation processes of all President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees, culminating with Mike Pence’s casting the first tie-breaking vote in history to confirm a Cabinet appointment. Throughout it all, the media didn’t go easy. “The media has had its fun with me, and that’s OK,” De Vos said at CPAC. But her job, De Vos added, “isn’t to win a popularity contest with the media or the ...

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

... Post. Sign up to follow, and we’ll e-mail you free updates as they’re published. You’ll receive free e-mail news updates each time a new story is published. You’re all set. By Valerie Strauss By Valerie Strauss February 22 Follow @valeriestrauss. President Trump listens as Education Secretary Betsy De Vos speaks during a meeting with parents and teachers at the White House on Feb. 14. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post). Michigan billionaire Betsy De Vos has been U. S. education secretary for only a few weeks, but already she has shown herself to be exactly what her critics feared. In her brief time running the Education Department she has (among other things). *insulted teachers at a middle school. * bashed protesters , saying they are “hostile” to change and new ideas. *said she would be fine if the department she runs is shut down. *did not participate in the first Twitter chat her department had for teachers on Feb. 21. *suggested schools should be able to compensate for troubles children have at home, such as absent fathers. *had U. S. ...

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

... who is the interim vice president for government affairs and communications at Education Trust, a non-profit education advocacy group. When asked about gun control on school grounds by Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, who has been vocal on gun control since the Sandy Hook massacre, De Vos said potentially having guns in a wildlife-plagued Wyoming school could protect against attacks from grizzly bears. Such examples prove why decisions on these matters should be left up to states and local districts' needs, she said. Betsy De Vos testifies during her confirmation hearing Tuesday. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images. Her Views on Education. De Vos has poured millions of dollars through the De Vos Family Foundation into strongly supporting and heavily lobbying for charter schools and vouchers. She believes firmly that charter schools provide excellent options for school choice and has aligned herself with the voucher movement. This puts her at odds with several large teachers' associations. Related: Nomination of Betsy De Vos, Trump's Pick for Dept. of Education, in ...

Betsy Devos Has Drunk The ‘lgbtq’ Kool-aid

... marching along and turned her head to the right – just at eye-level with the Speedo of a prancing male homosexual, his genitalia quite prominently visible through the thin fabric. I got a picture of the expression on her face – wide open eyes and shock. That, Ms. De Vos, is the literally “in-your-face” innocence-assaulting attitude of homosexual/transgender activism toward our vulnerable children. The activists don’t see anything wrong with this. With consciences seared, as the apostle Paul describes, the tenderness that protects children is tossed aside as casually as Milo Yiannopoulos did by advocating sex between 13- year-olds and older men. Milo is not alone among celebrity homosexuals making light of child-adult sex. George Takei did the same as he gleefully described his own sexual initiation by an older camp counselor. In fact, the false pro-“gay” messages schools broadcast to children ...

Wisconsin Superintendent Candidates Weigh In On Betsy Devos Role

... not just the charter and voucher schools she has championed. Post to Facebook. Wisconsin superintendent candidates weigh in on Betsy De Vos role State Superintendent Tony Evers on Monday called for the new U. S. secretary of education to use her bully pulpit in the Trump administration's cabinet to advocate for all schools, not just the charter and voucher schools she has championed. Check out this story on __link__: __link__/story/news/education/2017/02/27/wisconsin-superintendent-candidates-weigh-betsy-devos-role/98492276/. Cancel Send. A link has been sent to your friend's email address. A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Wisconsin superintendent candidates weigh in on Betsy De Vos role. Meg Jones , Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Published 4:31 p.m. CT Feb. 27, 2017 | Updated 17 hours ago. Incumbent state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers will defend his seat in the April 4 election against voucher advocate Lowell Holtz. (Photo: File photos). 167 CONNECT TWEET ...

An Educator's Plea To Betsy Devos

... our schools on a local and state level. We'll also have to push hard for accountability. Just because De Vos was confirmed doesn't mean she gets free rein to destroy our schools. She now has a responsibility to provide all of America's children with a quality free primary education, and we will hold her to that. My friend J. S. recently retired from a twenty-eight year career as a teacher at one of our nation's public schools. He has some sage advice for De Vos. I hope she hears it, and takes it to heart. Please feel free to copy this open letter and send it directly to her. Contact information is below. Dear Secretary De Vos. I am a retired public school science teacher, proud to have spent my career in the classroom. I will make no secret that I vocally opposed your nomination for Secretary of Education. Your publicly voiced disdain for public schools, and your lack of any relevant experience made you unqualified, in my opinion. Now that your nomination has been confirmed, you have some catching up to do, so this teacher has an assignment for you. For the first year of your term, spend one week of each ...

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

... policy, choosing to dive with full might into other matters like immigration. That’s suddenly changing. Merriweather, the first in her family to graduate high school and college, isn’t just a private school success story; she’s also a vocal advocate of tax-credit scholarships. Florida’s program offers corporations tax breaks for donating to nonprofits that in turn give the money out in scholarships to private and religious schools. In essence: School choice. It’s no secret that newly confirmed education secretary Betsy De Vos supports school choice, the controversial movement to have federal money follow students around to 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 ...

Professors Are A Threat To The Trumpist Movement

... months. I teach law, government, and politics—covering nearly every hot-button issue about which De Vos is convinced I want to indoctrinate my students. Yet the very last thing I want to do is think for them, much less tell them how to vote. If anything, my job is to help them break out of their habit of forming opinions too hastily. Whatever conclusion they reach about a policy or candidate, I urge them not to base it on tribal or partisan allegiance. Instead, I want them to examine every proposal on its merits, and with a critical eye. Whatever conclusion they reach about a policy or candidate, I urge them not to base it on tribal or partisan allegiance. Instead, I want them to examine every proposal on its merits, and with a critical eye. As an educator, I believe I’ve done my job well if in the course of my class, a Bernie-supporting Democratic Socialist finds fault with Sanders’ free college plan, proposes ways to improve it, and ...