Betsy DeVos and the Ghosts of Education Secretaries Past
As we approach the end of 2016 and look with hope to 2017, educators and parents are concerned about President-elect Trump’s choice of Betsy DeVos for education secretary. I share those concerns. But it is also important to remember the education secretaries of the past and how they have led us to where we are today.
None of the appointed individuals have rallied around public schools and the teachers who committed their lives and careers to working with students. They never promoted a free public school system for all children in our great country. They have not lifted public schools as a democratic institution of which we should be proud. Nor have they showcased our schools to the world.
None, with the exception of Terrel Bell and John King, were real teachers who ever worked everyday in real public school classrooms. King worked primarily in extremely strict “no excuses” charter schools.
None struggled with the difficulties children and teens bring to school. Nor did they demonstrate any effort to study the research as to how to correctly instruct and work with actual children. They did not consider the development of students.
You can argue that they are all nice people, and they may think they are doing right, but Betsy DeVos and the Ghosts of Education Secretaries Past: