Public (School) Enemy No. 1: Billionaire Betsy DeVos, Trump’s Pick for Education Secretary
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Diane Ravitch
Assistant Secretary of Education under President George H.W. Bush. She is a historian of education and best-selling author of over 20 books, including "Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools," and "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education."
Lisa Graves
executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy, and publisher of PRWatch.org and ExposedByCMD.org Her new piece is titled "5 Things to Know about Billionaire Betsy DeVos, Trump Education Choice."
Donald Trump has tapped conservative billionaire Betsy DeVos to serve as Education Secretary. DeVos is the former chair of the Michigan Republican Party and a longtime backer of charter schools and vouchers for private and religious schools. In response, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said, "In nominating Devos Trump makes it loud and clear that his education policy will focus on privatizing, defunding and destroying public education in America." Since 1970, the DeVos family has invested at least $200 million in various right-wing causes. DeVos’s father-in-law is the co-founder of Amway and her brother is Erik Prince, founder of the mercenary firm Blackwater. For more, we speak to former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch, Center for Media and Democracy executive director Lisa Graves, and elected member of the Detroit Board of Education Tawanna Simpson.
Public (School) Enemy No. 1: Billionaire Betsy DeVos, Trump’s Pick for Education Secretary | Democracy Now!:
Public (School) Enemy No. 1: Billionaire Betsy DeVos, Trump’s Pick for Education Secretary | Democracy Now!: