Diane Ravitch's blog | Is Trump's Pick for Education Secretary an Enemy of Public Schools?

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 Is Trump's Pick for Education Secretary an Enemy of Public Schools?

DeVos: Schools May Need Guns to Protect Against Grizzly Bears

2by dianeravitch / 17min

Betsy DeVos was questioned about whether she would maintain gun-free zones around schools. She said that should be left to states . She was questioned by Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where the Sandy Hook massacre occurred in Newtown. DeVos said that some schools might need guns to protect against grizzly bears. She also said she would do whatever Trump wanted on the issue. She expressed s

The New Republic: DeVos Stumped by Direct Questions

3by dianeravitch / 46min

Graham Vyse writes in The New Republic that Betsy DeVos was stumped time and again by straightforward questions from Democrats. Meanwhile, Republicans fell all over themselves praising her for being willing to serve in a job for which she is manifestly unfit. “Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of education, just failed her first test. At her Senate confirmation hea

The Man Known as “Putin’s Brain” Celebrates Trump’s Election

by dianeravitch / 46min

Now that Vladimir Putin is slated to become a good friend of the new president, it is important to know more about Putin. Start by learning about Aleksandr Dugin , who is known as “Putin’s Brain.” Dugin is a Russian nationalist. He proudly calls himself a fascist. He despises secularism and modernity. He strongly opposes the U.S. and our allies. He foresees a new Russian-Arab alliance and longs f

New Republic: Betsy DeVos Would Be A Disaster” for Students With Disabilities

8by dianeravitch / 1h

Sarah Jones, writing in The New Republic, was appalled by Betsy DeVos lack of knowledge or interest in students with disabilities. She writes: “It’s difficult to overstate how nightmarish DeVos’s policy positions would be for students with disabilities and their parents. With no guaranteed access to publicly funded private education, parents of these students would have little choice but to send

Nancy Bailey: Betsy DeVos On Special Education: Clueless

6by dianeravitch / 1h

Nancy Bailey followed the hearings of Betsy DeVos to see what she knows about special education. The answer: Not much. http://nancyebailey.com/2017/01/17/betsy-devos-confirmation-hearing-and-special-education/ She doesn’t seem to know that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a federal law. She thinks that states can decide whether or not it should be enforced in charter schools and

My Appearance on Chris Hayes, Following Senator Sanders

by dianeravitch / 2h

I was invited to appear on Chris Hayes’ “All In” last night. Here is the link . It starts with Senator Sanders asking Betsy DeVos how much money she gave to Republicans. http://www.msnbc.com/all

Steven Singer: The Ignorance and Arrogance of Betsy DeVos

24by dianeravitch / 2h

Steven Singer watched the Betsy DeVos hearings and was taken aback by her ignorance of education policy and her arrogance in thinking she is qualified to be Secretary of Education. He writes: Betsy DeVos wouldn’t commit to protecting students with special needs. She wouldn’t commit to keeping guns out of school campuses. She wouldn’t commit to holding charter and voucher schools to the same stand

YESTERDAY

Democracy Now Interviews Matt Taibbi about His Book, “Insane Clown President”

6by dianeravitch / 12h

Amy Goodman and Juan González interview journalist Matt Taibb i about Trump’S election. Key comment: “MATT TAIBBI: Yeah, and I think that was kind of a big oversight by a lot of the media. Trump—look, how do politicians get elected? There’s a very simple formula that people on both sides have followed for ages. They tell people that, you know, things are bad, and we’re going to give you somebody

My Interview on NPR “The Takeaway” re Betsy DeVos

60by dianeravitch / 18h

In case you want to listen for 10 minutes about why Betsy DeVos should not be confirmed, here is the link. Also, I will be on the Chris Hayes show tonight on MSNBC. Same topic.

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: