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Thursday, February 23, 2017

DeVos Watch, February 2017 – Live Long and Prosper

DeVos Watch, February 2017 – Live Long and Prosper:

DeVos Watch, February 2017

She has never worked or taught in public schools.
She has never attended public schools.
She has never been a parent of public school students.
This billionaire has spent her (and her husband’s) money to privatize public education in Michigan. She bought state legislators to pass legislation which the people had rejected.
Now she wants to bring the same privatization plan to the rest of the nation. She used her billions to buy her cabinet position by bribing federal legislators with campaign contributions.
Her nomination and confirmation mobilized millions and people learned that she is unfit for her job. The nation educated itself on how she has spent her money to privatize education in Michigan, Indiana, and elsewhere across the country.
But America supports its local public schools and we’re watching.
DEVOS WATCH
After her first visit to a public school as Secretary of Education (or possibly ever?), DeVos said, “They’re waiting to be told what they have to do, and that’s not going to bring success to an individual child. You have to have teachers who are empowered to facilitate great teaching.”
She was talking about teachers…professionals who had spent years in preparation for their job and held college-level credentials which allowed them licensure to teach. She was talking about teachers who had spent a varying number of years in public school classrooms teaching children.
These are people who she claims are “waiting to be told what to do?” No, Secretary DeVos. Public school teachers know what to do.
People knew that the democrats on the HELP committee were not given much time to give questions to receive more glaring answers from a lady who does not give a damn about public schools.
So if anybody is in “receive mode,” it is Betsy DeVos.
She certainly gave a lot to receive her office.
What she should be willing to receive is an education about how public schools have been doing despite the obvious pressures that influence academic outcomes that schools have no control over like poverty. But that takes willingness, honesty, integrity, and humility.
And Betsy DeVos has not given much of that.
Test and punish is still the rule in America. Betsy DeVos said, “You have to have DeVos Watch, February 2017 – Live Long and Prosper: