Meet the New Boss
If there was one thing that was going to be a hallmark of the Betsy DeVos Depatrment of Education, it was going to be their studious hands-off approach. Previous departments may have used all manner of extra-legislative legerdemain to impose their will on the states (Common Core arm-twisting, Race to the Top bribery, waiver-based extortion). ESSA was born out of bipartisan grumpiness over USED's long, grabby arms, and yet, one of John King's final actions as secretary wasto get himself spanked by Lamar Alexander for STILL trying to write laws from the USED offices.
"I will never do that kind of baloney," Betsy DeVos said.
"Easy to say until you have the wheel of power gripped tight in your own hand," said I. Here's a woman who has spent her whole adult life trying to impose her will on the education system. Now that she actually has the power, can she forgo actually using it?
Well, meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
And I don't mean actually meet her, because DeVos rarely does press, and when she does, it's a big nothing sandwich.
As reported by Erica Green in the New York Times, DeVos's department has decided they will be the arbiter of adjectives, the setters of standards, the commandants of state capitals. Folks have submitted their ESSA plans, and USED is feeling its oats:
...the Education Department’s feedback to states about their plans to put the new law into effect, CURMUDGUCATION: Meet the New Boss: