Why I was Shaking My Head at Betsy DeVos
By Anthony Cody.
A video of Betsy DeVos responding to questions from Lucille Roybal-Allard of the House Appropriations Committee hearing has gone viral, and has been watched now by many thousands of people. I appear in the background, shaking my head as DeVos asserts that larger class sizes might actually be beneficial since they allow students to collaborate with more classmates, and might allow the best teachers to be paid more. So in this post, I will take a look at the actual research on the subject, and a bit of the history of the idea.
But first, a little about the day. I was in Washington,DC, because the group I work with, the Network for Public Education, has just released a major report: Asleep at the Wheel, How the Federal Charter Schools Program Recklessly Takes Taxpayers and Students for a Ride. This report reveals that over the past decade, the Federal government has wasted roughly a billion dollars on charters that never opened or closed within a year or two. It is a shocking report, with examples from all over the country. It paints a portrait of careless disregard for taxpayer funds, and a willingness to forego any semblance of quality or oversight in the pursuit of the magical virtues of “freedom” and “choice.”
There was a House Appropriations committee hearing at 10:15 am. I arrived at the room at about 7:40 am, and was the third in line, behind two paid “linestanders,” who were there holding spots for lobbyists who would arrive later in the morning sipping lattes. When we entered the room, I chose a seat in line with a large TV camera, behind where Secretary DeVos would be seated.
The hearing started off with a bang, with chairperson Rosa DeLauro taking on DeVos over the cruel budget cuts she has proposed. DeLauro cited NPE’s report, covered in the Washington Post by the excellent Valerie Strauss, and asked DeVos how she could propose an increase in funding for charter schools at the same time she was slashing funding for dozens of far more valuable programs. DeVos grinned like an organ CONTINUE READING: Why I was Shaking My Head at Betsy DeVos - Living in Dialogue
