Betsy DeVos is gone — but ‘DeVosism’ sure isn’t. Look at what Florida, New Hampshire and other states are doing. - The Washington Post

Betsy DeVos is gone — but ‘DeVosism’ sure isn’t. Look at what Florida, New Hampshire and other states are doing. - The Washington Post

Betsy DeVos is gone — but ‘DeVosism’ sure isn’t. Look at what Florida, New Hampshire and other states are doing

Betsy DeVos is gone as education secretary — but what we’ll call “DeVosism” certainly isn’t. You only have to look at what Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, New Hampshire, Kansas and some other states are now doing to see that her agenda to privatize public education is alive and thriving.

DeVos, a Michigan billionaire, served as President Donald Trump’s education secretary for four years after working for decades in states across the country to expand initiatives that allowed the use of public funding for schooling outside traditional school districts — including private and religious schools and home schooling.

She made no secret of her disdain for traditional public schools — calling them “a dead end” in 2015 and derogatorily referring to them as “government schools.” Her selection as education secretary was applauded by religious conservatives and detractors of public schools — and decried by those who opposed her evangelism for the privatization of public education.

What it really means when Trump, DeVos and their allies refer to public schools as ‘government schools’

While she was education secretary, she unsuccessfully tried for years to persuade Congress to pass a $5 billion tax-credit program that would have funded scholarships to private and religious schools. Some said her failure to pass education legislation limited her impact — but she always made clear that she believed state legislatures were the vehicle for creating alternative school options for families. CONTINUE READING: Betsy DeVos is gone — but ‘DeVosism’ sure isn’t. Look at what Florida, New Hampshire and other states are doing. - The Washington Post