Betsy DeVos calls historically black colleges pioneers of school choice, sparks outrage

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order regarding HBCUs this week. This is the first time in American history a vice president had to vote to confirm a presidential Cabinet pick.

Sharp is also concerned because online students do not spend the same amount of time in class as their local district counterparts, which he said is not fair. We learned this weekend that there would be closing remarks by Vice President Mike Pence, but the goal was for officials from a number of federal agencies (about five were there including OMB) and Secretary DeVos to hear about HBCUs.

One is that she doesn’t seem to have any grasp of the higher education aspect of her portfolio.

DeVos met with presidents and chancellors of historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, Monday at the White House. No surprise, despite how her confirmation will ultimately cut into public school funding.

During my 12 years as a teacher, I have experienced firsthand the failed initiatives that have attempted to “reform” education. DeVos, after all, is an avowed enemy of public schools.

Again giving my usual odds, 8-to-5 both local solons will vote “yes” and so will their GOP colleagues, a charter expansion allowance that won’t invite God into school and probably won’t adversely affect Columbia public schools but will pose another vague threat to public education in general and would better be left off the books.

Research suggests vouchers haven’t had much impact on schools – at least not yet.

The charter schools Mrs. DeVos aided produced real results for these children: It is no accident that among the top 25 schools in Detroit, over 80 percent are charter schools.

For instance, if your child is gifted or has autism, behavioral problems or a health challenge, then you need a unique school that can provide an education.

Now that DeVos is the secretary of education, she will attempt to do what she did in MI across the country. About 80 percent of Michigan’s charter schools are run by for-profit companies. DeVos’s corporate right-wing agenda will be disastrous for public education. Transporting those students to schools that are miles away from their homes would be hard in terms of time, expense, and dependable transportation.

So who would stand to benefit?

The Department of Education even clearly states on its website that HBCUs were established because “there was no structured higher education system for black students”. However, critics have levied a multitude of allegations against school choice, claiming that: most charter schools aren’t superior to public schools, school vouchers primarily help the wealthy while hurting poor communities who still rely on the public schools, and there aren’t proper monitoring mechanisms to keep charter and private schools accountable, among other things.

Betsy DeVos and the billionaires she represents view public education as a profit-making venture instead of a fundamental democratic right. For private schools receiving more applicants than they could enroll, the law required that they admit students via lottery, which allowed the researchers to compare lottery winners with those who stayed in public school. Parents in Pennsylvania have turned to charter schools as another option for their children’s education for the past 15 years. Under the Obama administration, schools were shamed for their fattening foods and forced to recognize transgenderism, yet no one thought the denial of free speech and the lack of basic economics should be a priority concern. They should ask themselves, is their push for vouchers driven by what’s good for our school children or what advances their obsession with shrinking government and increasing privatization?