Believe it or not, it’s almost September — back to school time once again.
And while students, teachers, and parents probably aren’t worried about report cards just yet, we thought someone deserved a report card on her performance so far: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
It’s been seven months since she was confirmed (after the closest vote in history for a cabinet secretary), and we know she had big plans for America’s schools — so before we head into the new school year, let’s look at where we stand. Share this graphic on Facebook with your friends and family today and show them how Betsy DeVos is failing parents, students, and teachers across the country.
So we can see that even though Secretary DeVos took on a full course load in her first semester as Education Secretary, it seems she might not be up for the task. But because a change in major isn’t really something she’s looking for right now, we think she’s owed an explanation of her failing grades.
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- Education Budgeting 101: Secretary DeVos’ proposed education budget confirms her extreme ideological commitment to public school privatization — and it would come at the expense of millions of students around the country, from preschool to college and beyond. Her proposed budget would weaken communities by eliminating funding for afterschool programs, grant aid for struggling college students and teacher and principal training programs, and so much more. First Semester Grade: F.
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- Education Policy 101: Confusion is the name of the game with Secretary DeVos and has been since her confirmation hearing — where she suggested that guns should be allowed in schools to protect students from things like, grizzly bears. It seems like she’s not entirely sure how to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and she’s sending mixed signals to local superintendents and state education leaders. First Semester Grade: F.
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- Civil Rights 101: Secretary DeVos has made it clear through her actions that she isn’t committed to do everything she can to protect all students’ safety and civil rights. From her proposed cuts to the Office for Civil Rights, to rolling back Title IX protections intended to protect students from sexual assault, to overturning the rule protecting transgender students, and so much more — Secretary DeVos has moved the Department of Education away from the critical goal of promoting civil rights and student safety. First Semester Grade: F.
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- Writing 101: Given how little she answered in her hearing, many of us have been sending her letters asking some tough questions about what she is doing and how she is doing it. But the vast majority of our letters go unanswered! Either Secretary DeVos doesn’t have the answers, or she just doesn’t want to tell us about them in writing. First Semester Grade: Incomplete.
- Principles of Business Management: You would think that even though Secretary DeVos has no specific education experience of her own, she might bring some business best practices to the table — like hiring the right folks and staffing up quickly. Wrong: She’s still the only Department of Education top-level employee confirmed by the Senate, and she only has two other nominees waiting for confirmation. First Semester Grade: F.
So many of us are teachers, parents, and students ourselves, and we know how difficult it can be to make up for a bad first semester. Only time will tell what’s next for Secretary DeVos, but for the sake of our students — I hope she turns it around.
Thanks,
Team Patty
Be a Seed for Change 