Betsy DeVos and Why Cramming for the Test Doesn't Work

It’s no doubt that Trump’s cabinet picks so far have been contentious; he appointed a climate change skeptic as secretary of energy and the former chairman of ExxonMobil as secretary of state. However, as a student, I’m most concerned about his pick for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos.

DeVos at her Jan. 17 hearing

Last Tuesday,January 17, 2017, DeVos sat for four hours in front of senators at her confirmation hearing in Washington D.C. It would be an understatement to say that it did not go very smoothly. DeVos had trouble answering questions surrounding well-known education policy.

It would be easy to think that DeVos is being targeted so heavily as unfit to serve simply because she is connected to Trump; Shikha Dalmia of The Week blames DeVos' ineptitude at her hearing on the "Democratic crusade against [her]," stating that "hyperventilating liberals" are making DeVos' nomination a bigger scandal than it really is. 

However, considering DeVos’ objective lack of experience in education, I believe that a healthy amount of concern is warranted. For me, the most pressing concern I have about DeVos having influence over education policy is that she has never attended public school. She received her high school education from a private Christian high school and a liberal arts degree from Calvin College, also a private educational institution (src). Even more concerning is that DeVos has no teaching experience.

However, she does have experience in education policy. She is an active proponent of ‘school choice,’ which is the belief that varied educational programs should be available to K-12 students. This basically means that DeVos believes charter and private schools should be a viable alternative to public school throughout the US. On the surface, this seems like a fairly reasonable position to have; however, DeVos doesn’t believe in accountability for charter and private schools.

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Seem like a problem? That’s because it is. Charter schools are not required to provide transportation for students, nor are they held accountable for school conditions. They can also close down without any warning, leaving kids stranded. Michele Phillips, a Detroit mother, describes how her kids have had to cope with growing up in the “Wild West” of the school system in Michigan, where DeVos’ idea of school choice without oversight is a reality.

Phillips states: “No one wants their child to grow up in the Wild West. Betsy DeVos is the wrong choice for education secretary.”

Considering the above, it is easy to understand why there is such concern surrounding DeVos’ appointment as education secretary. The concern is even more understandable when Arne Duncan, the education secretary from 2009-2015, is considered.

Like DeVos, Duncan went to a private school for K-12. Knowing that ten times more American children go to public school than to private school, it should be a concern that the person governing public schools has no personal experience in one. Also, Duncan

plans on his children attending a private school, which is telling. He did serve as the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, however, giving him more experience than DeVos (even if his time as CEO was also marked by controversy concerning the closing of neighborhood public schools).

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Duncan’s time as secretary was controversial, as well, primarily because of his endorsement of common core standards and the ‘test-and-punish’ method of keeping schools accountable. This method of accountability, supported under the ‘Race to the Top’ competition, gives federal funding to schools with teachers whose students perform well on common-core based standardized tests. As the child of a public school teacher subjected to this accountability and as a former high school student subjected to common core standards, I know very personally that Duncan’s policy does not work.

In July, 2014, the National Education Association called for Duncan’s resignation as secretary of education, and in 2016, they were vilified. Duncan’s extremely pervasive and controversial education policy throughout his seven years as education secretary are a part of the reason why people are so wary about Betsy DeVos.

DeVos' clumsiness in her hearing and her lack of ability to answer questions about education are proof that you can't cram before the test. Without previous experience as an educator, without previous experience as a beneficiary of public school, without extensive knowledge of education policy, serving as the education secretary, and serving well, is impossible. 

At least, that's what I think.

What do you believe? Do you think DeVos has the capacity to be informed about public education? Do you think common core standards are reasonable and effective? Do you believe in school choice? Let me know in the comments below.