As Secretary of Education in the Trump Administration, Betsy DeVos has come under a great deal of criticism. She’s been portrayed very negatively in the mainstream press. However, the truth is that Betsy DeVos is not what most people expect. She’s always willing to hear people out, especially the people who work in public schools.
When DeVos made school visits as part of her job, educators and administrators were generally pleasantly surprised. They expected to find someone who was opposed to them. Instead, they found a partner who wanted to address their concerns and make it easier for them to achieve their goals.
In her home state of Michigan, people have long understood that Betsy DeVos is not just a go-getter for Republican political causes. She’s a committed do-gooder. Her family funds all kinds of medical buildings and cultural institutions. Betsy DeVos has a reputation for being helpful, even to people who don’t share her political ideas. Her attempts at school reform in Michigan have made a meaningful dent in some serious problem districts.
During her tenure as Secretary of Education, DeVos made some unexpected allies. Rapper Pitbull runs a charter school in Miami, which she toured. Betsy DeVos was one of the earliest advocates for school choice. Her advocacy made schools like Pitbull’s possible in a big way. It’s thanks to her work that families can use vouchers to select the right educational experience for their kids.
Betsy DeVos got a lot done during her career in the cabinet. She cut a lot of fat from school budgets. She forced people to take a hard look at some controversial practices in schools. That includes things that happened on publicly funded college campuses. DeVos was keen to ensure that free speech and due process were respected at universities in the United States.
DeVos also took a close look at well-intentioned Obama-era policies that may have contributed to school shootings. In an effort to not over-punish students of color, schools like Marjory Stoneman Douglas took little disciplinary action against students like Nikolas Cruz. Eventually, Cruz opened fire at his old high school, killing and wounding many of his former classmates. DeVos’s actions to revisit and eliminate some of these policies were important in keeping schools truly safe for students.
Visit www.betsydevos.com to learn more.