SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Lawmakers and other critics of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos seized upon the interview as further evidence that she is the antithesis of what Americans should expect from the head of the Department of Education. (Photo: CBS/Screengrab)
Proving Yet Again She Is 'Grossly Unqualified,' DeVos Admits She Hasn't Bothered to Visit Struggling Schools
"Betsy DeVos is disliked because she wants to privatize public education, is rolling back civil rights in education, and supports arming teachers in schools. It is that simple."
Mar 12, 2018
Education Secretary and multi-billionaire Betsy DeVos firmly believes that her ascent to the top of the list of President Donald Trump's "most hated" cabinet secretaries is simply the result of one big misunderstanding, but in an interview on CBS's "60 Minutes" Sunday night, DeVos bolstered critiques of her right-wing agenda by failing to answer basic questions and admitting that she hasn't even bothered to visit struggling schools.
"Every day is a competition to see which cabinet secretary can prove themselves as the most grossly unqualified person for the job."
--Ashley Feinberg, Huffington Post
Pressed by CBS's Lesley Stahl to explain why the so-called "school choice" model she has championed has produced such poor results in her home state of Michigan--where DeVos spent millions on the expansion of charter initiatives and other privatization schemes--the education secretary couldn't muster much of a response.
"I can't say overall that they have all gotten better," DeVos admitted of Michigan's schools.
When Stahl asked DeVos if she has visited the schools in Michigan that are struggling thanks to lack of funding and failed charter experiments--problems that the Trump White House is looking to worsen with devastating cuts to public education funding--she responded that she has "not intentionally visited schools that are underperforming."
"Maybe you should," Stahl said.
Watch:
Lawmakers and other critics seized upon the "60 Minutes" interview as further evidence that DeVos is the antithesis of what Americans should expect from the head of the Department of Education.
"Betsy DeVos is disliked because she wants to privatize public education, is rolling back civil rights in education, and supports arming teachers in schools," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) wrote on Twitter in response to Sunday's interview. "It is that simple."
Others echoed Jayapal and expressed alarm--but not surprise, given both her abysmal Senate confirmation hearing last year and her actions over the past several months--at DeVos's inability to respond to even the simplest questions about the state of education in the U.S.
As a reward for her performance--which Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) argued earns her the title "worst Secretary of Education this country has ever seen"--President Donald Trump placed DeVos in charge of the new Federal Commission on School Safety, which is set to explore possible "solutions" to school shootings, including arming teachers.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Education Secretary and multi-billionaire Betsy DeVos firmly believes that her ascent to the top of the list of President Donald Trump's "most hated" cabinet secretaries is simply the result of one big misunderstanding, but in an interview on CBS's "60 Minutes" Sunday night, DeVos bolstered critiques of her right-wing agenda by failing to answer basic questions and admitting that she hasn't even bothered to visit struggling schools.
"Every day is a competition to see which cabinet secretary can prove themselves as the most grossly unqualified person for the job."
--Ashley Feinberg, Huffington Post
Pressed by CBS's Lesley Stahl to explain why the so-called "school choice" model she has championed has produced such poor results in her home state of Michigan--where DeVos spent millions on the expansion of charter initiatives and other privatization schemes--the education secretary couldn't muster much of a response.
"I can't say overall that they have all gotten better," DeVos admitted of Michigan's schools.
When Stahl asked DeVos if she has visited the schools in Michigan that are struggling thanks to lack of funding and failed charter experiments--problems that the Trump White House is looking to worsen with devastating cuts to public education funding--she responded that she has "not intentionally visited schools that are underperforming."
"Maybe you should," Stahl said.
Watch:
Lawmakers and other critics seized upon the "60 Minutes" interview as further evidence that DeVos is the antithesis of what Americans should expect from the head of the Department of Education.
"Betsy DeVos is disliked because she wants to privatize public education, is rolling back civil rights in education, and supports arming teachers in schools," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) wrote on Twitter in response to Sunday's interview. "It is that simple."
Others echoed Jayapal and expressed alarm--but not surprise, given both her abysmal Senate confirmation hearing last year and her actions over the past several months--at DeVos's inability to respond to even the simplest questions about the state of education in the U.S.
As a reward for her performance--which Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) argued earns her the title "worst Secretary of Education this country has ever seen"--President Donald Trump placed DeVos in charge of the new Federal Commission on School Safety, which is set to explore possible "solutions" to school shootings, including arming teachers.
Education Secretary and multi-billionaire Betsy DeVos firmly believes that her ascent to the top of the list of President Donald Trump's "most hated" cabinet secretaries is simply the result of one big misunderstanding, but in an interview on CBS's "60 Minutes" Sunday night, DeVos bolstered critiques of her right-wing agenda by failing to answer basic questions and admitting that she hasn't even bothered to visit struggling schools.
"Every day is a competition to see which cabinet secretary can prove themselves as the most grossly unqualified person for the job."
--Ashley Feinberg, Huffington Post
Pressed by CBS's Lesley Stahl to explain why the so-called "school choice" model she has championed has produced such poor results in her home state of Michigan--where DeVos spent millions on the expansion of charter initiatives and other privatization schemes--the education secretary couldn't muster much of a response.
"I can't say overall that they have all gotten better," DeVos admitted of Michigan's schools.
When Stahl asked DeVos if she has visited the schools in Michigan that are struggling thanks to lack of funding and failed charter experiments--problems that the Trump White House is looking to worsen with devastating cuts to public education funding--she responded that she has "not intentionally visited schools that are underperforming."
"Maybe you should," Stahl said.
Watch:
Lawmakers and other critics seized upon the "60 Minutes" interview as further evidence that DeVos is the antithesis of what Americans should expect from the head of the Department of Education.
"Betsy DeVos is disliked because she wants to privatize public education, is rolling back civil rights in education, and supports arming teachers in schools," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) wrote on Twitter in response to Sunday's interview. "It is that simple."
Others echoed Jayapal and expressed alarm--but not surprise, given both her abysmal Senate confirmation hearing last year and her actions over the past several months--at DeVos's inability to respond to even the simplest questions about the state of education in the U.S.
As a reward for her performance--which Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) argued earns her the title "worst Secretary of Education this country has ever seen"--President Donald Trump placed DeVos in charge of the new Federal Commission on School Safety, which is set to explore possible "solutions" to school shootings, including arming teachers.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.