Posted on 11/29/2016 9:35:59 AM PST by Academiadotorg
President-elect Donald Trump has selected billionaire philanthropist Betsy DeVos, a relatively unknown figure on the national scene, to head the U.S. Department of Education.
Calling her a "brilliant and passionate education advocate," Trump said in a press release that "under her leadership we will reform the U.S. education system and break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back so that we can deliver world-class education and school choice to all families." Although DeVos earns high praise from conservatives for her pro-school choice positions, she is a polarizing figure to public education supporters, who claim she could destroy public schools with vouchers.
In order to set the record straight about her association with Common Core, The Daily Signal reported that "upon accepting the position of education secretary, DeVos issued a statement clarifying that she is not a supporter of Common Core 'period,'" adding that although organizations she has been a part of support Common Core, that's not her position, especially since "it got turned into a federalized boondoggle."
She strongly supports school vouchers, charter schools and homeschooling as options that should be available to parents in order to put them back in charge of their children's education.
DeVos' in-laws, Richard and Helen DeVos, are longtime personal supporters of The Heritage Foundation, and her husband Dick DeVos is the son of the co-founder of Amway, a company that has become a world famous success story.
Brace for the onslaught of mainstream media stories featuring people saying they were ripped-off by Amway.
This is another polarizing choice which makes clear that the left is unable to allow opposing thought into their inner circle. This became clearer to me as a friend of mine posted a divisive article about Betsy’s appt this week, and this friend, a math teacher in MI, and her friends, attacked me for the simple assertion that maybe an outsider is what our education system needs. Because, yes, she is no Arne Duncan, which I quickly pointed out to them.
Their main trouble is that they cannot, nor will not, accept anyone’s opinion if they are not an educator. It is sad, really, and something I left the conversation at, as I am not willing to discuss any subject with narrow-minded individuals.
The DeVos family is a very conservative, faith based family, widely known in Michigan.
I have lefty relatives already sending me stuff about what a disaster her charter programs were in Detroit...
Mark this one as a win.
DeVos is TERRIBLE on Islam and Israel. HUGE DeVos Foundation funding for Sharia-friendly groups and OPPOSED Ward Connerly’s campaign to end affirmative action in Michigan colleges — which the people overwhelmingly approved on the ballot.
Bridges at School is a topical curriculum developed for American middle school classrooms. Contextualizing the Arab World and providing a unique series of both critical thinking and creative lesson plans that shed light on the rich historical, scientific, mathematical, religious, and cultural legacy of the region, this program focuses on the themes of global citizenship and identity through a series of analysis-based lesson plans. Bridges at School highlights poetry and values-based paired texts; fashion and style; visual art; food and spice; drama; music; language; medicine and science; and mediaDevelopment funding for Bridges at School is courtesy of Donna Pearson Chapman and The Dick & Betsy DeVos Family Foundation.
https://bridgesofunderstanding.org/education/
Bridges at School | Arab Contributions to the Sciences
https://www.nextlesson.org/project_details/bridges-at-school-arab-contributions-to-the-sciences/c4d2c06d5478c5e18f499543fb020833e6396dd5e8698dcd8e8eab77 Select "Preview"
Common Core pages 3, 13
See also the sample lesson plan given on pages 16-20
http://www.excelined.org/board-corner/board-of-directors/She says she does not support common core yet for years sits on the Board of Bush's common core promoting foundation and her own foundation pays for the development of common core lesson plans.http://web.archive.org/web/20130301033627/http://excelined.org/board-corner/board-of-directors
http://www.excelined.org/about-us/reform-agenda/
http://www.excelined.org/common-core-toolkit/common-core-toolkit/
Why would anyone doubt her words?
It was a federalized boondoggle from the start.
she is a polarizing figure to public education supporters, who claim she could destroy public schools with vouchers.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is exactly why she should receive unanimous support from everyone who wants to see beneficial changes in the country’s education systems.
The DeVos family are BIG donors to the Heritage Foundation, and of course their money comes from Amway.
I like this nomination. But we should abolish the Department of Education.
Why is the Department of Education NOT being eliminated, instead? Ditto, many other cabinet departments?
She’s the real deal - from first hand experience.
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