Educational choice has become a contentious topic in America. As Betsy DeVos was appointed to the 11th US Education Secretary, she became more powerful than ever before, yet she has spent most of her time working on school safety and negotiating educational choice options with state education leaders. In a recent interview with “60 Minutes,” Lesley Stahl asked Betsy DeVos a few questions about the success of her new programs, then compared them to previous administration’s changes.
Standardized testing scores are up, according to Stahl. The new scores show a 20% increase over the past 10 years. While some people claim that it’s Common Core method that has helped, DeVos disagrees. She doesn’t see the scores helping the system, as it still shows that America is down overall in reading comprehension and math skills.
Common Core Method has caused considerable issues for parents and students since the Obama administration. President Trump has said that Common Core will be removed during his administration, but so far, it’s still taught in most public school systems around the country. The issues with other administrations have left schools bereft of other programs, as well.
DeVos believes that educational choice is a quicker way to resolve some of the problems facing America’s students. With the rise of failing schools, students have had little options in how to find a curriculum that speaks to their interests. With educational choice, students are able to go to magnet programs or private schools that have courses that pertain to their interests. For example, students can adding a performing arts magnet program or go to a charter school known for its technical computer science applications.
In the interview, DeVos states that Florida is the most successful because of the state’s various programs, including magnet programs, homeschooling, virtual school, private school, and charter school. In addition, Florida is the only state with a tuition-based scholarship. While students have to be accepted into the program to receive the scholarship, it’s a way for students to use philanthropy to get into a private school or charter school program.
In addition to educational choice, DeVos has been working with school safety advisers. In 2018, after many incidents of gun violence on campus, she was appointed to the school safety reform movement, and ever since, she has been changing policies to help campuses feel more safe. So far, there haven’t been any school shootings since early months in 2018.
DeVos will continue to work with state officials to bring in more educational choice options. She is currently touring the country with the First Lady, visiting public and private schools in many states.
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