BETSY IS AT IT AGAIN!

While the Constitution does not directly address education and implies that it be left to the States — it also calls for equal treatment under the law.  At best, when it comes to education, it’s ambiguous.

However, the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, which mandated the desegregation of public schools, gave the executive branch a legal precedent for enforcing equal access to education.  And, we have moved on from there.

“For Lyndon Johnson in 1965, the problem was that the nation’s schools were not serving all students equally. The solution was for the federal government to distribute funds in a way that would correct the balance. The political moment was when both Cold War anxieties and newly robust understandings of the 14th Amendment made the changes possible. The result was a new relationship between the federal government and the states on education policy.”  (“When it Comes to Education, the Federal Government is in Charge of … Um, What?” by Brendan Pelsue,  ED. HARVARD ED. MAGAZINE)

Now along comes Betsy DeVos.

Our previous posts on DeVos dealt with her attempts to weaken our public school system by granting more perks for private schools — at the expense of the public school systems.

And, when those perks steal economic and human resources from public education and, at the same time, make it more difficult or impossible for lower income working parents to have equal access, I’ve got a big problem with the DeVos private school propositions.

But DeVos does not just stop with her attempts to weaken public school education.  Oh, no!

Today we have DeVos moving into a defense of for-profit colleges while, at the same time, not requiring those private schools to meet accrediting and placement standards.

According to a Washington Post article, “Betsy DeVos to the rescue: For-profit colleges see a savior in secretary” by Laura Meckler she’s been doing this in unique ways:

“Education Secretary Betsy Demos has led a rescue squad for the nation’s for-profit colleges. Step by step, she has dismantled an Obama-era crackdown on the industry, and she plans to deliver a set of regulations next year that many expect to again boost the industry.

 Critics say these schools, which enroll 2.3 million students and range from small trade schools to large multi-state enterprises such as the University of Phoenix, prey on vulnerable students, leaving them with huge debts and questionable credentials.  .  .  .

 At the Education Department, DeVos has long believed the federal government should exercise as little control as possible over the nation’s schools, and she has spent a large chunk of her tenure undoing the work of her predecessors. She has revoked guidelines on affirmative action and transgender students, and is expected to cancel guidance regarding racial bias in school discipline.  .  .  . “

In my opinion, her suggested actions make her an enemy of  American education, be it with our public school system or with our historical system of higher education.

I am counting on our newly elected Congress to thwart her!

More on Monday  –  –  –

 — Bill Walton, co-Founder, ITC Learning
November 28, 2018
www.itclearning.com/blog/  (Mondays & Wednesdays)

 “THE WORLD RELIES ON THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”

 (This is a personal blog.  Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the blog owner, jhbillwalton@gmail.com, an independent consultant.  They do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in a professional or personal capacity.)