(Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)
With Betsy Devos as the new Secretary of Education, many people have realized that big change could come to the American Education system. Devos grew up in Michigan and is a multi-billionaire who comes from a very wealthy family. She then proceeded to marry into the family that created Amway. In other words, she is a member of one of the richest families in the United States. Recently, she has been scrutinized for her lack of experience in education, and also many of her proposed policies.
Devos has been fighting for the past 20 years to allow kids to choose which schools they attend, rather than attending the school that is within their district. As Secretary of Education, she is continuing this fight by proposing a voucher system that would allow parents to choose the school their child attends.
This policy has the potential to improve the failing American education system. If implemented correctly, school choice could help kids in impoverished neighborhoods go to schools that have better resources to help them succeed. A student’s socioeconomic status should not affect their quality of education. By funding the voucher program, we can improve the quality of education for all students and encourage them to take the next step towards a university education.
Along with the proposed voucher system, Devos has also highlighted her campaign for charter schools. Currently, many states have a cap limit on how many charter schools can operate within their state. Devos wants to eliminate these caps, and push states to open more charter schools. Moreover, she has urged Congress to allocate more funding towards the charter institutions. Charter schools are thought to provide a higher quality education compared to publicly operated schools. Devos’ charter school policy could lead to better-educated individuals.
One of the issues that people have with Devos’ new policies is that she wants to use federal funding for religious schools. People see this as a violation of the separation between church and state, and I have to agree. She has stated on multiple occurrences that she would like to include religious schools in the push towards school-choice, but people are disagree that the federal government should fund religious institutions.
As we look at the overall intentions of our new secretary of educations policies, I think that American citizens should have a positive outlook on the future of our education system. Despite the flaws that Devos’ may have, her overall motives could be very beneficial for the system. Citizens of the United States of America should give her a chance.
Luke Cahill Staff Reporter