The Problem of Grizzly Bears
What we can expect from the horrendous confirmation of Betsy Devos
By Bennett Stillerman
The Progressive Teen Staff Writer
EDUCATION IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT ASPECT of society. Two-thirds of voters report that education is one of their top issues. This is for good reason, as education is one of the very few issues that touches all Americans. School attendance is compulsory for all children under 16 years old. Whether they attend public, private, or charter schools, at one point or another they will have sat in a classroom and anxiously waited for a bell to grant them freedom. These experiences are extremely formative for children. The benefits are varied and deep. They range from benefits to gross income, promoting women’s equality in the work place, to being the best chance for the impoverished to change social strata. Attending a school that utilizes its resources in an effective way to nurture and grow its pupils is among the best ways to cultivate lasting success in a person. As a nation, we needed to get this right. Yet, somehow, we dropped the ball.
For all of the benefits education brings, it is not given the attention it deserves. Despite being supposedly a top issue for Americans, the polling place is devoid of those sentiments. National elections are rarely, if ever, turned on education policy. Candidates spend little time talking about improving the lives of our children. In a middling system that ranks only mediocre against other countries in the world, this is unacceptable. America is the richest country in the world, and despite that, lags behind in almost every measurable subject.
Enter Donald Trump.
Trump’s major education promise was to divert $20 billion of existing federal funds to a school voucher program designed to assist the impoverished. The key word here is “existing,” meaning he will likely dismantle one of the most comprehensive and effective aid programs for public schools run by the federal government. All of this for a program that research that does not disagree on if it will be effective, it disagrees on to what extent its harms will be.
His new education secretary, Betsy DeVos, is the most controversial cabinet nominee in history. Opponents have highlighted her total inexperience, lack of knowledge on the nuances of education policy, and overemphasis on deregulating charter schools. Her Senate Judiciary Committee hearings heavily featured Tim Kaine, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren probing everything from her families hundred million dollar donations to the GOP to her complete ignorance of growth vs achievement in education.
So, what can she do?
Not much, it seems.
School Vouchers
DeVos and Trump are both committed to the $20 billion voucher program mentioned earlier. DeVos is one of the primary champions of school vouchers, but she is largely limited to a rhetorical role only. DeVos is largely limited to altering existing programs in order to achieve any goal on school vouchers. For instance, she may be able to shift money in federal financial aid programs to allow for the program. But, she has promised Republican senators that she will not force this program on the states. Therefore, it’s unlikely that we will see any sort of strong policy actions from the Department of Education in advancing school vouchers — that reform will come from Congress. Even then, they will have to destroy the 38 state constitutions that block federal monies being appropriated for religious schools, limited a large portion of private schools from the program. Any reform that will come in this area will have to be the result of Congressional cooperation, not unilateral decision making.
Charter School Regulations
DeVos has extensive history in Michigan deregulating charter schools and other for-profit institutions. The results were abysmal. Despite economic growth and urban development, Michigan schools began to lag behind already mediocre national standards in math and language arts. In her ideal world, she would be able to translate her state-level education policy to the national scale. With legislation from Congress, she will be able to loosen these regulations. Just as Obama was able to rewrite some rules to become more strict during his administration, DeVos will likely be able to throw these institutions a legislative bone in the form of relaxed regulations.
Students With Disabilities
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a piece of legislation designed to protect students with disability from discrimination in the education sphere. During her confirmation hearing, she seemed confused about the act itself and was not able to provide detail on its enforcement. If she keeps in-line with President Trump’s rhetoric regarding regulations, you can expect the Department of Education to be much more lax in its enforcement of this. While she cannot repeal the legislation on her own, she can be picky about where and when it is enforced, effectively neutering the law should she so choose.
Transgender Rights
Mrs DeVos’s family has been very kind to anti-LGBTQ groups in the past. This issue of discrimination was especially contentious during the nomination process, as several Senators were rightly worried about stripping this vulnerable group of their protections. North Carolina recently came under fire from the Department of Justice and Education for their violation of Title IX by refusing to let transgender students use the bathroom of their choice. This kind of pressure from the Department of Education could easily end under DeVos, as she controls much power in what cases the Department wishes to pursue. The real question is whether she would do any of this. as there is no official stance from her on LGBTQ rights. This area is a bit more nebulous and could tip one way or another.
While these were just some of the issues that the Department of Education will tackle over the coming term, it is naive to think that they are limited to this. Education will be a hugely consequential policy area over the next 4 years and should be watched with extreme attentiveness. Betsy DeVos does not possess much power on her own, but with the help of Congress she may be able to strip many federal regulations that have kept dangerous and unfair practices at bay, depriving many of their right to a quality education. Only time will tell, but in the meantime, we must proceed with caution to minimize the damage. Be thankful for the educational environment you have received thus far, for its time may be at an end.
