In a speech, given at Hillsdale College, the Secretary of Education stated,
“Education is the means by which we secure the God-given blessings of liberty,”
Secretary DeVos further, said,
“The COVID crisis has laid bare a lot about American education,” DeVos said. “Parents are more aware than ever before how and what their children are — or are not — learning. And far too many of them are stuck with no choices, no help, and no way forward.”
Her position is the government has no right to usurp the role of parents. She feels the family should be embraced as a sovereign sphere and to remember that the family predated government altogether.
“The family is not only an institution,” DeVos said, “it’s also the foundation for all other institutions. The nuclear family cultivates art, athletics, business, education, faith, music, film — in a word, culture. And just as the family shapes its culture, it also shapes its government.”
It is her position that schools exist to supplement families and not to replace the family.
She is going to focus expanding a robust school choice program where parents have control over how their tax dollars are spent on the education of their children. Their educational tax dollars should should follow their children wherever they want to learn.
A survey by RealClearOpinion found 3 out of 4 families, with children in public schools sought full school choice, including 73 percent of black families and 71 percent of Hispanic families.
With this large a percentage, one must wonder why such practices are not in place. The answer is the National Education Association (NEA). The very thought of parents making educational choices for their own children is abhorrent to the association. In fact, it is the NEA that has kept children out of in-person school attendance this fall. They thoroughly enjoyed this past spring where they were paid their full salary, while sitting home, and wanted to continue.
Frankly, when one considers the curriculums currently in place, children were better off having their parents work with them or finding online tutoring assistance.
For those who may not remember, Secretary DeVos’s confirmation hearing was one of major contention. It was because of her stance on school choice and the NEA’svehement objection to her nomination. schools are funded based on student “population”. When parents awaken to the reality of their child’s abysmal school and seek to move their child, the school loses dollars.
From a personal perspective (education is in my ‘wheelhouse’), I have been pleased with the majority of her tenure. Beside school choice, she is the one cabinet member who submitted a reduced budget. If we are fortunate enough to see 45 re-elected, it is my hope she remains in her position.