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Betsy DeVos has been an education reformer—and philanthropist—for some 35 years. In the Trump administration, she was education secretary. She has written a book that is part personal memoir, part policy book: “Hostages No More: The Fight for Education Freedom and the Future of the American Child.” From Jay, she fields some questions general and specific: “What is ‘education freedom’?” “Should there be public schools?” “Should there be a federal education department?” “What about your resignation after January 6?” “Why did you choose education as a cause? Or did the cause choose you?” Betsy DeVos is a formidable woman and public-policy thinker, and doer. Know her better, perhaps, through this conversation.
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Published in: Podcasts
Thanks @jaynordlinger, for an insightful podcast. I have been a “fan” of Betsy DeVos since coming on the scene as Education Secretary. I have long been a supporter of a more flexible and “free” approach to education. I believe an experimental approach to educational reform via charter schools or innovative private schools coupled with a radical de-emphasis on public education as it is currently constituted is the best way to improving educational outcomes. I envision a true free market in education where the best ideas will flourish and the worst will perish. It would likely be quite difficult at first, but I expect it would smooth out quickly and benefit far more kids than the system does today. But alas, I am not hopeful.
A quick anecdote. I was once enjoying a beer with a colleague after work when his wife joined us. We had a pleasant conversation about kids and hobbies and weekend plans when Betsy DeVos appeared on the TV over the bar. I made the mistake of commenting that I really liked her as Education Secretary when the “expletive deleted” hit the fan. My colleague’s wife turned on me with absolute disgust and began berating me for my comment. It went from a perfectly polite conversation to condemning me as the worst person in the world (slight exaggeration, but you get the point). I tried to explain why I liked Ms. DeVos and her policy ideas but this only fueled her indignation. My colleague’s wife said I was a terrible person because I did not like poor people. Ummm, ok. Anyway, I had enough and said we probably need to end this conversation and I asked before leaving, quite sincerely, “We can still be friends, right?” She emphatically said no. In all my years I only had an experience like that once, but it was at a college located in the People’s Republic of Cambridge, MA so I wrote it off.
I’ve since learned that too many people are infected with a religious fervor for their political ideas and those who disagree are demonized as being morally inferior and unworthy of polite society; emphatically and irredeemably so.
I’m afraid we have a very steep climb just to get back to square.
-Rich