Betsy DeVos and Her Fight for Students’ Rights

Betsy DeVos has been fighting for students’ rights to choose for 30 years. In her exit interview with Rick Hess on Edweek.org, she spoke about the challenges she faced as the 11th U.S. Education Secretary and what it would take to fix the system failing America’s students.

Hess asked some poignant questions of the former Secretary of Education, asking her what single data point really shows her thinking about American education. DeVos responded that lower-income 4th grade students are below basic readers. This means that the system is failing to teach the most basic of skills to young children, and there hasn’t been much change year after year.

DeVos has tried to help students. She says that they are not the main focus for many educators, but her policies have always focused on how to help students, particularly those who are not granted the same access to better education as wealthier students.

Educational choice helps these students go to the same schools. DeVos has dedicated millions of dollars to help these students, focusing on lower income families and school districts that don’t have the same funds. Much of her philanthropy has helped schools in her home state of Michigan, but once she became the U.S. Education Secretary, she began working on school choice policies in all 50 states.

She went on several tours to answer questions and bring in celebrities who wanted to support her cause. Rapper Pitbull toured with Secretary DeVos in 2019, as well as former FLOTUS Melanie Trump. Her campaign amped up the cause to provide more school options to students, particularly as parents decided to homeschool their children in lieu of the pandemic.

DeVos has said that the largest gap between American students and international peers is that they are not in the top 10 in any subject. She blames the system for failing them. In addition, she says that research shows parents want to choose a different school other than the one assigned due to school zoning laws. That’s why she champions the cause for educational choice so consistently.

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