Hoekstra Confident of Senate Confirming DeVos Nomination

In his inaugural address on Friday, President Donald Trump lamented his view of an education system “flush with cash” that nevertheless leaves students “deprived of all knowledge”, drawing the ire of education leaders.

DeVos’ confirmation could be a big step toward diminishing the hold the education establishment has on education policies and on American classrooms.

Despite DeVos’ pledge to “not be conflicted”, Democrats said they need answers to their questions and concerns.

She and her husband Dick soon came to realize the great sacrifice that many Potter’s House parents were making to pay the private school tuition, even on a sliding scale.

But, as Murray pointed out, the process does not actually reflect the committee’s approach to previous confirmation hearings. Indeed, this is precisely what frightens teachers unions so much about school choice: it threatens their monopoly. She was often tongue-tied and crumbled under questioning.

Senate Democrats are formally asking Sen.

Alexander had initially scheduled a committee vote on DeVos’s confirmation for January 24, but made a decision to delay the vote a week, until January 31, to give Senators an opportunity to examine the ethics paperwork.

DeVos additionally stated during her hearing that she would support any move that Trump might make to ban gun-free school zones. “She has given millions to groups that advocate for school privatization and voucher programs, including the American Federation for Children, a group she chaired from 2009 to 2016″. Is it because she is a huge voucher fan?

Likewise, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) all but accused DeVos of buying her way to the secretary’s position.

According to Merrifield, among DeVos’ most unforgivable crimes is her “commitment to school choice”.

Not to be outdone, Sen. She has worked tirelessly for decades, sacrificing her personal time, treasure, and energy to empower parents, primarily those of limited financial means, with alternatives to the poor performing schools to which their kids are assigned and that are failing them?

But the claims that Neurocore’s methods can help children improve their performance in school could present a conflict for Ms. DeVos if she is confirmed as education secretary – especially given that the company is moving to expand its national reach. But the law also requires that DeVos sign off on their ESSA plans, most of which have yet to be finalized, but many of which are likely to have have accountability proposals that resemble what they already have in place. If former President Barack Obama is correct and educational attainment is the key to breaking out of a lower economic stratum, then no institution is driving inequality quite as effectively as public schools. No child should be stuck in a chronically failing school, because, in her own words, every child deserves access to a quality education.

Democrats are pulling out all the stops.

The right to a free public education is an enshrined value in American life, created to ensure that everyone has access to the same advantages. Incidentally, these charters, while far from ideal, have shown much better results than comparable public schools, as three independent studies, including by Stanford’s CREDO, have shown. Typically, the ethics review is finished before the nominee’s confirmation hearing. And they’re in the majority, so they’ll nearly certainly prevail.