Betsy DeVos on Reforming the Department of Education

Criticism of the Department of Education

• 🎯 The Department of Education is criticized for not advancing student education, despite trillions spent since its inception.
• 📉 Current test scores show a decline, with only 31% of fourth graders reading proficiently and 39% in math, worsening for eighth graders.
• 🏛️ The department is described as a political payoff to school unions, established in 1979 to support Jimmy Carter.

Proposal for Reform

• 💡 Betsy DeVos, as former Secretary of Education, proposed merging education with labor to work towards eliminating the department.
• 🚀 The current Secretary, Linda McMahon, is continuing this groundwork, aiming to reduce bureaucracy and regulation.
• 🗺️ The vision is to shift focus to states and local levels, allowing them to direct funds and educational strategies for students.

Block Grants and State Autonomy

• 💰 Block grants to states are proposed as a way to reduce federal bureaucracy and give states more innovation and control.
• ✅ States are seen as capable of managing funds and educational needs more effectively than Washington bureaucrats.
• 🏢 During government shutdowns, education continued at the state and local levels, highlighting the department's role as a mere pass-through.

Historical Context and Union Influence

• 🕰️ The Department of Education was created in the 1970s, with attempts to dismantle it dating back to the Reagan administration.
• 🤝 The department is viewed as a political outpost for school unions, and its elimination would reduce their political power.
• 📉 A shift in union leadership, particularly the AFT under Al Shanker's successor, is cited as a turning point towards a more leftist agenda that the department has followed.
• 🎓 Teachers and students are expected to benefit from state-level control and increased resources, rather than lose out.