Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Trump Picks School Choice Advocate For Secretary of Education

The Detroit News reports that Donald Trump has chosen Betsy DeVos, a national leader in the school choice movement as his nominee for Secretary of Education:
DeVos is chair of the American Federation for Children, a Washington, D.C.-based single-issue organization devoted to expanding school of choice options across the country....
DeVos is a former Michigan Republican Party chairwoman whose husband, Dick, unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2006.
The DeVos family, heirs to the Amway Corp. fortune, are the most prolific donors to the Michigan Republican Party, GOP officeholders and candidates....
In 2000, Betsy and Dick DeVos funded an unsuccessful statewide ballot initiative to amend the state Constitution to allow tax dollars to be used for private school tuition through education vouchers. They have since advocated for school vouchers in other states.
Earlier today, before the choice was publicly announced, Breibart News carried an article opposing DeVos which it headlined: Potential Trump Education Chief Pick Betsy DeVos Is Pro-Common Core, Family Donated To Clinton Foundation.

UPDATE: DeVos says she is not a supporter of Common Core, clarifying her position on her website.