VIEWPOINT
BY M A RY L EIGH TON
Education Needs a Champion
W
hat should we make of the ap-
pointment of Betsy DeVos as the
U.S. Secretary of Education?
The answer is, perhaps, “Not
very much.”
For professional educators, the choice of DeVos
is a bummer but no surprise. Secretaries of education
who champion the system have been rare. And yet our
school system has been a robust and productive insti-
tution, worthy of pride. It does not yet live up to our
dreams, but we have accomplished a great deal, plug-
ging away at the local level.
Does DeVos have any idea that American public
schools are among the finest in the world? (Skeptical?
Read 50 Myths & Lies That Threaten America’s Public
Schools, by Berliner and Glass, for a cogent analysis of
studies demonstrating just that.) We take very seriously
the mandate to educate citizens for a democracy.
Our insistence on enrolling all children and includ-
ing scores for all kinds of kids in accountability mea-
sures has not kept us from demonstrating excellence
in outcomes. Children whose English is not yet fluent,
children whose home lives are stressed by poverty and
dislocation, children whose handicaps make it harder
to develop their abilities — we believe all students
deserve to realize their full potential and we do our
darnedest to meet their needs.
In comparison with children from similar econom-
ic situations in other countries, even poor students in
American public schools routinely rise to near the top.
Has DeVos even heard about the many studies
showing how much childhood poverty contributes to
poor academic outcomes? And how concentrations
of poverty caused by bad housing policy drag many
more children down? Countries that support families
can show results in achievement that produce later eco-
nomic productivity. Does DeVos have a clue about the
evidence that vouchers aggravate the achievement
gaps between rich and poor, at public expense?
Does DeVos know that American public educators
are among the best-educated, highest-achieving pro-
fessionals in the workforce? We expect them to earn
graduate degrees and add new knowledge and skills
throughout their careers.
Furthermore, when their own homes are in splin-
ters after natural disasters, they can still be found
holding classes in the schools left standing. They
fundraise for field trips, write grants for special proj-
ects and work closely with parents to overcome ob-
stacles to student success.
Has DeVos ever even spoken with the best of the
scholarly public education critics? They are full of
great ideas about how to make all schools better for
all students, not just those whose parents can afford
the time and expense to drive them to schools of
choice. Minority Ph.D.s speak with passion and use
solid data to explain how we can improve outcomes
for newcomers and poor kids.
How can DeVos possibly understand what bet-
ter policies and programs would look like without
hearing from diverse, well-educated voices of expe-
rience?
The sad thing about DeVos’ appointment is that
she has no idea what an honor and privilege it is to
be named leader of the U.S. public education system,
with its admirable accomplishments and aspirational
goals. She shows no potential for noticing and cel-
ebrating our achievements.
DeVos seems to have no concept of the limita-
tions in resources and insight that sometimes cause
us to fail. She clearly has no information about the
ways federal dollars can leverage important changes
at the local level, helping communities connect their
efforts for the common good.
No sensible, informed person would claim that
our system lives up to our ideals. We have a lot of
work to do to make public education as excellent
as we all need it to be. In 1978, an educator named
Ron Edmonds said: “We can whenever and wherev-
er we choose successfully teach all children whose
schooling is of interest to us. We already know
more than we need, in order to do this. Whether we
do it must finally depend on how we feel about the
fact that we haven’t so far.”
Though Edmonds would be disappointed at how
slow the progress has been, we have moved steadily
forward.
The children in our schools deserve a champion.
Professional educators deserve a champion. Ameri-
can public education deserves a champion. Instead,
what we have at the helm is the next mouthpiece
for a longstanding effort to denigrate public educa-
tion’s real accomplishments, in order to free up tax
dollars to support private schools.
Hard evidence has shown time and again that
this diversion of public assets serves primar-
ily those with material wealth. DeVos will likely
ignore the evidence and do what she has always
done: Provide uncritical, uninformed support for
an elitist agenda.
Fortunately, communities and states retain con-
trol of the local program and much of the funding.
Fortunately, we are used to having little knowl-
edgeable help from the feds.
Maybe someday that will change. For now, the
underlying strengths of our system and our educa-
tors will ensure we proceed as usual without a
champion in Washington.
Mary Leighton is a retired educator. Her experience includes work as a
teacher and administrator in a wide variety of public schools and as an
evaluator of national education policy initiatives, mostly under contract
with the U.S. Department of Education.
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