Be afraid; be very afraid. This is our warning to parents, teachers, and public school administrators in Virginia, especially if you live in Virginia’s 7th Congressional district. Michigan’s Betsy Devos, the new U.S. Secretary of Education and Congressman Dave Brat, will team up to advance an agenda for public schools based on a flawed idea that economic theory can be applied to public school children as if they were rugs being sold in a bazaar.
Michigan, a hotbed of charter schools under DeVos’ wrecking ball influence, ranks near the bottom in national fourth- and eighth-grade math and fourth-grade reading scores. Citizens, you could be stuck with any number of failing schools like Hope Academy, a Detroit charter school, that has among the lowest test scores in the state.
DeVos, in Senate confirmation hearings, was unable to answer even basic questions on how to measure student achievement. Asked about how kids with disabilities would be protected under her interpretation of current federal law as “best left to the states,” she replied, “I may have confused it.” Quizzed about virtual school dropout rates, she fudged them.
Since the 1990’s DeVos has lobbied for voucher programs, for-profit charter schools, tax credit initiatives and virtual universities, plans that siphon funds from traditional public schools. She has never taught in a public school, administered one, nor have her children ever attended one. Make no mistake; her vision is to privatize public education.
Her record of applying economic competition and choice to schools in Michigan is abysmal. According to Stephen Henderson of the Detroit Free Press, “We’re a laughingstock in national circles, and a pariah among reputable charter school operators.” The paper’s yearlong investigation found that 20 years after Detroit’s charter schools began test scores are nearly identical to those of public schools. Indeed, no national research study has ever found that, on average, charter schools have provided any more significant achievement differences than traditional public schools.
Enter 7th District Congressman Dave Brat, a recipient of DeVos campaign contributions (about $15,000) and one of her early endorsers. According to Brat, a former economics professor, “She’s a champion of school choice…in economic theory a monopoly provides the worst outcomes in both quantity and quality.” (Facebook Town Hall, 1/31/17)
Brat tells us this vision, “does not mean every school is going to move toward choice,” and indicates that all the “counties I have do a wonderful job with public education.” What he fails to talk about in his endorsement of tax credit incentives is that such plans are a back door way to violate the intent of the “establishment clause” of the First Amendment by giving tax credits to send kids to religious schools.
Brat further explains that, “in terms of business we want to lighten the load of government regulation, in terms of education the same thing.” Brat is correct that education leaders in his district don’t want more useless federal regulations. But we do want to protect public schools from over zealous ideologues monkeying with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 1975 (IDEA), a law that has guaranteed rights to students with disabilities for over 30 years. DeVos touts Ohio’s Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship program where public funds are available to students who have IEPs to attend private schools. That voucher program, like similar ones across the country, requires families to give up due process rights guaranteed under IDEA. Neither DeVos nor Brat has ever spoken to this issue.
Education policy must be underpinned by sound research. We challenge DeVos and Brat to provide evidence that vouchers cause schools to improve by throwing them into a competitive marketplace. Vouchers limit the most disadvantaged students in many ways. Vouchers don’t pay anywhere near the full cost of most private education. In addition, many families have no transportation to attend these schools. Furthermore, private schools often screen out students based on test scores, behavioral history and/or special needs. Those who end up benefitting the most come from more affluent homes, leaving behind the most vulnerable.
We call on parents, teachers, school administrators, school board members, legislators and others to resist this dangerous movement. Yes, there are schools that need help; some need significant intervention to bring equality of opportunity for their students. Leaders with a track record in school improvement should be recruited, additional resources should be provided, and yes, maybe some heads should roll. We believe improvement strategies should be research-based rather than looking to impulsive “marketplace” solutions.
We ask Congressman Brat to hold bona fide, open town halls with face-to-face interaction with his constituents, answering individual, unfiltered, non-staged and non-amalgamated questions. Of particular interest to us is a more detailed view on public education.
Harold “Bud” Cothern, Ed.D. Superintendent, Retired; Goochland County Schools
Sharon deFur, Ed.D., Professor, Retired; School of Education, College of William and Mary