Department Of Education: Was Betsy DeVos the Wrong Choice?

As an additional perspective of Betsy DeVos becoming the Secretary of Education, this contributor's opinion differs from the perspective shown in Pence Makes Huge Statement, Historic Tie-Breaking Vote For DeVos To Be Education Secretary by Ronald Rayburn. Read on to see which you agree with.

Was Betsy DeVos the Wrong Choice?

Betsy DeVos was the wrong pick for Secretary of Education.

The only acceptable nomination would have been – no one. The Department of Education needs dissolved because its function and purpose is useless. It is there to instill requirements, standards, and benchmarks? That is what the states are for.

WE DON’T NEED TO GO BACK TO 1800

Let me be very clear. I am not advocating for an education throwback – where all children walk 5 miles to and from school, get one water bucket to drink from, and all sit in one classroom regardless of age.

There was never a need for such a department to exist in this country. Although originally created in the 1860s, the Department was never a major player until President Jimmy Carter made it so by making it a “cabinet level department” in 1979. It is not that education is not a vital component for “We the People”, it merely comes down to who should be in charge of said vital component?

FEDERAL FAILURES

Info from the National Center for Policy Analysis (http://www.ncpa.org/pdfs/ib186.pdf)

1. GOALS 2000 – Ever notice the pattern of the volunteer opt in from the federal government? It’s also a loaded action that translates into “if you don’t opt in you will suffer”. Always promising upfront rewards but hardly ever disclose the long term consequences. How does this benefit the education system?
2. NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND – Reauthorized by George W Bush, this program reintroduced all sorts of fancy federal tests and standards. Since the emphasis was on raising test scores, teachers began to cheat. Have you ever read Freakonomics? They go into great detail what happens when you change the goal from education of the youth to increasing test scores.
3. RACE TO THE TOP – Dumped $4 billion federal dollars into states. This alone has me asking questions. Why is someone in one state paying for education in another? In any event, within 3 years teachers were way behind schedule for the completion of goals regarding instruction and educational outcomes.

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4. COMMON CORE – More government testing. Many states have withdrawn from Common Core. Way too expensive and wasted resources and time. Even teacher unions disapprove of Common Core.

WHAT IS BEST WAY TO ENSURE HIGH PERFORMANCE?

It’s obvious that the federal government loves to waste money on education. They also have destroyed the student loan market. By guaranteeing student loans, universities have gone on a spending spree adding luxury apartments, new athletic facilities, etc all because the federal government has their back in case the kids are too broke to make payments. It is such a crock.

Education is a perfect example of government embodying the word – inefficient. With government, there is no free market system. No competition. And certainly no ramifications for mistakes.

We must allow the citizenry to control their own education. States can decide rules and regulations. I would argue that states should even defer lower down that chain to local governments. I do not believe in educational districts. We have turned school into real estate, at least here in Pennsylvania. If your school sucks, you have to sell your house and move. By reversing this policy, you would create an environment in which productive schools were rewarded with enrollees and could charge more. Poor performing schools would be punished and cost less.

Betsy DeVos?

Be honest. We all watched her take questions. We all watched her embarrass herself. If you let left wing liberal democrats shred you apart, I immediately judge your mental faculties. Liberals are primarily nonsensical and rely on emotion instead of logic. Let’s not defend her please. The sword is not worth falling on.

Betsy was an awful selection. And no…..the two phony liberal Republicans that voted “no” do not receive applause from me. They voted “no” for entirely the wrong reasons.

So let us move forward with DeVos and her entire Department by calling for its retirement! There has already been a bill introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (KY). Let’s get behind it and eradicate another monster in the swamp.

Up Next: The Kellyanne Conway Ethics Witch Hunt Needs To Be Put To Bed Now

What do you think about this differing view of Betsy DeVos? Let us know in the comments section below.