The Educator’s Room Statement on the Appointment of Betsy DeVos

At  The Educator’s Room we have been energized to see how many people have recognized the importance of a strong public education system and have stepped up to take action on behalf of our students and teachers. The support has been non-partisan with Democratic, Republican, and Independent voters questioning who would think to be a good leader of Education in the United States and why. One thing we are heartened by is the majority of Americans calling for a strong public education system.

As Mrs. Betsy DeVos has been confirmed as Secretary of Education,  it is imperative that all stakeholders (teachers, parents, students, and community members) sit down and have discussions about the issues we see with our system and then create solutions within our public school system to build education for all. We ask that instead of creating a voucher system to allow all student needs to be met, why wouldn’t we fix the problems and meet those needs within the public education system? At this point in our nation’s great history,  further segregation among our youth is not what our nation needs.

Working together is the only way to move our nation forward.We believe that ALL children deserve the best of what we can give them not only in support, but also funding, opportunities, services, and a future. Should our public education system become more about feeding public funding to for-profit and un-regulated schools, we will do everything we can to stand in the way of any injustice and lack of opportunity that strikes at the heart of our students’ lives, and to continue to fight for the kind of support and funding ALL students and schools should equally receive around the country.

In her first 90 days in office, we challenge Betsy DeVos to:

1. Demonstrate she understands the basic pedagogy and evaluative data used to track the success of students and schools and the arguments for and against those tracking systems;

2. Lay out a plan that specifically looks to positive results for students who are struggling at their grade level in reading and math;

3. Listen to the variety of issues different states face with regard to education funding and graduation requirements;

4. Include public school teachers (including union members) as part of any policy advising committee you create to examine education policy at a national level; and

5. Advocate for safety on college campuses, support for students with disabilities, and the expansion of special education funding with Congress.

The Educator’s Room is a collective group of teachers (both retired and currently in the classroom) who seek to empower fellow educators that they are the experts in education- not politicians, business owners, our pundits. Ultimately, we all believe, like Mark Twain said, that “out of the public schools grows the greatness of the nation”.