"I teach fourth grade at a public charter school in Kansas City, MO. Roughly 96 percent of the students I serve are African-American and qualify for free and reduced lunch. The election of President Trump was hard enough to explain to my students. They were just as saddened, confused, and disappointed as I was. The nomination of Betsy DeVos to Education Secretary has instilled the same sense of not only confusion and disappointment, but fear for the future of my students' academic success.
I am deeply concerned that DeVos's lack of experience in the education field will have dire consequences for my students and the funding my school receives from the federal government. As a Title I school, we require additional funds to help close the achievement gap and ensure all students can succeed, regardless of where they live or how much money their family earns. By the time my students get to fourth grade, they are already one-and-a-half years behind their higher income peers in both reading and math. By the time they get to eighth grade, they are three years behind. Statistics like these are the reason that now more than ever, we need experienced, diligent leaders who are advocates of both our public school system and the children that accompany it.
My heart sank when I first learned that DeVos had been confirmed. It is unfathomable to me that someone with absolutely no experience with education is now leading our country's entire education system. Her frequent denouncement of America’s public schools in exchange for private, religious schools through the use of vouchers is detrimental to the millions of students who attend our country’s public schools today. Moreover, the fact that DeVos (and her children) have never attended a public school or have had to take out student loans to pay for higher education worries me; in order to be an effective leader, one needs authentic engagement with the subject matter.
While I am thoroughly discouraged with the future of the American education system due to this appointment, it makes me realize that the work I am doing is that much more important."
