Fred Smith, professional testing expert and amateur poet, sent the following thoughts on Betsy DeVos (I too read “Richard Cory” when I attended San Jacinto High School in Houston, taught by my favorite teacher, Mrs. Ratliff):
Apologies to Edwin Arlington Robinson. Something about Betsy DeVos reminded me of “Richard Cory.” Robinson’s poetry was opened to us when we were boys in the Bronx at De Witt Clinton High School by my favorite teacher, Mr. McConnell.
Betsy DeVos
Whenever Betsy DeVos came to town,
We ordinary people felt her eyes:
A golden god-blessed woman of renown,
Bejeweled, dressed in wealth beyond all size.
For riches were the robes she always wore,
And we mere humble always feared to delve
Too deeply ‘neath the smile and crown she bore,
Whose mission was to save us from ourselves.
We did not know what darkness might belie
Such crafted goodness she put on display;
How many she had buried or could buy,
When anybody dared stand in her way.
And one day, as if queens could know the poor,
When asked what she would do to lift all schools,
She deigned not say, but that cold smile we saw
Said “One thing I know: Money sets the rules.”
~fred
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“Betsy DeVos, the nominee for secretary of education, said in a letter to a senator after her confirmation hearing that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a “wonderful example of what happens when parents are regarded as full partners in their child’s educational decision-making” and that she is “committed to enforcing all federal laws and protecting the hard won rights of students with disabilities.”
Except public school parents. Who have no advocates and no representation at the federal level.
45 million children in public schools have been entirely excluded from this whole debate and discussion. We were dismissed as “the status quo” by Ms. DeVos at the start of the hearing and we haven’t heard a word out of ed reform since.
This is a “movement” that is “about” public education but completely excludes public schools- the schools 90% of children attend. That’s ludicrous and it’s proof positive that it’s an echo chamber. They should re-evaluate ed reform. They’re either irrelevant or an actual detriment to 90% of parents and students. That’s a big problem.
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Caitlin EmmaVerified account
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Jason Botel shocked some of his colleagues when he joined the Trump administration:
This is only “shocking” to those inside the echo chamber. Ed reform has always been mostly about promoting charters and vouchers and that has become more prevalent with each passing year. The only time public schools are mentioned in this “movement” is when they are scolding people about test taking or developing measurement schemes. That’s been true for 20 years in Ohio.
The one and only thing they care about is “choice’. All the rest comprises about 10% of their interest.
Of course they’re all joining Trump. They know he and DeVos will pour resources into charters and vouchers. Look at any ed reform site on Trump. The fate of public schools isn’t even considered.
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It was in High School that I too was introduced to EA Robinson. How many hours have I spent in contemplation of this poetic giant? Of course, Richard Cory went home and “put a bullet through his head.” Betsy does not yet appear as a paradoxically tragic character.
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Maybe Fred is making a suggestion
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Yes, I think the starkness of the poem is something that shocked each of us when we read it. The suicide of someone so perfect was literally a surprise ending. Maybe it evoked in me a death wish I had for BDV’s nomination–kind of by her own hand, but more as a result of a peasant’s revolution.
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I read ed reformers all the time. Every public school supporter and parent should because they utterly dominate both state and federal government.
Try it. I think the bias towards charters and private schools will jump right out at you if you’re not inside the group, but see for yourself.
I don’t even think they see it.
This is a “moderate” ed reform group describing “collaboration” between public schools and charters:
“Why is this going on? The superintendents and school boards in these cities do not score points with teachers unions by working directly with charters. Charter schools are usually wary of losing their autonomy or wasting time when they get too close to districts.”
This is a viewpoint. It assumes everyone in a public school is primarily concerned with labor unions and that there could not be any other possible reason a public school would join with a charter. This just simply isn’t true. I’ve had 4 kids thru an ordinary Ohio public school in a (conservative) working class county. Our whole school is unionized. I have never heard anyone talk about labor unions in our schools the way ed reformers do. It simply isn’t the main focus.
On the other hand,look how charters are portrayed- wholly self-sacrificing and noble. Their big worry about public schools? That public schools will “waste their time”- cut into their volunteer work feeding the poor or something.
This is bias, and it’s baked into this “movement”. It is EVERYWHERE, in everything they produce.
http://crpe.org/thelens/necessity-not-nicety-district-charter-alliances?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Read%20more&utm_campaign=CRPE%20Jan%202017%20newsletter
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“This is a viewpoint. It assumes everyone in a public school is primarily concerned with labor unions and that there could not be any other possible reason a public school would join with a charter. This just simply isn’t true. I’ve had 4 kids thru an ordinary Ohio public school in a (conservative) working class county. Our whole school is unionized. I have never heard anyone talk about labor unions in our schools the way ed reformers do. It simply isn’t the main focus.”
Thanks, Chiara. It is always so refreshing to hear from your sane viewpoint. I put three kids thro an upper-mid class NJ town public school. The whole state is unionized, & pays pretty outrageous prop taxes, due to being a dense population situated between job-hubs in Nyc & Philadelphia. Yet tho you hear plenty of hubbub about too-hi RE taxes, prop-tax reform etc, the only anti-teachers’-union diatribes are trumpeted from the Rep govr (of a blue state) & his ed-reform minions.
Locally, we just get on w/biz, BOE-wise. (We are very municipally-oriented in NJ– tho we’ve long been sending– without exorbitant complaint– large chunks of the annual pot to the state to aid poor districts, & upping our muni taxes to keep our district schools funded).
In my town, in the 25 yrs I’ve lived here, the only fight we’ve had w/ the union was one year when the BOEd secretly (in closed summer session– in the midst of the 2008 financial collapse) approved a 3-yr union raise– which coincided w/Christie reneging on previously-promised state funds. Subsequently, Christie restored some of that, & meanwhile, we made sure the union didn’t get another raise for a few yrs after, & paid more into their bennies to boot.
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