Ms. DeVos:
The state of Michigan, as you know, plans to close 38 schools, most of them in Detroit.
Please watch this powerful documentary about school closings in Detroit, how they disproportionately affect black children, how they disproportionately affect children with special needs.
Detroit is littered with closed schools.
Don’t you realize that closing schools destroys communities and disrupts the lives of children who have high needs?
Please tell us what you intend to do to stop this madness.
The schools are not failing; our society is failing.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
cross-posted at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Hello-Betsy-DeVos-Watch-in-Best_Web_OpEds-Betsy-Devos_Diane-Ravitch_Documentary_School-170223-797.html#comment646965
What person with any intelligence or education really believes that DeVos really cares what happens to the children in Michigan? Who really believes she cares about any children in America and their futures? I don’t. She is part of the problem. DeVos will NOT be part of the solution. Additionally, who believes that Trump really cares about the children of the United States? I don’t!!! Trump put DeVos in her current position. That should tell everyone what Trump really thinks about our children today, tomorrow, and in the future.
DeVos wants to siphon off public education taxpayer funds into vouchers and for profit charter schools until there is nothing left but to shut the remaining public schools down, since they don’t work. Privatization is not going to improve education outcomes.
DeVos and Scott Walker want an apartheid system of education.
Detroit schools have been made to function as an engine of slum generation. Granted that internal mismanagement helped to create this mess, the state officials who had authority to conduct audits walked away.
You’re right. DeVos and Walker have created a tiered system of separate and unequal schools for poor minority students. They may also being trying to get black families out of certain areas so developers can swoop in and grab up real estate for gentrification. We have seen this type of land grab play out in many cities.
thanks. great video.
On Thu, Feb 23, 2017 at 10:01 AM, Diane Ravitch’s blog wrote:
> dianeravitch posted: “Ms. DeVos: The state of Michigan, as you know, plans > to close 38 schools, most of them in Detroit. Please watch this powerful > documentary about school closings in Detroit, how they disproportionately > affect black children, how they disproportiona” >
Sickening. DeVos is in but that is not the end of the battle. Every congressman should receive a link to this video. Shame those who voted for her and remind those who didn’t that that means they just have to work harder to see she doesn’t do even greater harm.
so misguided…so sad…I feel to disrupt little lives of children of whom many have disruption at home is cruel. School is often the safe place for many children. On more than one occasion I have had students tell me they want to stay at school and not go home. The least among us get on buses, work two jobs, work at night. To be told that your children cannot attend your neighborhood school is misguided and wasteful. To satisfy the far right education agenda of the rich – god save you…if you only knew their lives…shame on you…do not close neighborhood schools.