Usually a new presidency has a honeymoon period, a time of good feeling and high poll numbers. As they battle for their policies and legislation, their poll numbers change, for better or worse.
Newsweek reports that Trump and his cabinet have very low approval ratings.
The cabinet member with the lowest approval rating is Betsy DeVos at 34.5%. She is highly divisive because her agenda is unpopular.
Parents across the nation understand that DeVos is an enemy of public schools. She doesn’t understand the purpose of community schools as the center of a community. Nearly two-thirds of the public reject her agenda.
That’s good news. It means in state after state, we can mobilize, organize, protest, and defeat her.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Hawaii Sen. Schatz reported that objections to DeVos “made for the busiest (three days) in capitol switchboard history.”
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It continues to be interesting to watch legislators and political pundits scrambling to figure out why there has been such an overwhelming resistance to the DeVos appointment. They keep falling back on the “Oh, well, it was only union-organized protest” line, unwilling to get through their heads that what DeVos stands for is BAD.
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“Their heads” understand. Their pickets are filled with cash. The Center for American Progress got $2.2 mil. form Gates (2013-15).
This month Rubio proposed a accreditation plan that takes control of college accreditation away from the academy. A very similar plan was introduced by CAP in Nov., 2016.
Corey Booker was CAP’s keynote speaker at its “Progress Party”.
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It is wonderful to hear that many citizens rightly cherish public education and are willing to defend it and the rights of their children and grandchildren to attend it. Now that the Democrats’ pretense is gone, the gloves are off. We will mobilize, resist, protest and defend the democratic institution that truly made America great. DeVos should get on her broom and head back to Michigan.
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Unfortunately Kentucky is on track to expand charters. It is the 44th state to sign up for this dubious system of schools, free from full public oversight. http://wfpl.org/bevin-signs-charter-schools-bill-into-law/
The Governor also signed a bill designed to permit segregation in school-based clubs. LGBTQ advocates and civil liberty organizations say the bill could allow student clubs to discriminate against fellow students based on their sexual orientation.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 21 states have enacted religious freedom restoration acts since 1993. Republicans in Congress said earlier this year that they planned to revive a 2015 bill — the First Amendment Defense Act — that would “limit the federal government’s ability to punish individuals and organizations who oppose same-sex marriage on religious grounds.”
The next step in the Republican agenda is reversing a 2010 Supreme Court Decision that made these discriminatory policies illegal. That case involved a public university. See more detail at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/kentuckys-religious-freedom-bill-mean-lgbtq-students/
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I was born in KY, and educated at KY public schools. I am delighted at this development. Charter schools were originally conceived by Al Shanker (AFT). see https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/opinion/sunday/albert-shanker-the-original-charter-school-visionary.html?_r=0
I believe that the parents and children who participate in the new KY charter schools, will find the experience worthwhile.
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Albert Shanker proposed charter schools in 1988 but denounced them in 1993 when he saw corporations moving in to make fast bucks.
We should learn from Shanker’s experience
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Shanker’s vision was not for commercialization of schools. He believed that school districts could set up charters to meet the needs of non-traditional students more easily and responsively. He never wanted to establish parallel systems that would compete with and harm public schools. Our current interpretation is all the product of corporations that seek to profit from schools.
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Shanker’s original vision is not what exists today. It takes time to explain to friends and family why charters as they now are, are not a good deal. My sister asked me – are you for school choice ? For me that is a loaded question. Within a district – yes if all those schools are under the local school board, are free, are local, are public, then yeah – you can have experimental school or school that helps students with special needs or students in trouble. But not this money grab that charters today are about.
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Charles,
1. Your last paragraph suggests one of the dilemmas with charters. When you refer to the parents and children who participate in KY charter schools, it suggests the Titanic effect of charters–only a few benefit.
2. Have you read about Newark, NJ Public Schools experience with charters? Even Cami Anderson came to note the problems.
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Q 1. Your last paragraph suggests one of the dilemmas with charters. When you refer to the parents and children who participate in KY charter schools, it suggests the Titanic effect of charters–only a few benefit. END Q
The program is going to start out slowly, with a small number of charter schools opening, in some of the largest KY cities. It follows, that only a few parents/students will benefit at first.
The solution to this “dilemma”, is to expand the program quickly, so that more can benefit!
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Like Ohio taxpayers and students benefit from ECOT?
If Ky. state government isn’t corrupted yet, just wait.
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I wonder just how high Arne Duncan would have ranked had the people been polled on this subject.
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I bet he would have been wildly popular among suburban mom’s.
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I am sure they did conduct that poll .
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Don’t be silly, Diane. Everyone knows that public schools suck and private and charter schools are awesome.
Just ask the US Department of Education! They work hard to send this message every day.
Look at any ed reform site or think tank. You’ll find horror stories about public schools and heart-warming tales of the wonders of charter and private schools.
Listen to the language they use: “government schools”, “factory model”, “dead ends” – these words are deliberate.
They don’t even HIRE public school graduates in ed reform. It’s a “movement” composed almost entirely of people who attended private schools, in a country where the vast, vast majority are public school graduates. I looked at a US Senate ed panel once out of curiosity and two out of NINE had attended public schools. Two. Some of these people haven’t had a relative attend a public school in 2 generations.
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Hmm….as if. She’s really there because of her family connections. Big huge piles of money pouring into republican candidates. Her brother’s inner workings with trump and possibly Russia. Once democrats get either the senate or house may be hope. Not likely to happen currently but mobilizing to take senate seats and house positions is a start. If this was about competence or value of education quality she’s hang herself already. Her removal will have to be indirect as she’s very fortified by her family situation.
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If anybody thinks 1/2 of those who vote for Trump know who the cabinet secretaries are or what their function is . I have a bridge to sell you. The hate her more because they recognize the word Education vs State or Interior….
So if you take all those who despise her policy positions and add the ignorant Trump base who despise the word education, Betsy gets the Crown . That was meant to be demeaning but I’m betting, it is not far off. She’s not much more or less deplorable, than Price , Sessions , Ross. A crook, a racist and a vulture capitalist . Then there is a Supreme Court nominee , Gorsuch ,who should be put on Ice in a freezer at 14 below all night before he is then filibustered on the Senate Floor.
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Pruitt.
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Pruitt’s been appointed to do what Reagan appointed his first EPA chief to do, stop enforcing the environmental laws. What was her name again?…
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Anne Gorsuch
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Unfortunately NH Governor Chris Sununu didn’t the memo on Ms. DeVos… He successfully appointed Frank Edelblut as Commissioner of Education despite evident conflicts of interest. https://waynegersen.com/2017/03/23/edelblut-like-devos-gets-appointment-as-chief-school-officer-despite-inexperience-potential-conflicts-of-interest/
And the situation took another turn this weekend when our local news reporter, who has done an excellent job of bird-dogging Mr. Edelblut’s conflicts, revealed that our newly minted commissioner “…passed an application from the husband of a School Board chair who is an ally of his to a Department of Education human resources administrator” before the job was posted externally. The article goes on to note that the applicant in question moved to NH as part of the libertarian Free State movement. The Valley News article is worth reading to get a picture of how appointments like DeVos’ play out at the State level: http://www.vnews.com/Croydon-Edelblut-Emails-8888869
Ultimately the real problem with DeVos’ appointment is that it gives governors like Chris Sununu a green light to appoint deep-pocketed but inexperienced people with wacky ideas key positions in public education
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Well, finally some good news!
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