A second-grade student wroteto Betsy DeVos to tell her that she loves her public school. She pleaded with DeVos,
“Please leave are [sic] public schools alone do not tear it down ever.”
Willa is a second grader. She is the daughter of a journalist, who posted Willa’s message on Instagram.
Do you think Betsy DeVos will get Willa’s card? Do you think DeVos will be moved by Willa’s message? Do you think she has ever seen a public school like Willa’s? DeVos seems to think that public schools are a dead end, a place where children are forced to go unwillingly. Maybe she should visit Willa’s school to understand why she loves it.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if one million school children wrote to DeVos and told her why they love their school?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Public school kids deserve one person in government who advocates on behalf of their schools. They comprise 90% of kids. They should have ONE.
We have zealous charter advocates in government and we have zealous voucher advocates in government.
Public school kids have “agnostics”, except the “agnostics” spend all their time bashing public schools.
That simply isn’t fair. They will lose. They ARE losing. My public school has lost federal funding every year since 2010 and they will lose again when ed reform gets what they want and public school funding is cut again. Please stop telling us you’re working for these kids. You’re not. It isn’t fair TO THEM to tell them you’re working for them. It’s a betrayal of their trust.
DeVos doesn’t care what children think. In her mind, she is a servant of her god and nothing else matters. Notice I did not capitalize god.
Uber should put her on the payroll. Maybe they already have.
Uber is not actually doing so hot, business-wise. They might want to find a different talking point to bludgeon public schools with.
Will ed reform DEFEAT America’s enemy, the public school system? Stay tuned! These brave warriors may finally triumph over the schools that educate 90% of kids!
Utterly ridiculous. A huge group of public employees who have identified a public entity as their enemy and they’re doing it “for the kids” who are IN those schools! My God, you’d think they’d at least hand out vouchers so these poor kids in the unfashionable public schools could get the hell out before they bulldoze the place.
Well, maybe Duncan and Mayor Emanuel are a servant of her god as well and nothing else matters. Notice I did not capitalize god either .
And they are Democrats in a party that professes to be working for the African American and the poor – I guess they don’t care about kids either because they are not of voting age?
Just like the GOP, the Democratic Party is made up of different factions. Just like Republicans, Democrats do not all think alike.
The Democratic Party has 5 major ideological factions and even they can be divided up into smaller factions.
Centrists
Conservatives
liberals (in this branch there are also neo-liberals, Duncan and Emanuel)
libertarians
progressives
Don’t be silly, Diane. Ed reformers are “agnostics”. Today they’re agnostically reciting political talking points about how public schools are exactly like taxi cabs (bad!) and charter and private schools are like sleek, 21st century Uber (good!).
Just disregard the fact they refer to public schools as “the status quo” and “government schools” and “dead ends” and “crumbling prisons”. That’s how agnostics talk! Really!
Disregard that fact that each and every ed reform “innovation” plays out to mean less funding for kids in public schools or that they never, not once, join in any campaign to support public schools.
Disregard the fact that Besty DeVos can’t find a single successful public school student in the entire country but finds lots and lots of people who were rescued by “choice”.
They’re not pushing agenda! No sir! Perish the thought.
“Uber Alles”
Vouchers uber alles
Private uber joint
Biggest uber smallest
Dollar uber point
Even if she actually read the letter (which is very unlikely), DeVos would undoubtedly just claim that the use of “are” rather than “our” by a second grader is proof that public schools stink.
These people are nothing if not predictable.
Is it nice, or is it good, or MUST it BE necessity to fight for all common goods?
For second grader, it is good to see her writing. For all readers, it is nice to read her idea.
For the subtlety of the reality in all PRIVATIZED businesses, especially, in the current American Administration, we must acknowledge that PROFIT, POWER, and CONTROL are the UTMOST and ULTIMATE concern for the owner(s). As a result, NOTHING-ELSE WOULD BE MATTER even if their loved ones’ well-being might be harmed because of their PROFIT, POWER, and CONTROL.
In short, millions of letters like this would be nothing to Betty DeVos. However, millions of voters can move Betty DeVos out of her current position by refusing to go to churches for a year. Yes, millions of American families can put pressure on Pope and all Churches’ leaders to repel the FAKED DEVOUT CHRISTIANITY from Betty DeVos now and forever. Back2basic
This little girl does not know that she’s riding in a broken down cab when she could be zipping along is a groovy Uber if she’d just switch schools and go to one of the better “sectors” that the federal employees prefer.
Has she considered a Rocketship? I hear they’re opening new franchises. Gosh, little girl. Get with the 21st century already. The US Department of Education (and their affiliated lobbyists) believe she is in a “factory” and only Betsy DeVos can save her.
Public schools are taking a real beating in DC today. They’re launching another “choice” political campaign:
https://www.brookings.edu/events/the-2016-education-choice-and-competition-index/
Your tax dollars at work. Thousands of people who supposedly “work on” public education but spend their entire work day denigrating existing public schools and promoting their preferred models.
This 8 year old needs to hire herself a lobbyist,pronto. Her note is cute but she’s outmatched. One would think she could find a Senator or House member to pick up her cause but they’re busy cutting funding to her school while scolding her on how she isn’t “college and career ready”.
Public School funding is 90+% state/municipal. If a person (regardless of age) is truly interested in supporting public school, then I suggest that they focus on the source of the funding.
I would love to see the Dept of Education phased out (like Ronald Reagan promised), and support/control for public education return to states/municipalities where it belongs.
It does make one wonder why we have a department of education when it appears to be led and staffed by non-educators. One would think that people who can legitimately claim some expertise in the field would be of some prominence in the organization. As long as its primary use seems to be as either a political football or a lobbying tool for private industry, we would do better to at least decrease its footprint in our schools. It really doesn’t seem to be an advocate for children anymore and it is certainly not promoting the importance of public schools.
Right wing Republicans are only anti government when they are out of power. Once in power they use the power of the state to intrude on everything from our schools, to internet privacy,to workers rights to organize, to a woman’s right to control her own body.