WHAT THEY ARE SAYING – Compliments Continue For Betsy DeVos (Vol. III)

Praise continues to pour in about Betsy DeVos. Here’s the latest compilation of comments from thought-leaders and education activists that highlights why she’s the right person to lead the Education Dept:

December 22, 2016

Praise from those that know her best in Michigan and those familiar with her record nationwide continues to pour in about Betsy DeVos. Here’s the latest compilation of comments from thought-leaders and education activists that highlights why she’s the right person to lead the Education Dept:

Democrat Kevin Chavous, D.C. City Council: “She is going to be a star in this cabinet because she believes reaching across the aisle and working with Democrats and building consensus around collaborative ideas that help kids. And that’s the problem, when people try to ram school choice or ram these proposals, similar to Common Core, down the throat of people who are not ready for it, and that flies in the face of Betsy’s stance. That’s going to make a big difference.” 

• “We need to shake things up and there is no better way to do that than through school choice.”

MI State Rep. Tim Kelly: “Betsy DeVos has worked tirelessly and passionately to ensure that children, especially at-risk kids, have access to higher-performing schools. She has worked, and continues to do so, side-by-side with advocates for expanded school choice to ensure that parents have a larger voice in where and how their children are educated.”

• “DeVos understands that competition in K-12 education is a force for good that can help drive improvements in all schools, whether they be public, private or virtual. Simply put, when educators and school administrators have to compete for students and the dollars that fund their education, everyone in the K-12 system is forced to raise their game and put a greater emphasis on delivering results for students.” 

• “Simply put, Betsy DeVos is a courageous woman who will fight the fights that need to be won. She will take on entrenched special interests and out-of-touch bureaucracies to drive decision making concerning schools back into the state and local level where it belongs. 

• “DeVos is a woman who has a big heart and she is driven, first and foremost, by what is in the best interests of children. In addition to her dedicated advocacy for K-12 education reform, she has been a leader in the national mentoring movement, volunteering her own time to provide guidance to at-risk children.

AZ Gov. Jan Brewer: “No conservative in America has done more to promote school choice than Ms. DeVos. For the past 28 years, she has been a tireless and passionate advocate for policies that give parents more control over their children’s educations. Ms. DeVos has taken on the nation’s teachers’ unions in dozens of state capitals to promote education reforms that put the best interests of children ahead of the bureaucrats who dominate the education establishment in America.”

• “The reality is there is no stronger conservative in America who is better prepared to usher in the education reforms required to equip our kids with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the modern economy than Betsy DeVos.”

Phil Handy, Foundation For Excellence In Education: “I’ve known DeVos for 10 years and have had the privilege of serving with her on the Foundation for Excellence in Education’s Board of Directors. Her primary focus always has been on low-income children, a cause to which she had donated considerable time and resources. She is smart, determined and a strong leader. She was chosen to be a disruptive change agent in a public education system that for decades has failed America’s most disadvantaged students and perpetuated cycles of poverty.”

Jim Barrett, Great Lakes Education Project Chairman: “As Secretary of the U.S. Education Department, the rest of the country will soon see the discipline and passion of Betsy DeVos. And the country will be better off because of her service.” 

Henry Tyson, LTE In Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Schroeder tries to depict DeVos as a threat to democracy because she supports empowering parents to make decisions about where their kids are educated. DeVos correctly understands the power of competition to improve the performance of all schools — public, private and virtual.

• “She has spent the past 28 years challenging the status quo and fighting back against entrenched bureaucracies and unions that too often put the interests of adults ahead of the needs of children. Schroeder’s over-the-top attacks of DeVos should be viewed in this context.” 

• “Let’s look forward to the day when the union’s tired, debunked arguments about charter and voucher schools are laid to rest and public, charter and private schools work together to ensure that every child has access to a great school. If anyone can do it, it’s Betsy DeVos.”