Education thread

[Vrede too]

Link

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States With the Best (and Worst) Schools

10 worst: 2 blue, 7 red, 1 purple.
10 best: 8 blue, 1 red, 1 purple.
Anyone surprised?

29. Florida
35. Tennessee
36. South Carolina
37. North Carolina

[O Really]

When Trump was signing the official paperwork to nominate his cabinet, he mentioned something about each one, mostly meaningless, but something like "good job as Governor - will be great here" but when he got to DeVos, it was "ummm, Betsy - Education, right?"

[Vrede too]

Now Is the Time to Fight Against Private School Vouchers! (petition)

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Several Trump (Education Department) appointees shared unflattering views of minorities, women on social media
The postings raise questions about how the administration is vetting hires.

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Betsy DeVos appears to have plagiarized quotes for Senate questionnaire

F.

"The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions voted two times 12-11, along party lines, to approve her nomination."



Little Bubba: "Shut up, teach, the Secretary of Education does it and Congress approves. Make education great again."

[O Really]

Despite several years of being disappointed every time I hope for even the slightest sign of decency in Republicans, I really would have thought that some of these nominees would have faced a tougher time from some Republicans. It may be true, but it's hard to believe that every person winning office as a Republican is content (or supporting) to put incompetents in as heads of agencies they've actively opposed and will tear down. Education used to be something everybody could support, and even if you didn't like the federal DOE, you'd be more for "reform" than demolition. Likewise the EPA - support for environmental health doesn't seem it ought to be controversial in principle. You might disagree about specific regulations, but you wouldn't try to argue that there shouldn't be any restriction on dumping toxic materials into the water supply.

So here's DeVos, who has a record of being extreme even by Republican standards, who has no experience in managing anything or working in any educational environment, who has actively opposed the department for which she is nominated to ummmm, "lead," and every Republican is fine with that? Even the ones who just got elected to a six year term and don't intend to run again? Even those who represent areas that are major beneficiaries of federal education funds? Everybody?

Or maybe in a world where everybody nominated would not, by any normal standard of business or government, be considered qualified that the Department of Education is just not a big enough fish to fight over. And I guess that would be the positive viewpoint.

[Vrede too]

Betsy DeVos and her family have given nearly $1 million to 21 senators who will vote on her confirmation.

“I have decided to stop taking offense at the suggestion that we are buying influence. Now I simply concede the point. They are right. We expect a return on our investment.”

Petition to the 21 Senators who have taken campaign contributions from Betsy DeVos and her family:

Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos is on record as saying that when she and her family give money to parties and politicians, they “expect something in return.” Given her view on campaign contributions, and the fact you have received tens of thousands of dollars from the DeVos family, it is reasonable to conclude Mrs. DeVos expects you to vote for her confirmation, regardless of whether she is fit for the role. To ensure the American people the confirmation process is fair and even-handed, please recuse yourself from voting on her confirmation.

See Betsy DeVos' Donations to Senators Who Will Oversee Her Confirmation

... Several GOP members of the Senate education committee who will be among the first eligible to officially consider and vote on DeVos' nomination also have received donations from Betsy and Dick DeVos Jr. over the years. These lawmakers include:

Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina: Betsy DeVos gave Burr $5,400 for the 2016 election, according to Federal Election Commission records. (That represents the maximum allowable contribution from an individual directly to a candidate for federal office, given both a primary and a general election.) Dick DeVos Jr. also gave Burr $5,400 for 2016.

... Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska: Betsy DeVos gave Murkowski $5,400 for the 2016 election. Dick DeVos Jr. also gave Murkowski $5,400 for 2016.

Makes her opposition even more heroic.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina: Betsy DeVos gave Scott $2,000 for the 2014 election, and $5,400 for the 2016 election. Dick DeVos Jr. also gave Scott $5,400 for 2016.

... Other GOP senators to receive Betsy DeVos' campaign donations include Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate majority leader ...

In the House of Representatives, which does not vote on Cabinet appointments, GOP lawmakers on the education committee who received donations from the couple include:

... Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida: Betsy DeVos gave Curbelo $1,000 for the 2014 election.

... In 2016, Betsy DeVos and her husband both donated to several other GOP presidential campaigns:

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush: Betsy DeVos gave Bush $2,700. Dick DeVos Jr. gave Bush $5,400.
... Florida Sen. Marco Rubio: Betsy DeVos gave Rubio $2,700. Dick DeVos Jr. gave Rubio $5,400....

Giving to Governors

... Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam: Each of them gave Haslam $5,000.
... North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory: Betsy DeVos gave McCrory $4,000. Dick DeVos Jr. gave McCrory $9,100.
... Florida Gov. Rick Scott: Betsy DeVos gave Scott $500. Dick DeVos Jr. gave Scott $1,000....

Swamp.

[Vrede too]

Poor reading skills reflect NC’s poor school funding

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Plus VP Mike Pence.

[bannination]

Apologies if this quote from Devos has already been posted, but if not, it'd be a shame to miss it.

“I have decided, however, to stop taking offense at the suggestion that we are buying influence,” DeVos told the New Yorker in November. “Now I simply concede the point. They are right... We expect a return on our investment.”

Sauces: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/marco ... ay-9123691
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk ... -secretary

[O Really]

Most on that "list of shame" should be no surprise to anyone. But given the widespread national resistance to DeVos and her demonstrated and publicized incompetence, inexperience, and ignorance, it is a bit of a surprise that Graham and McCain, at least, who aren't ever going to be on President*Trump's good list anyway, went along with her nomination.

[Boatrocker]

Most on that "list of shame" should be no surprise to anyone. But given the widespread national resistance to DeVos and her demonstrated and publicized incompetence, inexperience, and ignorance, it is a bit of a surprise that Graham and McCain, at least, who aren't ever going to be on President*Trump's good list anyway, went along with her nomination.

That's what whores do.

[Vrede too]

Think the DeVos nomination was inexplicable, unjustifiable and rotten?

Trump Appoints Creationist Jerry Falwell Jr. To Lead Higher Education Deregulation Task Force

... More specifically, Falwell will lead the effort to deregulate a Department of Education that, under President Barack Obama, tried to rein in sketchy practices of for-profit colleges. Falwell’s goals sound like a perfect fit for Trump, who in November agreed to pay $25 million to settle lawsuits brought by students who claimed they were defrauded by his for-profit Trump University.

Falwell has said he was offered but declined the position of Trump’s Secretary of Education. That offer since has been extended to Betsy DeVos, who wants to privatize public education through school voucher schemes....

Having Falwell Jr. involved in setting national education policy also is a concern since his university could benefit from any deregulation his task force recommends.

A New York Times analysis shows Liberty may be a non-profit university with a modest 14,000 residential students, but it also operates a profitable online arm that enrolls an additional 65,000 students. That puts Liberty’s online enrollment second only to for-profit behemoth University of Phoenix.

“Most colleges now have a mix of residential and online students, but it’s almost unheard-of to have four times as many online students as residential students,” The Times wrote of Liberty. “Because internet courses are cheap to deliver at scale, the online division is a big revenue driver for Liberty, which brought in $591 million in tuition in 2013, against $470 million in expenses. Liberty is essentially a medium-size nonprofit college that owns a huge for-profit college.”

The article highlights some unflattering statistics about the success rates of Liberty’s students:

· 41 percent earn less than $25,000 six years after entering college. That’s less than the average earnings of a 25-year-old with only a high school diploma.

· Three years after graduation, 9 percent of Liberty students default on their student loans, which is higher than the national average rate of 6.5 percent.

· Fewer than 40 percent of Liberty students have managed to pay down their student loan principals by at least $1 within three years of leaving school.

The Chronicle of Higher Education, which interviewed Falwell last week about his new post, noted one of his targeted areas for deregulation will be rules enacted last fall aimed to assist students left with worthless diplomas and mounting debt after their for-profit colleges collapsed. The Obama administration also strengthened the accrediting standards for colleges whose students receive federal financial aid.

“The goal is to pare it back and give colleges and their accrediting agencies more leeway in governing their affairs,” Falwell said. “I’ve got notebooks full of issues.”

Call me crazy, but I’d like a Department of Education that puts the best interests of students ahead of shady colleges that appear to be out to make a quick buck....

Self-serving incompetence, it's become Trump's theme.

[Vrede too]

[Vrede too]

An Open Letter To Betsy DeVos

Actually, Betsy, I still have more to say.

You say that accommodations for children with disabilities would be unduly burdensome on schools. Your goal is to cut government spending. You say that schools should have a choice. The thing is, for me, and so many others like me, an education is the only choice.

Cerebral Palsy limits the use of both my arms and legs. There are virtually no jobs I could work without a formal education. If I tried to flip a burger, it'd end up on the floor. As much as I love shopping, you should see what it looks like when I fold a shirt. Growing up, I always knew that to make up for my physical limitations, I'd have to rely on my mind.

I've been blessed with parents that have stopped at nothing to give me the best and brightest future. Finding me a progressive, accessible environment to learn has always been their number one priority. What if it weren't for them? For the millions of children that didn't get this lucky, a public, adapted education is their only chance.

Providing children with a fair chance to learn is the first step in ending a cycle of dependence on public assistance. My education is the only reason I no longer rely on government benefits. Without jobs that pay well and provide healthcare, what choice will these children have but to fall back on the very government that failed them in the first place?

If you want to cut government spending in the long run, give countless disabled children a fighting chance to succeed.

As a billionaire, I would have thought you'd have a better understanding of investments.

[billy.pilgrim]

But she's not whole like betsy and real people. She probably did something bad for god to punish her so. Just a waste of funds that could have gone to a good pyramid scheme or a mercenary army of murderers. bb would agree, I'm sure.

[Vrede too]

Shameful:

Report: The legislature since 2011 has not invested meaningfully in our schools

No more tax dollars to Christian madrassas:

Place a Moratorium on School Vouchers (petition)

Not that the GOP cares about kids after they're born:

Keep Our Children Safe Petition

Dogma trumps evidence:

Oppose Achievement School Districts Petition

Not that the GOP cares about secular teachers:

Tell Your Legislators To RESTORE OUR TEACHING PIPELINE!

[Mr.B]