One of the most polarizing female figures in politics has been the 11th US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Her policies have divided many in education, but lower-income families have reaped the benefits with school choice.
DeVos built her platform on school choice. She has advocated for these programs since the 1990s, but she originally got her start in education reform in the late 1970s. While working on Gerald R. Ford’s presidential campaign, she felt invigorated by America’s schools and students, particularly because of her mother’s influence. Her mother was a school teacher, and DeVos saw the need to help teachers and students with school reform.
In 1979, the first education secretary was appointed, and she was a female. She was effectively one of the most powerful women in government. Betsy DeVos saw that has a great motivator and worked the next few decades of her life to establish a political career.
She began in her home state of Michigan by visiting schools in Grand Rapids. She noted that there were many lower-income schools that did not have the same access to resources that other schools did. The DeVos Family Foundation became a way for her to donate to these educational causes and communities.
In 2001, Chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party Betsy DeVos proposed the “Kids First!” Coalition, which would expand the educational choice programs in the state. However, it wasn’t ratified. DeVos would spend the next 2 decades working on policies to help underprivileged students and their families.
In addition, she would co-found the establishment of a charter school in west Michigan for aviation. High school students could become pilots just by attending the school, which was founded on the grounds of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids.
While much of her term concerned educational choice, DeVos also spent time on the safety of school campuses. First, she worked with policymakers to establish a campus guardian program in 2018 ahead of the new school year. At the time, the Parkland shooting had devastated the education community and many students wanted more protection against gun threats.
As COVID-19 spread into schools, she implemented distance learning policies and programs to help students and teachers stay connected after the pandemic continued to infect students.
DeVos resigned in January 2021 ahead of the new administration taking seat with President-elect Joe Biden.
