The outgoing U.S. Secretary of Education, John King, has a message for the next leaders of the government. The protection of the students should be the main agenda of the new leaders, especially in a department where civil rights should be continually upheld.
During his visit to the Central Connecticut State University days before Christmas, Secretary John King emphasized on vigilance and the safety of all students regardless of race, religion and sexual orientation. Fears that this will be threatened have risen since Donald Trump won the presidency and has picked Betsy DeVos to replace John King after the inauguration.
"The department is a civil rights agency," the secretary said, according to WNPR. "That's the historic role of the department: protecting our students."
When Trump announced his pick for Education secretary, observers haven't stopped their criticisms of Besty DeVos. It was hinted that her assumption in office could reverse the policies that were already established during the Obama's 8-year term that Secretary John King has implemented.
"Under her leadership, we will reform the U.S. education system and break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back so that we can deliver world-class education and school choice to all families," Trump said in his announcement, according to Voice of America. Betsy DeVos hasn't gone into specifics about what these changes might be but she is a known supporter of voucher programs and charter schools that have disadvantaged students from poor families.
Education saved my life. Feeling incredibly humbled by the honor to serve as Secretary. pic.twitter.com/Ezt0dReyfO
— John King (@JohnKingatED) March 14, 2016
According to the Independent Women Forum, however, John King and Betsy DeVos agree on one thing: charter schools. These are run and managed by nonprofits and federal funding and not traditional public school boards.
For John King, there are well-performing charter schools that should continue to service students but those that have not been effective should be shut down. But education leaders shouldn't solely focus on school management. "It should be whether schools serve all students well, "the secretary said.
