Education Secretary John King has a few days left in office. Before leaving the Department of Education, however, he shared some words about protecting the public school system and upholding the improvements that have been made for the last eight years.
King's potential successor, Donald Trump's nominee Betsy DeVos, is an education reform advocate who is expected to make big changes to favor voucher school system. But for King, the American dream lives in the public school system.
"[Public school is] fundamental to who we are as a country," King said, according to USA Today. He reiterated that the Department of Education is tasked "to ensure a strong public education system in early learning, in K-12 and in higher ed."
King, who has an extensive experience in Education that started when he was a teacher, believes that focusing on voucher schools won't solve the problems of the sector, such as low graduation turnout. It will instead be a distraction to improving public schools.
"The success of our public education system is so central to our long-term future that we cannot afford to slide backwards," he told NPR in an exclusive interview. "The conversation about vouchers is driven by a legitimate concern about how we ensure equality of opportunity," he added.
He noted that some states have good performing voucher schools, such as in Boston or New York. But it's not the same for other states, such as Michigan.
The management of these schools lack the check and balances and the accountability. It has given rise to unequal opportunities for the students.
Most public schools cater to low-income and minority families, such as African-American kids and children of immigrant parents. King believes that a diverse environment like this also helps the children learn from each other.
With proper support and guidance from teachers, the students in public schools can grow up to become better Americans who embrace diversity. Potentially limiting focus and support for this system would be a big step back for the country, the outgoing secretary believes.
