How has a woman with no public education experience ended up as Education Secretary?

She’s never taken out a student loan

Betsy DeVos, the billionaire Republican megadonor and advocate for private school vouchers, has been confirmed as the head of the U.S. Department of Education. Despite great scrutiny and opposition by senators, some of whom believe she is unqualified for the job, DeVos is now set to lead our nation’s public and private education.

DeVos’ nomination was unique in a few ways. It’s the first time a VP has had to split a tie for a cabinet confirmation vote. It’s the first time an education secretary hasn’t got bipartisan support and it’s the first time for a long time that someone without teaching experience or an education degree has been put in charge of over THREE MILLION teachers.

Having come out of the public school system myself, watching DeVos stumble through several debates regarding the basics of federal education policy has been less than reassuring.

In a nation whose educational system punishes those who steal the work of others, how can Americans trust a woman who has already been accused of plagiarizing a Congressional document to head our nation’s schools? How can we trust someone who thinks that Grizzly bears are a reason to have guns in classrooms?

Betsy DeVos never attended a public school, let alone a public university. No-one in her family has ever known what it’s like to worry about financial aid, or term bills or whether they can afford the credits to graduate.

But aside from the fact she can’t relate to millions of American students, DeVos’s blatant inability to answer basic questions on educational policy throughout her senate confirmation hearings should leave you worried. But hey, at least we’ll be safe from bears.

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