Tag Archives: education

The New York Times reports: The Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos on Tuesday as education secretary, approving the embattled nominee only with the help of a historic tiebreaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. The 51-to-50 vote elevates Ms. DeVos — a wealthy philanthropist from Michigan who has devoted much of her life to expanding educational choice through charter schools and …

The Washington Post reports: The Senate is moving toward a noon vote Tuesday on confirmation of Betsy DeVos as education secretary, with the outcome expected to be the narrowest approval of a Cabinet nominee in the nation’s history. The entire Democratic caucus of 48 senators is expected to vote against DeVos, as are two Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and …

Mic.com reports: Democrats pulled an all-nighter on the Senate floor Monday to try and block Betsy DeVos from becoming secretary of the Department of Education, assailing her credentials — or lack thereof — in an effort to convince their GOP colleagues to vote against her nomination. One by one, Senate Democrats took to the floor throughout the night to make …

Mother Jones reports: Senate Democrats have announced a plan to hold the Senate floor for the next 24 hours to speak against President Donald Trump’s pick for education secretary, Betsy DeVos. “In my mind, she is the least qualified nominee in a historically unqualified cabinet,” Sen. Chuck Schumer said from the floor on Monday. “On conflicts of interest, she ranks …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Senate could vote as early as Monday on confirming President Donald Trump’s pick for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, with the political parties potentially entering a standoff requiring Vice President Mike Pence to act as tie-breaker. On Friday morning, the Senate voted 52 to 48 on a procedural measure paving the way to the final confirmation vote, …

The Chronicle Of Higher Education reports: Jerry L. Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, has been asked by President Trump to head up a new task force that will identify changes that should be made to the U.S. Department of Education’s policies and procedures, Mr. Falwell told The Chronicle on Tuesday. The exact scope, size, and mission of the task …

ABC News reports: President Donald Trump’s nomination of Betsy DeVos to be education secretary was sent today to the full U.S. Senate for confirmation on a tight 12-11 party line vote in committee after a fractious debate over her qualifications. The vote on the nomination of DeVos, a controversial figure in Michigan politics and education, raised hackles among Democrats in …

It appears that the anti-LGBT activist who wants to run America’s schools copied her homework. The Washington Post reports: President Trump’s nominee for education secretary, in written responses to questions from senators, appears to have used several sentences and phrases from other sources without attribution — including from a top Obama administration civil rights official. The responses from nominee Betsy …

In advance of tomorrow’s Senate vote on the confirmation of Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos, YouTube comedian Vic Berger has created a supercut of the many times DeVos smiled broadly as she dodged direct questioning during her hearing. Watch it. The Washington Post today reports on the last-minute push to reject her: More than 300 state lawmakers hailing from all …

Yes, you read that right. Vox reports: Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary said during her Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday that local authorities should decide whether guns should be barred from American schools — citing the case of a school in Wyoming where a special fence protects students from bears. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy asked Betsy DeVos to explain …

UPDATE: Things are now underway. The confirmation hearing for billionaire anti-LGBT Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos is allegedly starting any minute, but it appears the proceedings may be been delayed somewhat by the Chelsea Manning story, which is dominating all networks at this writing. Watch below.

Via press release from Lambda Legal: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students contact Lambda Legal every day to seek help being safe at school.  We need a Secretary of Education who will make schools safe for all students, and who won’t tolerate bullying – by peers, parents, or school administrators. What we know so far about Betsy DeVos’s record concerns …

From the website of the Knights Of The Ku Klux Klan: When Donald Trump named Betsy DeVos as his pick for heading the Department of Education opponents of school choice, school vouchers, charter school, and parental control warned that could mean the end of public education as we know it. Those who voted for Trump see her choice as his …

The New York Times reports: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced a plan Tuesday morning to offer free tuition at state colleges to hundreds of thousands of middle- and low-income New Yorkers, seizing on a popular liberal talking point on the eve of national Republican ascension. Under the governor’s plan, any college student who has been accepted to a state or …

Buzzfeed reports: Students on a public school bus in regional Victoria have been handed gift-wrapped flyers railing against marriage equality and the Safe Schools Coalition. The flyers, made by the anti-marriage equality group Marriage Alliance, argue against the Safe Schools Coalition’s LGBTI anti-bullying program, linking it to marriage equality. Natalie*, the older sister of a 13-year-old student at Kyabram P-12 …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: A federal appeals court Tuesday overturned a lower-court ruling that supported the Lake County School Board’s decision to block middle-schoolers from forming a gay-straight-alliance club to combat bullying. In a battle dating to 2011, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling found that the Equal Access Act, which requires federally funded secondary schools to treat all …

Viciously anti-LGBT and perpetually cross-eyed Virginia Foxx says her main plan is undo every advance achieved by the Obama administration. Via Politico: Virginia Foxx pulled herself up by her own bootstraps and wants every American child to be able to do the same. As the 73-year-old GOP lawmaker and former community college president is poised to assume the leadership of …

“Betsy DeVos is an outstanding pick for Secretary of Education. She has a long and distinguished history championing the right of all parents to choose schools that best ensure their children’s success. Her allegiance is to families, particularly those struggling at the bottom of the economic ladder, not to an outdated public education model that has failed them from one …

From the LGBT rights group Freedom For All Americans: The Michigan billionaire is a troubling choice, given her extreme history of supporting anti-LGBT causes and opposing efforts to bring fairness and equality to LGBT Americans. Between 2010 and 2013, the DeVos family and their various foundations have given millions of dollars to anti-LGBT groups, including Focus on the Family, Family …

Via press release from the National Education Association: Every day, educators use their voice to advocate for every student to reach his or her full potential. We believe that the chance for the success of a child should not depend on winning a charter lottery, being accepted by a private school, or living in the right ZIP code. We have, …