Conference Presentation, Panel
Conversation w/ Betsy DeVos, Secretary, U.S. Dept. of Education / U.S. Education Policy Discussion
- Secretary Betsy DeVos describes her first 80 days as "whack-a-mole" while noting the Department is progressing in filling assistant secretary positions, though not yet fully staffed.
- The administration views the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2016 as a reset to return decision-making power to states, moving away from federal overreach toward state-led accountability and innovation.
- 2017 proficiency data reveals persistent racial achievement gaps: African-American and Hispanic 4th-grade math proficiency remains near 20%, down from 1% in 1990 but still significantly lagging white peers.
- Roughly 25% of 12th-grade students in the U.S. meet proficiency standards in math and reading, a level deemed insufficient for college or career readiness.
- DeVos advocates for a "menu" of educational options including charter schools, magnet schools, virtual learning, and homeschooling, noting homeschooling is growing at an annual rate of 12% to 15%.
- Approximately 2 million students are currently homeschooled, representing a segment of the education ecosystem largely outside traditional district accountability.
- Dual enrollment programs at institutions like Valencia College are highlighted as effective strategies to introduce college-level coursework and build confidence among first-generation students in low-income communities.
- Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), currently utilized in states like Arizona, allow families to customize learning by funding private courses, charter attendance, and online options, a model DeVos cites as a frontier for innovation.
- DeVos states the federal government will no longer lead on teacher effectiveness restructuring, shifting that responsibility to states while the Department uses its "bully pulpit" to highlight best practices.
- Jeb Bush argues the federal role in education should be minimal, proposing that states retain Title I and IDEA funds via block grants to design local programs, citing Florida's McKay Scholarship as a successful model where 35,000 students attend private schools.
- Governor Steve Bullock notes that despite over $275 billion in federal Title I investment since 1980, student achievement scores have remained "flat-lined."
- William Bennett urges the federal government to "get out" of education entirely, arguing that block grants proved most effective when he was Secretary because they allowed states the flexibility to innovate without federal mandates.
- Bennett contends that teacher shortages are caused by "artificial limits" like certification requirements and unions that reject short-term "educational tourists," rather than a lack of qualified candidates.
- Florida's high school accountability system, which rewards passing AP tests and national certifications, saw rates of low-income and rural students achieving certifications triple to 39%.
- Governor Bullock reports that dual enrollment programs in Montana have saved families $3 million in tuition and disproportionately improve degree completion rates for "B and C" level students.
- Bennett warns that U.S. high schools fail to instill American identity, noting that after several years in the system, only one-third of second-generation immigrants continue to identify as American.
- The panel agrees that higher education bears some responsibility for K-12 failure, citing a trend where colleges lowered language requirements and accepted underprepared students, driving remedial enrollment.
- Governor Bullock highlights that 48% of students at his universities do not finish their degrees, emphasizing the need to address barriers for average-performing students who are often overlooked.
- Bullock notes that 40% of expenditure increases in his first legislative sessions were directed toward public education, including a historic investment in early childhood education to prevent reading failure by third grade.
- Bennett and the governors criticize "formalism" in education, arguing that students must learn specific content and knowledge rather than generic "how to learn" skills to succeed in a competitive global economy.
- DeVos identifies the failure of individual students due to the current system as her primary concern, citing the pace of change as a "grave" issue.
- All panelists express optimism that momentum is building at the state level, with Governors Bush and Bullock pointing to recent reforms in Florida and Montana as evidence of successful bottom-up innovation.
- Governor Bullock warns that without addressing systemic inequities and the teacher shortage, the federal government's departure from education could leave the system failing its role as a "great equalizer."
- Bennett predicts that social strains will intensify as automation and the "shared economy" erase millions of jobs, making educational reform critical for future national stability.
- The discussion concludes with a consensus that while education is a national priority, the solution lies in state and local leadership rather than federal mandates.