“Our nation’s commitment is to provide a quality education to every child to serve the public common good. Accordingly, we must shift the paradigm to think of education funding as investments made in individual children, not in institutions or buildings.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Teaching is hard. It takes a lot of skill. Not everyone who tries can do it well. We need to admit that and act accordingly. We should reward and respect great teachers by paying them more, and we should stop rewarding seniority over effectiveness.”
― Betsy DeVos
“They say that if you voted for Donald Trump, you’re a threat to the university community. But the real threat is silencing the First Amendment rights of people with whom you disagree.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Parents no longer believe that a one-size-fits-all model of learning meets the needs of every child. And they know other options exist, whether magnet, virtual, charter, home, faith-based, or any other combination.”
― Betsy DeVos
“If politicians in a state block education choice, it means those politicians do not support equal opportunity for all kids.”
― Betsy DeVos
“One of the hallmarks of higher education and of democracy is the ability to converse with people with whom we disagree.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Above all, I believe every child, no matter their ZIP code or their parents’ jobs, deserves access to a quality education.”
― Betsy DeVos
“My family is the largest single contributor of soft money to the national Republican Party.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Just as the traditional taxi system revolted against ride sharing, so too does the education establishment feel threatened by the rise of school choice.”
― Betsy DeVos
“If taxpayer money were limitless, we wouldn’t need a budget at all.”
― Betsy DeVos
“You have to have teachers who are empowered to facilitate great teaching.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Assault in any form is never OK, and I want to be very clear on that.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Every child deserves to attend school in a safe, supportive environment where they can learn, thrive, and grow.”
― Betsy DeVos
“There isn’t really any Common Core any more. Each state is able to set the standards for their state. They may elect to adopt very high standards for their students to aspire to and to work toward. And that will be up to each state.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I look forward to talking about how we can work together to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for all students while also refocusing the federal role in education.”
― Betsy DeVos
“We’re not proposing any shifting of funding from public schools to private schools.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I support accountability.”
― Betsy DeVos
“We expect to foster a conservative governing philosophy consisting of limited government and respect for traditional American virtues.”
― Betsy DeVos
“It is not fair to think that when students transit through a K-12 system that is not preparing them for beyond, that somehow we are going to wave a magic wand and things are going to be perfect for them at the higher-ed level.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I greatly appreciate being asked to be part of President-elect Trump’s team and I will continue to enthusiastically support him and his agenda for American renewal.”
― Betsy DeVos
“The natural instinct is to join in the chorus of conflict, to make your voice louder, your point bigger, and your position stronger. But we will not solve the significant and real problems our country faces if we cannot bring ourselves to embrace a mindset of grace.”
― Betsy DeVos
“No child’s dream should be limited by the quality, or lack thereof, of the education they receive.”
― Betsy DeVos
“We won’t accomplish our goals by creating a new federal bureaucracy or by bribing states with their own taxpayers’ money.”
― Betsy DeVos
“We should celebrate the fact that, unlike some countries in the world, the United States makes promises that we will never send any student away from our schools.”
― Betsy DeVos
“We’ll be examining and auditing and reviewing all of the programs of the department and really figuring out what is the core mission and how can the federal department of education really support and enhance the role of the departments in the states.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I will not be deterred from my mission of helping kids in this country.”
― Betsy DeVos
“The bigger goal of giving all parents more choices is one that will have to be discussed and undoubtedly roundly debated, but we are going to have to continue to build the case. The momentum is there on the state level in many states. That’s where the energy needs to be harnessed in a new way.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I need to stress that I could not be more supportive of great teachers and great teaching, no matter what kind of delivery vehicle they are teaching through. We have to support great teachers. They just have to be freed up to do what they do best.”
― Betsy DeVos
“The bottom line is we believe that parents are the best equipped to make choices for their children’s schooling and education decisions.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Too many children today are trapped in schools that don’t work for them.”
― Betsy DeVos
“HBCUs are real pioneers when it comes to school choice. They are living proof that when more options are provided to students, they are afforded greater access and greater quality.”
― Betsy DeVos
“All schools that receive public funding should be accountable, yes.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Federal law must be followed where federal dollars are in play.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I can assure you I have never made decisions on my mother’s behalf on her foundation’s board.”
― Betsy DeVos
“It would be fine with me to have myself worked out of a job, but I’m not sure that – I’m not sure that there will be a champion movement in Congress to do that.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I expect there will be more public charter schools.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I expect there will be more private schools.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I expect there will be more virtual schools.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I expect there will be more schools of any kind that haven’t even been invented yet.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Social justice and economics are both issues to me.”
― Betsy DeVos
“We knew we had the resources to send our kids to whatever school was best for them.”
― Betsy DeVos
“There are not enough philanthropic dollars in America to fund what is currently the need in education.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Discrimination in any form is wrong. I don’t support discrimination in any form.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Let me say, I fully embrace equality, and I believe in the innate value of every single human being and that all students, no matter their age, should be able to attend a school and feel safe and be free of discrimination.”
― Betsy DeVos
“When we had segregated schools and when we had a time when, you know, girls weren’t allowed to have the same kind of sports teams – I mean, there have been important inflection points for the federal government to get involved in some of the areas around protecting students and ensuring safe environments for them – there is a role to play.”
― Betsy DeVos
“That’s where my heart has been for three decades is to really empower and allow all families the same kind of opportunities I’ve had for my kids.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Opening a complaint for investigation in no way implies that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has made a determination about the merits of the complaint.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Dick and I became increasingly committed to helping other parents – parents from low-income families in particular.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I don’t think Donald Trump represents the Republican Party… I think more and more people are going to realize that they really don’t trust him.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I do support high standards, strong accountability, and local control.”
― Betsy DeVos
“When governors such as John Engler, Mike Huckabee, and Mike Pence were driving the conversation on voluntary high standards driven by local voices, it all made sense.”
― Betsy DeVos
“If the question is around gun violence and the results of that, please know that my heart bleeds and is broken for those families that have lost any individual due to gun violence.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Teachers deserve more respect than many give them, and more opportunities than the system affords them today.”
― Betsy DeVos
“It shouldn’t matter what type of school a student attends, so long as the school is the right fit for that student.”
― Betsy DeVos
“As a kid, I grew up middle class, but my father was a great innovator with an entrepreneurial spirit, and it wasn’t long before my family became part of the infamous 1%.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Government tends to believe in top-down solutions, and government fears of bottom-up solutions.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Government tends to stifle innovation, and it abhors improvisation. Any good military strategist will tell you that a battle plan rarely survives past the first engagement. After that, you have to improvise to survive and to win.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Government likes committees… a lot. Committees kill all the really good ideas and generally all the really bad ideas. They produce middle-ground mush.”
― Betsy DeVos
“If you can’t get cell phone service in your living room, then your particular provider is failing you. You should have the option to find a network that does work.”
― Betsy DeVos
“President-elect Trump and I know it won’t be Washington, D.C., that unlocks our nation’s potential, nor a bigger bureaucracy, tougher mandates, or a federal agency. The answer is local control and listening to parents, students, and teachers.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Every child in America deserves to be in a safe environment that is free from discrimination.”
― Betsy DeVos
“If a parent chooses to go to a school that is not a public school, then that is a decision made and a contract made with that provider.”
― Betsy DeVos
“If you don’t live in an area with good public schools, you can move to a different place if you have the financial means to do so.”
― Betsy DeVos
“The older generations are too wedded to political parties, too wedded to romantic memories of what education was like when they were kids, and too wedded to the status quo group that clings to power.”
― Betsy DeVos
“If we can manage to break free, to open the system and embrace all choices for education, we will be the first to give politicians awards to hang on their office walls.”
― Betsy DeVos
“At my direction, the Department’s Office for Civil Rights remains committed to investigating all claims of discrimination, bullying, and harassment against those who are most vulnerable in our schools.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I consider protecting all students, including LGBTQ students, not only a key priority for the Department, but for every school in America.”
― Betsy DeVos
“The media has had its fun with me.”
― Betsy DeVos
“My job isn’t to win popularity contests.”
― Betsy DeVos
“The president has made good on a promise to ensure that the American people are not subject to overreach… and fulfilled a commitment to keep America first and focus on American jobs.”
― Betsy DeVos
“We, as a society, will benefit from the interest young people show beginning at first, second, and third grades. As a result, there’s great promise in the future.”
― Betsy DeVos
“The vast majority of students in this country will continue to attend public schools.”
― Betsy DeVos
“If confirmed, I will be a strong advocate for great public schools.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I’m proud to stand beside you as a partner and support Special Olympics – an important program that promotes leadership and empowers students to be agents of change.”
― Betsy DeVos
“It is necessary and critical for states to have flexibility to determine how to identify and improve schools.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Let’s choose to hear one another out.”
― Betsy DeVos
“We must first listen, then speak – with humility – to genuinely hear the perspectives of those with whom we don’t immediately or instinctively agree.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Education broadens our horizons and enables us to confront realities we’d never before anticipated.”
― Betsy DeVos
“As we know, lots of people working together to solve problems doesn’t happen often enough, particularly here in Washington.”
― Betsy DeVos
“It could be easy to get frustrated or discouraged when it comes to educating students with disabilities. But that’s because there are too often artificial barriers and roadblocks that limit your ability to focus on meeting their individual needs.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I can now video chat with my grandkids from any corner of the world, listen to music, or order food and have it delivered to my front door.”
― Betsy DeVos
“We can focus on differences that divide us, or we can choose to listen and learn from each other’s experiences.”
― Betsy DeVos
“At what point do we accept the fact that throwing money at the problem isn’t the solution?”
― Betsy DeVos
“My faith motivates me to really try to work on behalf of and advocate for those who are least able to advocate for themselves.”
― Betsy DeVos
“If you ask any of my kids today what their most important experience was in their education, they would say it was the travel and the ability to see and be in other cultures.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Homeschooling represents another perfectly valid educational option.”
― Betsy DeVos
“We’ve seen more and more people opt for homeschooling, including in urban areas.”
― Betsy DeVos
“When it comes to education, no solution, not even ones we like, should be dictated or run from Washington, D.C.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Trump’s vision continues taking shape.”
― Betsy DeVos
“The faculty, from adjunct professors to deans, tell you what to do, what to say, and more ominously, what to think.”
― Betsy DeVos
“No student should feel like there isn’t a way to seek justice, and no student should feel that the scales are tipped against him or her.”
― Betsy DeVos
“As a mom, I just can’t imagine having a child who would feel discriminated against for any reason, and I would want my child in a safe environment.”
― Betsy DeVos
“I will not be conflicted. Period. I commit that to you all.”
― Betsy DeVos
“Where conflicts are identified, they will be resolved.”
― Betsy DeVos
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