Who is the Education Secretary and what are their responsibilities?
The education secretary is a cabinet-level position in the United States federal government. The current education secretary is Betsy DeVos. The education secretary’s responsibilities include overseeing the Department of Education, developing and implementing education policy, and promoting access to education for all Americans.
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Introduction
The current education secretary is Betsy DeVos. She was confirmed by the Senate on February 7, 2017.
Early Life and Education
Betsy DeVos was born on January 8, 1958, in Holland, Michigan, the daughter of Elsa Zwiep and Edgar Prince. She is the granddaughter of Dutch immigrants. Betsy married her husband, Dick DeVos, in 1979. The couple has four children: Andrea, Rick, Elisabeth, and Ryan. DeVos grew up in the Prince Corporation family business and attended Holland Christian High School. She then went on to study at Calvin College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and political science.
After college, Betsy became involved in several local organizations focused on education reform. In 1989, she and her husband co-founded the American Federation for Children (AFC), a national organization that promotes school choice. Betsy served as chair of the AFC from its inception until January 2017, when she stepped down to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education.
In her home state of Michigan, Betsy has been a driving force behind the expansion of charter schools and school voucher programs. In 2000, she helped pass a state law that created a tax credit for individuals and businesses donating to scholarship organizations that provide private school tuition for low-income families. As a result of this law, Michigan now has one of the largest school choice programs in the country.
Career
Betsy DeVos is an American businesswoman, philanthropist, and government official who is the current U.S. Secretary of Education. She was born on January 8, 1958, in Holland, Michigan, to Edgar Prince, an industrialist and philanthropist, and Elsa Zwiep, a stay-at-home mom. DeVos was raised in a Dutch Calvinist household and attended private Christian schools before going on to Calvin College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and political science. After college, she married Dick DeVos, Jr., the son of Amway co-founder Richard DeVos Sr., and the couple have four children together.
DeVos has spent her career fighting for school choice policies that would give parents more options for their children’s education. She is a strong advocate for charter schools and voucher programs that would use public money to fund private school tuition. In 2017, she was confirmed as the 11th U.S. Secretary of Education after a contentious battle in the Senate. As secretary, DeVos has been a lightning rod for criticism from both Democrats and teacher unions who argue that her policies will harm public education.
Controversy
Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for education secretary, is a billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist from Michigan who has been a staunch supporter of charter schools and vouchers for private and religious schools.
Her appointment has been met with both support and criticism from those within the education community. Some see her as an advocate for school choice who will provide much-needed competition to the public school system, while others fear she will divert resources away from already underfunded public schools.
contentious confirmation battle in the Senate.
Conclusion
The current education secretary is John B. King Jr. He was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2016. King is a former teacher and principal who also served as the head of the New York State Education Department.
