MomatHWTK Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 http://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/nomination-of-betsy-devos-to-serve-as-secretary-of-education Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I didn't watch it live, but I assume others also saw the excerpts at this point. I don't care where you stand on education policy (I mean, I care, but my point is that this should be beyond that on some level), you should know what the policy is before you get up there to try and run the department, especially something as basic as IDEA. I mean, who follows education policy (as I know she has!) and doesn't know what IDEA is? I mean, at the end, she basically admitted she didn't know it was a federal law. SMH. Not seeming to understand the difference between proficiency or mastery and growth also seemed pretty weird. The grizzly bear thing was hilarious. In the end, not much that she does will affect homeschoolers or homeschool policy so... 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikslo Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 In the end, not much that she does will affect homeschoolers or homeschool policy so... I thought some were worried that since she advocates vouchers for all school choice - even for homeschoolers - by accepting gov't money we would end up with more homeschool regulation concerning what we can/can not do. Am I misunderstanding her stance and people's concerns? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I thought some were worried that since she advocates vouchers for all school choice - even for homeschoolers - by accepting gov't money we would end up with more homeschool regulation concerning what we can/can not do. Am I misunderstanding her stance and people's concerns? She is... but I'd be beyond shocked if that managed to go anywhere on the federal level. I suppose it might maybe be foisted on me since I live in DC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 That whole thing was just...bizarre. I am going to have to assume she was just refusing to answer with her true beliefs and decided it was better to sound ignorant. These candidates were subjected to what were called 'murder boards', marathon sessions of training for the hearings where they were ripped apart by media people. She must have been prepared for those questions and been told that looking ignorant was the best tactic. So she has a bad hearing, she'll be confirmed and hopefully everyone will forget all about it. She still gets to run the dept, so she wins. I mean, how could she not really know about IDEA or testing standards? She has made education policy her career of sorts. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Seriously though... doesn't everyone who homeschools do so because they're afraid of grizzlies in the public schools? I mean, that was our number one reason. :001_rolleyes: I'm still trying to process the things that came out of this woman's mouth. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I can't even with the bears thing. Its an illustration of how out there gun rights stuff has become. Like, you support gun rights, fine, but that doesn't have to mean supporting guns in all places, contexts, and times for all people. And if you need to invent grizzly bears attacking children, you know your position is messed up. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 (edited) There has been a promise to remove no gun zones from school areas and they were checking to see if the secretary of Education would agree to implement that promise. That's really what that particular line of questioning was about. It made for an amusing sound bite, but if I were a parent of a child with special needs, I would be very, very afraid right now. There are already HUGE discrepancies in access to services in schools. My son was able to access any and all special education services he needed as a homeschooler. I was amazed at how easy it was and how smoothly it went. I should add that I live within a block of my local public school, so it was a quick walk for the services. It would be very different had I lived in a rural school district. But my district and my state take their responsibility to all students seriously. It wasn't easy, I know for a fact that there have been several landmark lawsuits in the state. But, when I see other parents here talking about how limited services are, that many people are told they can't access special educational services if they homeschool, well, I am not sure it can get much worse in some states.....but it will. How is that an equal education? And they were barely able to get into the whole 'if you are taking federal or state money for your charter school then you should have to disclose all the same info public schools have to disclose and meet the same standards' but from what I did see, it is clear she doesn't think charter schools should have to do so. And frankly, as a taxpayer that annoys me. But, again, it doesn't matter. Edited January 18, 2017 by redsquirrel 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 There has been a promise to remove no gun zones from school areas and they were checking to see if the secretary of Education would agree to implement that promise. That's really what that particular line of questioning was about. Oh, I know. But the grizzly bear thing is too good to pass up. Because really, if you have to resort to grizzly bears in schools to defend your position, you've already lost. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 (edited) Oh, I know. But the grizzly bear thing is too good to pass up. Because really, if you have to resort to grizzly bears in schools to defend your position, you've already lost. Unless you live where I live. Not grizzly bears, but Mexican Black Bears. And they DO come to the (public) school here. Edited January 18, 2017 by Kinsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 we just get deer and occasionally a cow in the schools. And once a deer in the library Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I am much more scared of Ms DeVos that of a grizzly bear. She can potentially do much more harm. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Unless you live where I live. Not grizzly bears, but Mexican Black Bears. And they DO come to the (public) school here. We had a lot of black bears around my house where I grew up, but we never had to shoot any of them. Shouting was always enough to get them away from the garbage cans. And even if the rare school does keep a rifle on hand because they live near a large bear population, I certainly don't think we need to expand that to every public school in the country. Not a lot of grizzlies in the 'burbs. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Does anybody know of a relatively objective summary of her experience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I thought some were worried that since she advocates vouchers for all school choice - even for homeschoolers - by accepting gov't money we would end up with more homeschool regulation concerning what we can/can not do. Am I misunderstanding her stance and people's concerns? As homeschoolers though, I would assume we have the choice of whether or not to take the vouchers (assuming they were offered)- if you don't take the $$$ I would think it would be harder to slap the regulations on you, because places like here- they wouldn't even know you exist. I would imagine it would be more like Common Core. If the states didn't take the RttT cash, they didn't have to adhere to the CC standards. The states bought into it and signed on the dotted line, to toe the line in exchange for funds. That was the carrot. But after everything with CC, and all of the ongoing lawsuits over states trying to pull out of CC, I don't see another Federal Program like that coming down anytime soon. Perhaps I am dreaming, but I think it's still going to be up to the states for the foreseeable future, and I don't see vouchers happening in my state anytime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 We had a lot of black bears around my house where I grew up, but we never had to shoot any of them. Shouting was always enough to get them away from the garbage cans. And even if the rare school does keep a rifle on hand because they live near a large bear population, I certainly don't think we need to expand that to every public school in the country. Not a lot of grizzlies in the 'burbs. ;) I'm in the burbs, in NJ no less, and we have bears. :p But somehow we manage to deal with them mostly without guns :001_rolleyes: (I say mostly because there have been limited bear hunts). They usually will run away from loud noises and those that don't, people seem to be able to figure out how to stay away from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I once relocated a cute little rat snake from the kindergarten hall at my former school,,,,does that count? (We had an ongoing mouse problem, so I suspect the snake was helping us out, but screaming teachers aren't conducive to learning....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 18, 2017 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Does anybody know of a relatively objective summary of her experience? Snopes checked the claims on the fb meme: http://www.snopes.com/betsy-devos-education-secretary/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted January 18, 2017 Author Share Posted January 18, 2017 NPR: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/11/23/499642077/trump-chooses-betsy-devos-for-education-secretary The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/11/5-things-to-know-about-betsy-devos-trumps-pick-for-education-secretary/508661/ Philosophy Roundtable: http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/topic/excellence_in_philanthropy/interview_with_betsy_devos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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