Betsy DeVos

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the 11th U.S. Education Secretary, who served from 2017 to 2021.

Explainer

Betsy DeVos, Eleventh U.S. Education Secretary: Background and Achievements
Background and highlights of Betsy Devos's tenure as the eleventh U.S. Secretary of Education.
Federal DeVos Appoints New Leader of African-American Education Initiative
Terris Todd, a former teacher and school administrator in the Battle Creek, Mich., schools, is the ethnic vice chair of the Michigan Republican Party.
Corey Mitchell, August 27, 2020
2 min read
President Donald Trump listens as Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks during a roundtable discussion on the Federal Commission on School Safety Report at the White House in December 2018.
President Donald Trump listens as Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks during a roundtable discussion on the Federal Commission on School Safety Report at the White House in December 2018.
Evan Vucci/AP
Social Studies Trump Targets History Class as Well as School Choice in Bid for Second Term
As the president accepts his party’s nomination, his messaging reflects a bundle of priorities, from getting schools back open and pushing school choice to the hot-button issue of how American history is taught.
Andrew Ujifusa, August 26, 2020
11 min read
Federal Second Judge Blocks DeVos' Virus Relief Rule, Calls Her Reasoning 'Jiggery-Pokery'
U.S. District Court Judge James Donato wrote that the Trump administration's coronavirus relief rule about private school studentsis "manifestly not in the public interest."
Andrew Ujifusa, August 26, 2020
2 min read
Federal Judge Issues Blistering Injunction Against Betsy DeVos' Coronavirus Aid Rule
The injunction in federal court about private school students represents a win for public school advocates in a bitter dispute over federal COVID-19 relief.
Andrew Ujifusa, August 22, 2020
5 min read
Federal Title IX Rule Set to Take Effect After Judge Denies Request From States to Halt It
A controversial federal rule on how schools should respond to claims of sexual assault and harassment appears set to take effect Friday.
Evie Blad, August 12, 2020
2 min read
Federal Judge Won't Stop DeVos Title IX Rule From Taking Effect
A judge refused to halt a new rule on responding to sexual harassment and assault in schools that is set to take effect Friday. But it faces additional legal challenges.
Evie Blad, August 10, 2020
3 min read
Budget & Finance DeVos: Give Religious Groups Equal Consideration for Education Grants
The new U.S. Department of Education guidance creates a federal process for individuals and organizations to file complaints under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Evie Blad, August 7, 2020
2 min read
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaking during a briefing at Education Department headquarters in Washington.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaking during a briefing at Education Department headquarters in Washington.
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File
Federal Betsy DeVos Pushes Schools to Clear COVID Hurdles Without Special Favors
The education secretary's main message to educators lately has been: Meet your obligations and don't assume the feds will remove major mandates.
Andrew Ujifusa, August 1, 2020
8 min read
Federal Educators Sour on Trump and DeVos but Warm to Some Governors During Pandemic
For the Democratic governors of Michigan and Pennsylvania, two of the three states Trump depended on to beat Clinton in 2016, the majority of educators said their opinions had become more favorable.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 29, 2020
3 min read
Education Secretary Betsy Devos speaks at meeting in Indianapolis on July 24.
Education Secretary Betsy Devos speaks at meeting in Indianapolis on July 24.
Darron Cummings/AP
Classroom Technology Betsy DeVos Backtracks on Remote Learning Options She Had Championed
The education secretary was an enthusiastic supporter of virtual education until President Donald Trump started putting pressure on school districts to reopen buildings and return to in-person instruction for the 2020-21 academic year.
Mark Lieberman, July 27, 2020
5 min read
Federal Lawsuits Pile Up Against DeVos Mandate for Aid to Private School Students
The fight over how much virus aid should go to private school students has underscored years-long divisions in the education community focused on U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 22, 2020
3 min read
Federal DeVos Continues School Choice Push With New Grants for Native American Students
DeVos announced the $15 million "Accessing Choices in Education" grants on July 17, and she linked the new competition to the pandemic and the need for education to be more "student-centered."
Andrew Ujifusa, July 21, 2020
2 min read
Federal DeVos Provides Little Clarity on School Reopening Push
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos brought little clarity to the Trump administration's aggressive push to reopen schools in a pair of television interviews Sunday.
Evie Blad, July 12, 2020
4 min read
Federal Trump Team Reinforces Tying Federal Money to School Reopenings
The flurry of statements from Trump administration officials about how schools must restart in-person instruction has created confusion and blowback.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 9, 2020
3 min read