U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' Remarks to the National Association of State Boards of Education
Thank
you, Kris, for that kind welcome. And thank you all for the work you do as
members of your states’ boards of education.
I
know you all are anticipating some discussion about the Every Student Succeeds
Act (ESSA) and the implications for your states. But since we haven't yet had
the chance to meet, I want to begin by telling you a little bit about my
background and how I got involved in education. …
These
experiences have informed my thinking on education, which is this:
I
believe in kids; I trust parents; I trust teachers; and I want to empower state
and local leaders to do what’s right for children.
I
believe any student can grow and thrive if given the chance to receive a
quality education.
For
me, this is just common sense.
I
think most of us would agree that common sense doesn’t always win out in
Washington. Too often, the Department of Education has gone outside of its established
authority and created roadblocks – wittingly or unwittingly – for parents and
educators alike.
This
isn't right, nor is it acceptable. Under this administration, we will break
this habit.
No
classroom teacher should feel that the Department of Education is stifling his
or her ability to educate kids.
No
parents should feel that the Department of Education thinks it knows better
than they what is best for their children.
And
no district or individual school should feel that the Department of Education
is hampering its ability to improve the learning environment of students.
It’s
time for the Department to get out of your way and let you do your job.
And
the president’s budget reflects this outlook. The budget stresses the need to
place power in the hands of parents and families to choose schools that are
best for their children. The president promised to invest in our underserved
communities, and our increased investment in choice programs will do just that.
This
budget also continues support for our nation’s most vulnerable populations,
including students with disabilities. It streamlines and simplifies funding for
college, with the goal of making higher education more affordable and
accessible.
Taxpayers
expect that their dollars will be spent efficiently and effectively. This
budget reflects an intention to invest in education programs that work, while
reducing duplicative programs and empowering the state and local levels to
administer others that are best kept at those levels.
Most
importantly, this budget maintains our Department’s focus on supporting states
and school districts, with the goal of providing an equal opportunity for a
quality education to all students. I look forward to working with the
president, Congress and all of you in pursuing these reforms that put students
first.
As
all of you are aware, the Department released the revised consolidated state
plan template last week.
I
know the members of this room are familiar with the technical aspects of the
Every Student Succeeds Act, but I believe it’s helpful to take a step back and
examine why this law matters.
At
the end of the day, we should measure everything we do by one question: How
does this impact individual students?
Every
child is different, with varying skills and learning styles. We shouldn’t then
force all children into a one-size-fits-all education system. Our education
approaches should be as varied as the students they serve.
I’ve
had the joy of meeting many students throughout my decades in education reform.
I’d like to tell you about a few of them who, I believe, exemplify the
diversity of backgrounds and needs of children.
One
young lady, Denisha Merriweather, failed the third grade twice at her assigned
traditional school in Florida. Denisha was on the path to becoming another
statistic. She appeared destined to follow in the footsteps of her brother and
mother, who both dropped out of high school.
But
Denisha’s godmother intervened, and, because of Florida’s Tax Credit
Scholarship Program, Denisha was able to attend a school that better met her
needs.
Now
Denisha is not only the first in her family to graduate from high school, but
she also graduated from college and, this May, she will receive her master’s
degree in social work.
Another
student I met, Sandeep Thomas, grew up impoverished in Bangalore, India with
absent and neglectful parents. Sandeep was adopted by a loving couple from New
Jersey but continued to suffer from the experiences of his early years. He was
not able to focus in school, and it took him hours to complete even the
simplest assignment.
This
changed when his family moved to Washington state, where Sandeep was able to
join a virtual public school. This option gave him the flexibility to learn in
the comfort of his own home and develop at a pace that was right for him. He
ended up graduating high school with a 3.7 GPA, and also having earned 39 hours
of college credit. Today, he’s working in the finance industry and is a public
advocate for increased school options that allow students like him a chance to
succeed.
Earlier
this month, the Military Child Education Coalition held an event at the
Department of Education. Members of the Student 2 Student program from Hayfield
Secondary School in Alexandria, Virginia, were there. S2S, as it’s called, brings
military and civilian kids together to provide community to the military
students, who are constantly moving between schools. As 11th-grader Madison
Lewis said, the S2S program feels like “one big family” in that it helps give
students the nurturing environment they need to learn and thrive.
All
of these students’ experiences suggest that we should value and
appreciate the individual trees rather than see a monolithic forest. Let’s
stop prioritizing process over people. If our actions don’t benefit students
at the individual level, there is no reason for us to pursue them.
Public
policy can provide the framework to encourage flexibility and diversification
within our education system to meet the needs of students and set them up for
success in adulthood. That’s why I’m a strong supporter of ESSA.
We’re
going to start by implementing the law as Congress intended, giving you all –
state leaders – the freedom and flexibility you deserve.
No
two states are identical. You know this better than anyone. The issues and
challenges facing West Virginia are different from those of New Hampshire or
Oregon. We shouldn’t insist the same solution will work everywhere, every time.
I
expect each of the plans your states develop to be quite different. And they should
be. The plans should reflect the diversity of the states you serve and the
unique opportunities you have to meet students' needs.
ESSA
ensures transparency and accountability provisions for all schools. It provides
the latitude to do what’s best for children while preserving important civil
rights protections for economically disadvantaged students, students with
disabilities, English language learners and other underserved individuals.
It
requires states to ensure students – all students – have access to
excellent teachers and a positive, safe learning environment that prepares them
to graduate high school ready for college or career education.
And
the revised template asks states to provide the Department only what’s
absolutely necessary under the statute, with an eye toward reducing rules,
burdensome and unnecessary regulations, and red tape.
Once
your state has developed a plan to provide a quality education in an
environment that is safe and nurturing for all children, you – together with
your governors and state chiefs – should be free to educate your students. And
that’s the real key to ESSA.
State
boards play an important role in determining how the states will use this
flexibility to improve education for individual students.
For
example, in Nevada the state board and governor have launched over 25
initiatives to improve their state’s education system.
One
of those 25 programs is the Nevada
Achievement School District (NVASD), which was launched this year. The
state identified the schools that were persistently underperforming, and has
instructed the achievement school district to provide the families attending
those schools with up to six high-quality, local options.
This
is but the first step in helping more than 57,000 children attending Nevada’s
underperforming schools, but it is a step in the right direction.
Your
states are also best positioned to prepare your workforce through career and
technical education that fits the unique needs of your economies. The president
has made it clear that strengthening our nation’s workforce is crucial to
maintaining our global competitiveness. We need to seek out and highlight the
best practices and most effective efforts put forward in individual states so
you can determine whether they might be replicable and/or appropriate in your
own state.
California
has been forward-leaning in implementing career and technical education (CTE)
programs that deliver results: The state now offers more than 13,000 courses
that meet the admissions requirements of the University of California system.
California
has also invested in Linked Learning programs across the state that integrate
industry-based learning at the college-prep level, allowing students to acquire
the skills needed to begin a high-potential career right after graduation.
Those
are just two examples of important work happening in your states. Under ESSA,
we hope you will heartily embrace the inherent flexibility to implement policies
that best fit the needs of your students, parents and teachers.
As
you exercise this freedom and flexibility on behalf of students, families and
schools, I challenge you to keep raising the bar. Nothing short of excellence
should be our common theme and refrain.
There
is always more work to be done and new ways to inspire learning. We should not
rest until every child has an equal opportunity to learn and thrive.
I
challenge you to seize this moment and embrace the inherent responsibility it
poses.
We
must never lose sight of our mission: providing each child with the chance to
pursue a great education in a safe and nurturing environment.
I
know you’re ready to lead in a new way. You’re ready to innovate. You’re ready
to work with your local partners, district by district and school by school, to
ensure that every one of your students can grow and thrive.
Your
success is the key to America’s prosperity. We owe it to the rising generation
to give them nothing less.
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