New Secretary of Education Supports Homeschooling and Parental Choice

By Gena Suarez

On November 23, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump named Betsy DeVos as his pick for secretary of the United States Department of Education. “Under her leadership, we will reform the U.S. education system and break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back,” Trump said at the announcement.

Home education will play a part in this reform. Homeschooling, with approximately 2.3 million home educated students in the United States, is now bordering on “mainstream,” and may be the fastest-growing form of education in the U.S. [1] The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is the trade magazine for this one-billion-dollar market providing homeschool encouragement and current, cutting-edge information for homeschoolers worldwide. As parents turn to home education to escape Common Core and other undesirable factors, TOS has an enormous homeschooling information package that can be claimed at no cost at www.TryHomeschooling.com.

DeVos—a businesswoman, education advocate, and billionaire philanthropist—has backed private school voucher programs throughout the United States. She chairs the American Federation for Children, a private organization that works to expand school choice options across the country. DeVos has spent decades working for reforms in education as well as helping underserved children attain quality education.

In the spring 2013 issue of Philanthropy magazine, DeVos had this to say about homeschooling: “Homeschooling represents another perfectly valid educational option. We’ve seen more and more people opt for homeschooling, including in urban areas. What you’re seeing is parents who are fed up with their lack of power to do anything about where their kids are assigned to go to school. To the extent that homeschooling puts parents back in charge of their kids’ education, more power to them.” [2]

In 2015, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act which gives more power to the states in identifying schools needing improvement. DeVos’s position as secretary of education comes at a critical time of implementing this new law. DeVos echoed Trump’s stance on education when she said, “The status quo in education is not acceptable. Together, we can work to make transformational change that ensures every student in America has the opportunity to fulfill his or her highest potential.” [3] She believes parents should be able to choose where their children go to school and that students shouldn’t be trapped in failing schools.

Michigan Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley agrees with DeVos’s appointment. “Betsy’s nomination shows that President-elect Trump is serious about building an education system that puts kids first and parents in the driver’s seat.” [4]

Established in 2001, The Old Schoolhouse^® (TOS) was founded with the goal of helping homeschool families gain the facts and inspiration they need to confidently educate their children at home. It has grown into one of the largest homeschooling-support companies in the world. TOS resources help home

educators produce educated, well-adjusted students who are in high demand in the workplace as well as in colleges and universities across the country.

[1] http://www.nheri.org/research/research-facts-on-homeschooling.html

[2] http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/topic/excellence_in_philanthropy/interview_with_betsy_devos

[3] https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trump-picks-betsy-devos-pro-family-school-choice-advocate-for-education-sec

[4] http://www.michigan.gov/snyder/0,4668,7-277-61369-397885–,00.html