Betsy DeVos has been working to undermine public education ever since she became Donald Trump’s Secretary of Education in February 2017, about 1200 days ago. Will a recent exposé on the front page of the New York Times derail–or even slow down–her determined effort?
That’s doubtful. But you should know that she’s now using pandemic dollars to weaken public schools.
Frankly, she’s not as efficient as she could be, so at the end of this piece I have a couple of tips that will help DeVos finish her apparently divinely-inspired mission to completely destroy public schools, forever. Please read on…
In a story headlined “DeVos Funnels Coronavirus Relief Funds to Favored Private and Religious Schools,” the Times’s Erica Green lays out in excruciating detail how the Secretary, herself a graduate of a Christian high school and a Christian college, has taken the $30 billion appropriated by Congress to help education institutions upended by the pandemic and diverted it to institutions and policies that support her vision of privatized, God-centric education. In doing so, she’s taking dollars away from low-income children–not because she’s against disadvantaged children. They happen to attend public schools, her target.
And we are not talking chump-change here, either. For example, Bergin University of Canine Studies in California, whose purpose is to ‘advance the human-canine partnership through research and education,’ received $472,850 in pandemic relief funds. That’s $11,532 per student, because its website reports an enrollment of just 41 students. Yes, you read that right: 41 students and $472,850.
The invaluable Inside Higher Ed has been pursuing the story as well. Here’s one snippet from its coverage: ‘Denver’s Montessori Casa International, which had received $3,492 in stimulus funds, is now in line to get another $496,508. That means the school, which trained 12 students in the Montessori method in the 2017-18 academic year, could get a whopping $41,375 per student.”
There’s method to this madness, of course: starving public education: “Private schools are set to receive more support than they expected from the federal coronavirus relief package, while high-poverty school districts are set to receive less, thanks to guidance put out by Betsy DeVos’s federal education department,” according to Chalkbeat, the on-line education newspaper. Basically, DeVos has told states that they must give more of the pandemic funds to private schools, whether they enroll low-income students or not.
Here are more details from The Times: “In Louisiana, private schools would receive at least 267 percent more funding, and at least 77 percent of the relief allocation for Orleans Parish would be redirected, according to a letter state that education chiefs sent to Ms. DeVos. The Newark Public Schools in New Jersey would lose $800,000 in federal relief funds to private schools, David G. Sciarra, the executive director of the Education Law Center, said in a letter to the governor of New Jersey asking him to reject the guidance.”
Some state education leaders have said they will not follow her directive. (Congratulations, Indiana). Others, like Tennessee, have fallen in line.
Secretary DeVos has even been sending money to schools that didn’t apply for it, Green writes. “The Wright Graduate University for the Realization of Human Potential, a private college in Wisconsin that has a website debunking claims that it is a cult, was allocated about $495,000. All of the colleges could apply for the funds or reject them, and Wright officials said the school did not claim the funds.”
Here’s more: God’s Bible School and College in Cincinnati, which enrolls 378 students, has already received $155,000 in higher education coronavirus relief money and has been offered an additional $337,447. The institution, which enrolls 239 students, told The Times that it wouldn’t accept the additional funds.
From the beginning, Congress has rejected the Secretary’s efforts to create and fund a massive program that would give parents valuable ‘vouchers’ that they could spend for their children’s education wherever they chose, including religious and for-profit institutions. (DeVos and her family apparently have invested in some on-line education efforts.) The pandemic funds have provided DeVos a backdoor to achieving this goal.
It must make DeVos furious that some institutions have given back the pandemic money, out of conscience or principle. Since her goal is to shovel our tax dollars out the door and into the hands of the undeserving, she needs to make sure she doesn’t send money to people with principles, or to those with a conscience. She needs to focus her campaign on people without scruples.
Just as Willie Sutton robbed banks because ‘that’s where the money was,” DeVos should send checks only to those who are demonstrably unworthy of receiving it.
Actually, she doesn’t need to do any original research to find the scammers, the crooks, and the zealots. Their names are readily available. For example, The Network for Public Education has published detailed information about thousands of publicly funded charter schools that are guilty of wrong-doing. All DeVos has to do is get copies of “Asleep at the Wheel” and “Still Asleep at the Wheel,” pick out some scamming schools, and send them checks. There’s even a map, so she can direct the money to states that her boss needs to win in November. What could be easier!!
Funneling money to undeserving colleges and universities doesn’t require any work either. Just use Google for a full list and take your pick among dozens of unrecognized ‘religious’ colleges and universities.
Unfortunately, it’s too late for DeVos to help Golden State School of Theology. “It is with a sad heart that we announce that as of March 31st, 2020, Golden State School of Theology has ceased opperation (sic).” (Clearly, Golden State didn’t emphasize spelling.)
But the Secretary has plenty of options if she wants to support religious institutions that cannot earn accreditation. Why not send pandemic dollars to Louisiana Baptist University, which is not accredited by any organization recognized by her own United States Department of Education? “The current president of LBU is Dr. Neal Weaver.[10] Mr. Weaver holds no doctorate from an accredited university. LBU’s faculty page list a Ph.D.[11] from Holy Trinity Seminary.[12] Holy Trinity Seminary does not issue degrees, and is a non degree granting institute.” I’m not picking on LBU, because there are literally dozens and dozens and dozens more…..
If I may close by addressing the Secretary directly. Madam Secretary, no doubt your fellow religious zealots in the Trump Administration–Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, HUD Secretary Ben Carson, and others–support what you are doing.
I’m wondering whether you find it ironic that your boss, who has only a passing knowledge of Christianity and other religions, lets you try to undermine an institution of immense social value, our public schools, in the name of your notion of God? Or don’t you care, because for you the end justifies the means (as Christ never taught)?
Hard as you are trying to destroy public education, you will not be successful. Most Americans believe in and value public education, which will be here long after you are gone.
That said, however, November cannot come soon enough!!
The Merrow Report 
Agreed that we need a new President and Secretary of Education.
Meanwhile, fo help further some of the things John writes about, and to help far more students achieve their potential, a diverse group of Minnesota educators, citizens, students and community members is trying help change teacher training in Minnesota.
Among other things, we’re trying to add a requirement that prospective teachers learn the rationale for, and applications of service learning for the students and subjects they intend to teach.
Here’s a 2 page statement we’ve submitted. We’ve already received an invitation to meet with the board supervising teacher prep. Reactions/assistance welcome.
The undersigned diverse group of educators and community leaders urge that service-learning be included in the preparation of all Minnesota K-12 teachers. In this brief note, we provide specific recommendations, summarize supporting research, explain how service-learning has value beyond project and inquiry-based learning and cite relationships between service-learning and INTASC standards.
Our specific recommendations are that Minnesota teacher preparation institutions help each K-12 teaching candidate:
• understand the rationale for service-learning;
• engage in at least one service-learning project as part of their preparation; and
• learn how service-learning can be applied to the age of students and curricula area(s) they are preparing to teach.
Service-learning can be used to help prospective teachers achieve at least four of the INTASC Standards: development of critical thinking; subject matter knowledge; fostering relationships with the larger community to help students learn; and creating instructional opportunities adapted to diverse learners. (Anderson)
As an active learning pedagogy, service-learning goes beyond project-based and inquiry-based learning in important ways.
1. Service-learning engages young people as persons with knowledge, creativity, and assets who can, even at age 5, help improve their communities. Students take an issue that matters to them and their community and explore solutions to addressing that issue through the application of their academic curricula. Through service-learning, students create and implement solutions to address societal issues that matter. There are numerous examples of service-learning involving youngsters, even at the kindergarten level, such as students who studied area and perimeter in mathematics, and designed, gathered materials for and helped built a playground for their school. The day when six donated truckloads of sand arrived, which five to seven students had obtained, was an unforgettable day for these youngsters.
2. Service-learning helps young people see connections between what they are studying in the classroom and efforts to improve their community, state, nation and in some cases world.
3. Service-learning requires an explicit component of reflection through which students analyze the nature of societal issues, the ways in which their academic subject(s) informed their understanding of the issue, what worked well and what did not, and what actions they might take in the future as active contributors to society.
4. When done well, service-learning produces a powerful, positive and productive conclusion among participating students that they have tried, and in many cases succeeded, in making the world better.
Research published as recently as March, 2020, and going back twenty years, documents the deep value of service-learning. A national report released in March, 2020 concluded that “students who participate in service-learning opportunities demonstrate better academic performance, a deeper understanding of civic responsibility, and a stronger ethic of service.” (National Commission). Based on this research, the Commission recommended that “IHEs (Institutes of Higher Education) and nonprofit organizations explore ways to integrate quality, research-based civic education, and service-learning methodologies into curricula, consider best practices, and prepare teachers to use service-learning methodologies.(National Commission, 2020, p. 20)
The array of research led the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to conclude that “meaningful service to the community, combined with curriculum-based learning, builds stronger academic skills, encourages lifelong civic commitment, and improves workplace and personal development skills among youth.” (Anderson)
Findings from other research reveal that “Participation in high quality service-learning can increase students’ knowledge about government, commitment to communities and service, sense of civic responsibility, increased civic leadership, and acceptance of diversity and cultural differences.” (Furco)
The longitudinal study of service experiences by four professors at Stanford found that sustained service-learning and related experiences are a crucial factor in young people’s development of a sense of “civic purpose,” or lifelong commitment to the common good beyond their particular self- interests. (Malin)
A meta-analysis of 62 studies involving 11,837 students indicated that, compared to controls, students participating in SL programs demonstrated significant gains in five outcome areas: attitudes toward self, attitudes toward school and learning, civic engagement, social skills, and academic performance. Mean effects ranged from 0.27 to 0.43. (Celio et al.)
In 2010, the international Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) conducted a comprehensive research study of the teaching practices that are most effective for enhancing student learning. Their research found that student learning is highest when students (at all levels) engage in educational experiences that are:
1. authentic (students learn about real issues that matter to them and the work/projects they produce make a difference to the real world, as opposed to producing work only for the teacher’s eyes).
active (students are actively rather than passively engaged in the learning process; teaching is student-centered)
2. constructivist (students construct their understanding through higher order thinking by being provided scaffolds on which to build their understanding, rather than being fed bit and pieces of information to memorize)
3. cooperative (students learn through teamwork and collaboration and exchange of ideas, knowledge, and perspectives)
4. empowering (students have opportunities to apply their assets that helps build their self-efficacy and empowers them to want to learn more)
5. expands boundaries (students have opportunities to venture outside their comfort zones to explore new vistas that open up their world view and understanding)
6. personalized (students connect learning activities to issues that matter to them and have personal meaning; the more students are personally interested in something, the more they invest themselves in understanding it). (OECD 2010)
Of all of the pedagogies that OECD reviewed, service-learning was found to be the only pedagogy that met all of the aforementioned criteria. (Furco, 2010).
Training prospective teachers can have important positive results for faculty, as well as students. Preservice teachers trained in service-learning have showed gains in trust of students, in how well-prepared they are to use effective teaching skills, and a significant gain in a sense of teaching efficacy and commitment to teaching. (Sikes and Root)
We believe that service-learning can enhance and strengthen preparation in each of the following proposed Standards of Effective Practice:
• develop learning experiences that engage students in collaborative and self-directed learning and that extend students’ interactions with ideas and people locally and globally (Standard 18)
• collaborate with colleagues to integrate cross-disciplinary skills and content throughout instruction (Standard 22)
• collaborate with students to design and implement relevant learning experiences, identify their strengths, and access family and community resources to develop their areas of interest (Standard 33)
• effectively establish and manage small-group work that fosters collaboration, semi-independent work, and accountability for learning (Standard 38)
• be able to actively seek professional, community, and technological resources, within and outside the school, as supports for analysis, reflection, and problem solving (Standard 64)
For these reasons, we strongly urge that all prospective Minnesota K-12 educators, as they prepare to teach, build an understanding of the rationale, pedagogy and philosophy of service-learning, build personal experience with the practice, and learn how to apply the pedagogy and principles of service-learning in their classrooms to enhance the educational experiences of students.
Sincerely,
Sue Aberholden, MPH, Executive Director NAMI Minnesota
Candice M. Ames, PhD, Pine City, Mn, 50 year Mn public school educator
Lincoln Bacal, Founder, Twin Cities Changemakers, High School senior
Laura Bloomberg, PhD, Professor and Dean, Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Harry Boyte, Senior Scholar, Augsburg College, Founder of Public Achievement
Mary K Boyd, Retired Area Superintendent, St. Paul Public Schools
Julie Bascom, Director, Training & Leadership Development, National Youth Leadership Council
Rosita Balch, Family Engagement Specialist
Charlie Castro, Communication Faculty Member, Century College and North Hennepin Community College.
Rose W. Chu, PhD, Senior Policy Fellow, Minnesota Education Equity Partnership, Professor Emerita, Metro State University
Joshua Crosson, Executive Director, EdAllies
Walter Enloe, Professor of Education, Emeritus, Hamline University
Andrew Furco, Professor of Education, Associate VIce President for Public Engagement, University of Minnesota
Jennifer Godinez, Associate Director, Minnesota Education Equity Partnership (MnEEP)
Patti Haasch, Cass Lake Public Schools retired principal, MAAP STARS Chair
Donna Harris, Ed.D., President, Minnehaha Academy
Greg Herder, Board Chair, National Youth Leadership Council
Wayne Jennings, PhD, retired suburban school board member, retired St Paul Public School principal
Jim Kielsmeier, decorated US Army Infantry Officer/ Ranger deployed in 1960;s on DMZ in Korea, National Youth Leadership Council Founder
Jane Leonard, President, Growth & Justice
Dan Loritz
Richard Mammen, former Mpls School Board member, Co-Founder & Past President, Change Inc.
Carlos Mariani-Rosa, Executive Director, Minnesota Education Equity Partnership (MnEEP)
Senator John Marty, Minnesota Senate
Amy Meuers, Executive Director, National Youth Leadership Council
Alberto Monserrate, Co-Founder and CEO, New Publica: New Audiences, New Communications
Joe Nathan, PhD, Director, Center for School Change
John Poupart, Founder and President, American Indian Policy Center
Jane Prince, St Paul City Councilmember, Ward 7
Khalique Rogers, consultant to Youthprise and University of Minnesota student
Susan Root, Ph.D. former Research Director, National Youth Leadership Council
Bryan Rossi, Ph.D. Experiential Youth Empowerment Strategies
Dr. B. Charvez Russell, Executive Director, Friendship Academy of the Arts
Sondra Samuels, President & CEO, Northside Achievement Zone
Rep. Steve Sandell, MN House of Representatives
Jim Scheibel, Professor of Practice, Hamline University, former mayor, St Paul
Karen Seashore (Louis), PhD Regents Professor of Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development, University of Minnesota
Robert Shumer, Ph.D. Community Faculty Metropolitan State University and U of Minnesota, Founding Director of the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (U of Minnesota)
Lee-Ann Stephens, Ed.D, Mn Teacher of the Year 2006, Equity Coach, St Louis Park Public Schools.
Nathan Strenge, Senior Learning Designer, Fielding International
Rashad Turner, Founder and Executive Director, Minnesota Parents Union
Brandon Wait, Executive Director, Paladin Career & Technical High School
Wokie Weah, President, Youthprise
Maddy Wegner, Director of Engagement, National Youth Leadership Council
Louise Wilson, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Graduate School Adjunct Faculty
Bethel University
Samuel Yigsaw, PhD and Executive Director, Higher Ground Academy
REFERENCES
Anderson, Jeffrey B., “Learning In Deed: Service-Learning and Preservice Teacher Education” (2000). Service Learning, General. Paper 16. http://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/slceslgen/16
Celio, Christine I., Durlak, Joseph, and Dymnicki, Allison, “A Meta-analysis of the Impact of Service-Learning on Students,” Journal of Experiential Education, (2011, Volume 34, No. 2 ) pp. 164-181.
Furco, Andrew, “Service Learning Research Summary”, 2019, (please see below)
Malin, H., et al, “Civic Purpose: An Integrated Construct for Understanding Civic Development in Adolescence,” Human Development , (2015;58:103-130)
National Commission of Military, National and Public Service, “Inspired to Serve,” March 2020, accessible at http://www.inspire2serve.gov
OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, “Nature of Learning, The: Using Research to Inspire Practice, 2010, Accessible at https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/the-nature-of-learning_9789264086487-en#page5
Sikes, Kathy, and Root, Susan, “Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers with Transformative Practice: Engaging All Learners through Service Learning, St Paul, October 2011
LikeLike