Mar 12, 2018 12:00:00 AM
Any family that has the economic means and the power to make choices is doing so for their children. Families that don't have the power, that can't decide: 'I'm gonna move from this apartment in downtown whatever to the suburb where I think the school is gonna be better for my child' if they don't have that choice—and they are assigned to that school, they are stuck there. I am fighting for the parents who don't have those choices. We need all parents to have those choices.She is not wrong. In fact, this is the area where I agree with Secretary DeVos the most. As I’ve written before, many people who argue against school choice in that it is merely a way to defund public education do so while exercising their own choice for their own kids. Where my confidence falls apart with DeVos is when she is pushed to beyond the simple recitation of a well-worn campaign platform. When pushed about the impact of school choice on the quality of education provided in DeVos’ home state of Michigan, Devos revealed what was, to me, an unforgivable ignorance.
Lesley Stahl: Have the public schools in Michigan gotten better? Betsy DeVos: I don't know. Overall, I—I can't say overall that they have all gotten better. Lesley Stahl: Have you seen the really bad schools? Maybe try to figure out what they're doing? Betsy DeVos: I have not. I have not—I have not intentionally visited schools that are underperforming.Excuse me? Our secretary of education has not intentionally visited schools that are underperforming? Does the FBI intentionally not visit crime-ridden areas? Does the CDC (Center for Disease Control) intentionally not visit areas of contagion? Does FEMA intentionally not visit areas hit by natural disasters? Taken in isolation, [pullquote position="right"]this designed ignorance is shameful, and frankly stunning[/pullquote], but when combined with other choices DeVos has made, a troubling pattern begins to emerge. In keeping with the current administration’s efforts to effectively undo the work of the Obama administration, DeVos has instructed the Department of Education to review the Obama era initiative to investigate school discipline and its relation to race—a worthy investigation considering that Black students are suspended at nearly three times the rate of White students. When asked if she saw disproportionate rates in school discipline policies and its alignment with institutional racism, DeVos responded, “We're studying it carefully. And are committed to making sure students have opportunity to learn in safe and nurturing environments. And all students means all students.” I’m no Washington insider. I’m just a teacher from Philadelphia. But here’s what I see. I see a secretary of education who intentionally doesn’t visit the lowest-performing schools—which in all likelihood have significant school culture problems—but then has the chutzpah to doubt the correlation between race and school discipline. I see a secretary of education who is a multi-millionaire who has made substantial political contributions to Republican senators. I see a secretary of education who has no experience teaching or leading schools.
Zachary Wright is an assistant professor of practice at Relay Graduate School of Education, serving Philadelphia and Camden, and a communications activist at Education Post. Prior, he was the twelfth-grade world literature and Advanced Placement literature teacher at Mastery Charter School's Shoemaker Campus, where he taught students for eight years—including the school's first eight graduating classes. Wright was a national finalist for the 2018 U.S. Department of Education's School Ambassador Fellowship, and he was named Philadelphia's Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 2013. During his more than 10 years in Philadelphia classrooms, Wright created a relationship between Philadelphia's Mastery Schools and the University of Vermont that led to the granting of near-full-ride college scholarships for underrepresented students. And he participated in the fight for equitable education funding by testifying before Philadelphia's Board of Education and in the Pennsylvania State Capitol rotunda. Wright has been recruited by Facebook and Edutopia to speak on digital education. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, he organized demonstrations to close the digital divide. His writing has been published by The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Citizen, Chalkbeat, Education Leadership, and numerous education blogs. Wright lives in Collingswood, New Jersey, with his wife and two sons. Read more about Wright's work and pick up a copy of his new book, " Dismantling A Broken System; Actions to Close the Equity, Justice, and Opportunity Gaps in American Education"—now available for pre-order!
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