DeVos: ‘Maybe I Should’ Visit Underperforming Schools

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos admitted she hasn’t visited the “really bad schools” in her home state of Michigan and advocated for “investing in students, not in school buildings” in an 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl that aired Sunday night. After DeVos cited studies that indicate more school choice within a state made public schools better, Stahl asked, “Have the public schools in Michigan gotten better?” DeVos replied, “I don’t know, overall, I can’t say overall that they have all gotten better.” When Stahl noted that the “whole state is not doing well,” the education secretary mentioned that “lots of pockets” that were doing well. Stahl also asked if she had visited the schools that were performing very poorly, and DeVos said she had “not intentionally visited schools that are underperforming.” Stahl replied, “Maybe you should.” To which DeVos said, “Maybe I should, yes.” DeVos has voiced concern about states not seizing the educational freedoms provided to states by the Every Student Succeeds Act, after she was roundly criticized for her performance during her confirmation hearing.