An article written by Madison Gray in the EducationPost, posted March 29, 2017, titled “Betsy, Can We Really ‘Uber’-ize Public Education? Here’s Why That’s a Terrible Idea,” takes what Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said during a keynote address at the Brookings Institution for the Center on Children and Families’ out of context. The event marked the release of the Brookings’ 5th annual Education Choice and Competition Index (ECCI)—a which ranks school choice in the 100 largest school districts.
Madison wrote: “During the address DeVos made a strange comparison—she compared the movement for more school options, public charter schools and publicly funded private schools, to the likes of Uber and Lyft. She commented, “Just like the traditional taxi system revolted against ride-sharing, so too did the traditional education establishment revolt against school choice.”
She went on to say:
The government shouldn’t get in your way. People want options.”
We can disagree with the principles and implementation of school choice policies. But please get some sense of humor. What Secretary DeVos was trying to illustrate is that, like Uber, school choice faces a huge challenge from established forces that seek to protect their self-interest and monopolies. Honestly, was this analogy by the Secretary deserving of your lengthy critique? Wouldn’t your time have been better spent tackling the waste, corruption and incompetence we know exists in far too many school districts’ central offices?
Source: Betsy, Can We Really ‘Uber’-ize Public Education? Here’s Why That’s a Terrible Idea.
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