Outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urges career staffers to 'be the resistance'
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has clashed with the career employees at the department she has led for the last four years, but she had a request for them in a department-wide meeting Tuesday addressing the shift to the incoming Biden administration. "Let me leave you with this plea: Resist," she said, according to a recording of the virtual meeting obtained by Politico. "Be the resistance against forces that will derail you from doing what's right for students. In everything you do, please put students first — always."
DeVos has blamed agency bureaucrats for getting in the way of her policy initiatives, and "political appointees at the Education Department also sought to investigate and punish career employees who they suspected of leaking information to the press," Politico notes. She told Reason magazine in the fall that the Education Department "has caused more problems than it solved." So it's not clear what kind of "resistance" she hopes those employees put up to President-elect Joe Biden's to-be-named education secretary. The Education Department did not respond to Politico's request for comment on the remark.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'There are benefits, but not acknowledging them would tell only half of the story'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What Trump's win could mean for Big Tech
Talking Points The tech industry is bracing itself for Trump's second administration
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Europe roiled by attacks on Israeli soccer fans
Speed Read Israeli fans supporting the Maccabi Tel Aviv team clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters in 'antisemitic attacks,' Dutch authorities said
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
USC under fire for canceling valedictorian speech
Speed Read Citing safety concerns, the university canceled a pro-Palestinian student's speech
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Florida teachers can 'say gay' under settlement
speed read The state reached a settlement with challengers of the 2022 "Don't Say Gay" education law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden administration to forgive $39B in student loan debt for 800K borrowers
Speed Read
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Advocacy groups challenge Harvard's legacy admissions policy
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
2 Michigan school districts ban backpacks after confiscating 4th gun this year
Speed Read
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Education Department to limit bans on transgender student athletes but allow exceptions
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
UAE becomes 1st Middle Eastern country to mandate Holocaust education in schools
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
College admissions scandal mastermind sentenced to 3.5 years in prison
Speed Read
By Devika Rao Published