Betsy DeVos

Read our coverage of the 11th U.S. Education Secretary, who served from 2017 to 2021

Explainer

Betsy DeVos, Eleventh U.S. Education Secretary: Background and Achievements
Background and highlights of Betsy Devos's tenure as the eleventh U.S. Secretary of Education.
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, March 9, 2024, in Rome Ga.
Donald Trump, now president-elect, speaks at a campaign rally, March 9, 2024, in Rome, Ga. The education world is eager to find out who he will appoint to be U.S. secretary of education in his second term.
Mike Stewart/AP
Federal Trump's Potential Picks for Education Secretary: What to Know
Who could be tapped to lead an agency the president-elect has pledged to abolish?
Alyson Klein, November 12, 2024
7 min read
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks during a briefing at the Department of Education building in Washington on July 8, 2020.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks during a briefing at the Department of Education building in Washington on July 8, 2020.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Federal Q&A Betsy DeVos' Advice for Trump's Next Education Secretary
DeVos is eager to see a second Trump administration finish what she helped start on school choice and rolling back the federal K-12 role.
Alyson Klein, November 7, 2024
6 min read
President Donald Trump, right, arrives in a classroom at St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Fla., on March 3, 2017.
President Donald Trump, right, arrives in a classroom at St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Fla., on March 3, 2017.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP
Federal Who Could Be Donald Trump's Next Education Secretary?
Trump must decide if he wants someone with a "proven track record" or a "culture warrior," says a former GOP Hill staffer.
Alyson Klein, October 15, 2024
9 min read
Image of gender symbols drawn in chalk.
joxxxxjo/iStock/Getty
Federal What's at Stake in a Review of Federal Sex Discrimination Protections for Students
The Biden administration's review of Title IX may prompt new guidance on how schools deal with sexual harassment and protect LGBTQ students.
Evie Blad, June 4, 2021
10 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Federal Opinion Education Outlets Owe Readers More Than the Narratives They Want to Hear
It's vital that serious news organizations challenge runaway narratives and help readers avoid going down ideological rabbit holes.
Rick Hess, June 2, 2021
4 min read
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks at the U.S. Department of Education building on July 8, 2020. DeVos resigned her position Thursday.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks at the U.S. Department of Education building on July 8, 2020. DeVos resigned her position Thursday.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Federal Betsy DeVos Resigns a Day After Pro-Trump Mob Storms U.S. Capitol
One of the president's longest-serving cabinet members, DeVos had previously denounced the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington.
Andrew Ujifusa & Evie Blad, January 7, 2021
4 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Federal Opinion An Exit Interview With Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos
Secretary DeVos shares some thoughts with Rick on her experiences, what she learned in office, and what advice she’d offer her successor.
Rick Hess, December 15, 2020
8 min read
Image of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visits a classroom at the Edward Hynes Charter School in New Orleans, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos visits a classroom at the Edward Hynes Charter School in New Orleans in October 2018.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Policy & Politics How Betsy DeVos Bent the Nation’s Education Debate in Four Tense Years
President Donald Trump’s education secretary decried big government in schools, but wound up keeping her agency at center stage.
Andrew Ujifusa, December 14, 2020
12 min read
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, at the Phoenix International Academy in Phoenix.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos released guidance about the coronavirus pandemic's on state accountability systems under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Matt York/AP
Federal DeVos' Team Has Left Biden a Policy Blueprint Several of Her Critics Support
Guidance from the Trump administration about accountability requirements has gotten support from groups frequently critical of Betsy DeVos.
Andrew Ujifusa, November 23, 2020
4 min read
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks during a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing at the Department of Education building Wednesday, July 8, 2020, in Washington.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has accused some states of falling down on the job in using pandemic relief money for schools.
(Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP)
Education Funding DeVos and States Clash on Whether COVID-19 Aid Is Just 'Sitting in the Bank'
A new data tool shows schools had spent a small share of CARES Act money months after the law passed, but what that means is disputed.
Andrew Ujifusa, November 20, 2020
4 min read
Federal 'Bye Betsy' and More: Education World Reacts to Biden Victory
Many educators celebrated Biden's win by waving goodbye to Betsy DeVos as K-12 groups urged the next administration to address key issues.
Andrew Ujifusa, November 7, 2020
6 min read
Federal How Betsy DeVos' Teacher Grants Boost Donald Trump's Economic Agenda
The teacher and principal grants also highlight how presidential administrations can make their mark on education funding in various ways.
Andrew Ujifusa, October 1, 2020
3 min read
Federal Betsy DeVos Admits Defeat in Legal Battle Over Coronavirus Aid
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said her department won't appeal a decision from a federal court that voided her controversial rule involving COVID-19 relief and private school students.
Andrew Ujifusa, September 25, 2020
2 min read
Federal Government Watchdog Finds Fault With Trump's School Reopening Push
A new GAO report faults the Trump administration for inconsistent guidance on reopening schools and says a push for in-person learning was "misaligned with risk-based decision making."
Evie Blad, September 22, 2020
4 min read