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Betsy DeVos Scolds States on Lack of Ambition in Their ESSA Plans

By Andrew Ujifusa — March 06, 2018 1 min read
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Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos may have approved the majority of states’ new education plans, but that doesn’t mean she’s impressed by them.

Speaking Monday to the Council of Chief State School Officers’s annual legislative confernce in Washington, DeVos had some harsh words for states’ Every Student Succeeds Act plans, saying that they lacked amibition and were more focused on compliance than innovation. She also noted that a few governors’ had refused to give the plans their stamp of approval.

“Just because a plan complies with the law doesn’t mean it does what’s best for students,” DeVos, who’s approved ESSA plans for at least 33 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, said in prepared remarks. “Whatever the reasons, I see too many plans that only meet the bare minimum required by the law. Sure, they may pass muster around conference tables in Washington, but the bare minimum won’t pass muster around kitchen tables.”

Click here for more details on DeVos’ speech at CCSSO from our colleague Daarel Burnette II.

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Photo: U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos sharply criticized states’ plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act in a speech in Washington on March 5, 2018. Andrew Harnik/AP-File

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