Take the Pledge to Fire Betsy DeVos

Betsy DeVos is the least qualified Secretary of Education in history and her agenda consistently harms the students she’s charged with protecting. She needs to go.

Sign the Pledge

Cheers and Jeers

Tweet to support — or call out — this week's education winners and losers

by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
Why We're Cheering

He introduced the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 (H.R. 2339) to address the recent rise in tobacco use among students. The bill passed the House by a vote of 213-195.

Cheer
Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL)
Why We're Cheering

He introduced the Emmett Till Antilynching Act (H.R. 35)to designate lynching as a hate crime under federal law and correct a historic wrong.  The bill passed the House by a vote of 410-4.

 

Cheer
Reps. Mark Pocan (D-WI), Sam Graves (R-MO), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and Glenn Thompson (R-PA), and Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and John Tester (D-MT)
Why We're Cheering

They introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Public Schools Week resolution in their respective chambers.

Cheer
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
Why We're Cheering

He introduced the Homework Gap Trust Fund Act of 2020 to help communities purchase wireless devices and ensure all students have access to the internet.

Cheer
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Why We're Cheering

She objected to the Trump/DeVos privatization agenda, noting that vouchers have a negative, statistically significant impact on educational achievement—i.e., more vouchers equals lower achievement.

Cheer
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY)
Why We're Cheering

She raised concerns about the Trump/DeVos proposal to cut dozens of programs, including full-service community schools in her district.

Cheer
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Why We're Cheering

She objected to the Trump/DeVos plan to stop breaking down preschool enrollment data by race and ethnicity, noting that black students comprise 20 percent of the preschool population and 50 percent of suspensions.

Cheer
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI)
Why We're Cheering

He noted the poor performance of many charter schools and asked Betsy DeVos what percentage are failing; she said she didn’t know.

Cheer
Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL)
Why We're Cheering

She discussed the impact of the Trump/DeVos block grant proposal on teacher shortages—vacancies in her district increased from 195 vacancies last year to 235 this year.

Cheer
Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA)
Why We're Cheering

She observed that the proposed Trump/DeVos voucher program does not include a nondiscrimination requirement.

Cheer

Get up to date on your state

Meet your elected officials who fight for public education, get the latest education news from your state, and learn about the issues impacting schools where you live. Select your state to get started.
Meet your elected officials who fight for public education, get the latest education news from your state, and learn about the issues impacting schools where you live. Select your state to get started.
Alaska Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Washington, DC Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Iowa Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Maryland Maine Michigan Minnesota Missouri Mississippi Montana North Carolina North Dakota Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico Nevada New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Vermont Washington Wisconsin West Virginia Wyoming

Ask the Next President

Your voice matters, and we want to know what matters to you in this election. We are seeking feedback from NEA members across the country to determine what’s most important to educators and to shape the questions we’re asking all major candidates for president.

Join the conversation

Latest Headlines