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person1958–

Betsy DeVos

Disciplines:
politics
school choice
michigan

Summary

US Secretary of Education under Trump (2017–2021) — Michigan education reform activist — the most prominent national advocate for school choice, charter schools, and education vouchers.

Core Contribution

Creates the political infrastructure for school choice at the national level — DeVos's decades of advocacy for school choice in Michigan and nationally produced the most significant federal education policy shift toward parental choice in a generation.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • Was confirmed as Secretary of Education by the narrowest possible margin — requiring Vice President Pence's tiebreaking vote after two Republican senators crossed party lines — and was regularly unable to answer basic questions about education policy in her confirmation hearing; her confirmation was the most controversial of the Trump cabinet
  • Resigned from her position on January 8, 2021, two days after the Capitol riot — one of the earliest and most prominent cabinet resignations, citing the riot as the reason

Notable Works & Achievements

Hostages No More

Historical Influences

Milton Friedman John Walton

Intellectual Lineage

Holland, MichiganCalvin College Republican Party Michigan education reformSecretary of Education

Contemporaries & Peers

Arne Duncan Rod Paige

Minds Influenced

Education reform

Intellectual Posterity

School choice movement DeVos family philanthropy

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