on the resources available to it, you ll never get where you want to go. if you get the private sector making an investment in education and have seamless standards that everybody commits to, you can greatly expand the accessibility of education and do it through using faith-based, private and other type institutions. would you agree with that is. i think it s a very interesting approach and that georgia has taken and it s very similar to what florida has done as well. as the essa act is implemented, i think we re really entrusting for states to take a look at some other successful programs and i would also look forward to working with the other agencies that are involved with some of the preschool funding of head start and so forth, hhs, and see if there s ways to more effectively use those moneys to help kids be ready for kindergarten when they reach kindergarten. my time is up. i just want to acknowledge in
issue of student debt and the amount of student debt, over $1.3 trillion right now, up almost 1,000% in the last 8 years, it s a very serious issue and one which we all have to, i think, pay very close attention to and resolve in some way and if confirmed, i certainly will look forward to working with you and your colleagues on ways to get after this issue, the issue of the cost of education as well as debt repayment kind of go hand in hand and i will look forward to working with you and your colleagues should i be confirmed. thank you so much. i hope you ll be confirmed. i think you ll make a great secretary. thank you, senator hatch. senator casey. mr. chairman, thank you very much. put me on record as asking for a second round as well. i know that s under
decisions affecting our children s education are best left to the states and locals to decide to allow them to tailor the education policies and programs that best need that best meet the needs of their students? i do, indeed. oh my gosh. do you view the role of the u.s. secretary of education as an opportunity to advance your personal education views and agenda? not mine personally. i m going to hopefully be able to advance this president-elect s and also the views of many, many parents nationally. as secretary of education, is it your intention to undermine our nation s public education system? not at all. as secretary, will you carry out the implementation of federal education laws in a way that reflects the very letter and intent of the law? indeed. do you intend to mandate, direct, coerce, or control any state, local school district or school on any education program that is specifically prohibited
conflict of interest, but i would hope that you would make a definitive commitment as the nominee to enforce the law as it relates to sexual assault on campuses and i ll send you more questions about it. thank you, start. thank you, senator casey. senator paul. congratulations, miss devos. thanks for your testimony. i grew up and went to public schools and got a great education and a big fan of public schools. my kids have gone to public schools. but there are also some public schools that aren t doing very well. even the department of education says about half of them aren t doing very well and of half the kids that are dropping out are kids of color. so i commend you for your work, trying to help lower-income kids and trying to help everybody get a better education. i think the status quo just isn t really working. i have traveled to a lot of schools, though, and have been amazed at some of the schools. i went to st. anthony s in milwaukee. boy s latin school in philadelphia. a
potential. nor a bigger bureaucracy, tougher mandates, or a federal agency. the answer is local control and listening to parents, students and teachers. for nearly three decades, i ve been involved in education as a volunteer and advocate for children and a voice for parentparent s. i ve worked as an in-school mentor in the grand rapids public schools and had the privilege of interacting with parents, families and teachers in ways that have changed my life and perspective about education forever. i ve worked with governors, legislators and business and community leaders to expand educational opportunity through options that are making a lifetime of difference for hundreds of thousands of kids this year alone. and i ve worked with many dead ka dedicated teachers who strive every day to help students achieve, fulfill their potential and the global challenges they will face. for me, it s simple.