Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
Understanding the President’s Cabinet: Education Secretary
Understanding the President’s Cabinet: Education Secretary
Jul 6, 2025 7:39 PM

Note: This is the fourthin a weekly series of explanatory posts on the officials and agencies included in the President’s Cabinet. See the series introduction here.

Cabinet position: Secretary of Education

Department: U.S. Department of Education

Current Secretary: Betsy DeVos

Succession: The Secretary of Education is fifteenth in the presidential line of succession.

Department Mission: “[Education Department’s] mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for petitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.

Congress established the U.S. Department of Education (ED) on May 4, 1980, in the Department of Education Organization Act (Public Law 96-88 of October 1979). Under this law, ED’s mission is to:

Strengthen the mitment to assuring access to equal educational opportunity for every individual;Supplement plement the efforts of states, the local school systems and other instrumentalities of the states, the private sector, public and private nonprofit educational research munity-based organizations, parents, and students to improve the quality of education;Encourage the increased involvement of the public, parents, and students in Federal education programs;Promote improvements in the quality and usefulness of education through Federally supported research, evaluation, and sharing of information;Improve the coordination of Federal education programs;Improve the management of Federal education activities; andIncrease the accountability of Federal education programs to the President, the Congress, and the public.” (Source)

Department Budget: $69.4 billion (FY 2017). In addition, the Education Department provides over $150 billion in new and consolidated loans annually.

Number of employees: The Education Department has approximately 4,400.

Primary Duties of the Secretary: “The Secretary is responsible for the overall direction, supervision, and coordination of all activities of the Department and is the principal adviser to the President on Federal policies, programs and activities related to education in the United States.

The Deputy Secretary focuses on the development and implementation of policies, programs, and activities relating to elementary and secondary education matters. This mission addresses a wide spectrum of interests ranging from safe and drug free schools, special education and rehabilitative services to education of linguistically and culturally diverse students, and promotion of educational interventions, and reforms.

The Under Secretary focuses on higher and adult education policy, postsecondary policy, college aid, and the President’s financial aid reforms for the Pell Grant program.” (Source)

Secretary Info

Secretary: Elisabeth “Betsy” DeVos

Previous occupation: DeVos is the former chairman of The Windquest Group, a privately held investment and management firm based in Michigan.

Education: Bachelor of Arts degree from Calvin College.

Previous government experience: None

Religious Affiliation: DeVos grew up in the Christian Reformed Churchand, more recently, was a member and served on the elder board of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan.

Notable achievements:

Acton Institute (former board member)

Alliance for School Choice (former chairman)

American Enterprise Institute (board member)

American Federation for Children (former chairman)

ArtPrize (board member)

Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation (chairman)

Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation (chairman)

Foundation for Excellence in Education (board member)

Kids Hope USA(former chairman)

Michigan Republican Party (former chairman)

The Philanthropy Roundtable (former chairman)

Notable quotes:

On educational equality: “Above all, I believe every child, no matter their zip code or their parents’ jobs, deserves access to a quality education.”

On educational standards and Common Core: “I am not a supporter [of the Common Core]—period. I do support high standards, strong accountability, and local control. When Governors such as John Engler, Mike Huckabee, and Mike Pence were driving the conversation on voluntary high standards driven by local voices, it all made sense. Have organizations that I have been a part of supported Common Core? Of course. But that’s not my position. Sometimes it’s not just students who need to do their homework. However, along the way, it got turned into a federalized boondoggle.”

On school choice: “We [DeVos and her husband] think of the educational choice movement as involving many parts: vouchers and tax credits, certainly, but also virtual schools, magnet schools, homeschooling, and charter schools.”

On the politics of school choice: “[W]e [DeVos and her husband] believe that the only way that real education choice is going to be successfully implemented is by making it a bipartisan or a non-partisan issue. Until very recently, of course, that hasn’t been the case. Most of the Democrats have been supported by the teachers’ unions and, not surprisingly, have taken the side of the teachers’ unions. What we’ve tried to do is engage with Democrats, to make it politically safe for them to do what they know in their heart of hearts is the right thing. Education should be non-partisan.”

On cultural engagement:“[W]e went on a trip to Israel with a marvelous teacher who talked about the geography in Israel, where the coastal plain where the pagans lived, the Israelites lived in the foothills and the crescent in between was called the Schefela. And he really challenged all of us on that trip to be active in the Schefela. The Schefela where the cultures meet and that has been something that has been really impactful for both Dick and me, is to continue to think about where we can be the most effective or make the most impact in the culture in which we live today. And so, our desire is to be in that Schefela, to confront the culture in which we all live today in ways which will continue to help advance God’s kingdom. Not to stay in our own little safe territory.”

Next post in this series: Secretary of Defense

Previous and ing posts in this series: Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Secretary of Homeland Security

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
Verse of the Day
  2 Corinthians 6:14 In-Context   12 We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us.   13 As a fair exchange-I speak as to my children-open wide your hearts also.   14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?   15...
Verse of the Day
  Commentary on Today's Verse   Commentary on James 5:12-18   (Read James 5:12-18)   The sin of swearing is condemned; but how many make light of common profane swearing! Such swearing expressly throws contempt upon God's name and authority. This sin brings neither gain, nor pleasure, nor reputation, but is showing enmity to God without occasion and without advantage It shows a man...
Verse of the Day
  1 John 4:19 In-Context   17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.   18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect...
Verse of the Day
  Commentary on Today's Verse   Commentary on Ecclesiastes 5:9-17   (Read Ecclesiastes 5:9-17)   The goodness of Providence is more equally distributed than appears to a careless observer. The king needs the common things of life, and the poor share them; they relish their morsel better than he does his luxuries. There are bodily desires which silver itself will not satisfy, much less...
Verse of the Day
  Commentary on Today's Verse   Commentary on Luke 6:27-36   (Read Luke 6:27-36)   These are hard lessons to flesh and blood. But if we are thoroughly grounded in the faith of Christ's love, this will make his commands easy to us. Every one that comes to him for washing in his blood, and knows the greatness of the mercy and the love...
Verse of the Day
  Romans 16:17-18 In-Context   15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord's people who are with them.   16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.   17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are...
Verse of the Day
  Commentary on Today's Verse   Commentary on 1 John 4:7-13   (Read 1 John 4:7-13)   The Spirit of God is the Spirit of love. He that does not love the image of God in his people, has no saving knowledge of God. For it is God's nature to be kind, and to give happiness. The law of God is love; and all...
Verse of the Day
  Ephesians 6:14-16 In-Context   12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.   13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to...
Verse of the Day
  Romans 8:28 In-Context   26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.   27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will...
Verse of the Day
  Deuteronomy 7:9 In-Context   7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.   8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved