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The Turbulent Nomination of Betsy DeVos

DeVos wide at hearing
Chronicle photo by Julia Schmalz
President Trump’s choice of Betsy DeVos, a philanthropist and generous donor to many conservative causes, to be his secretary of education aroused some of the strongest opposition of any nominee for the Trump cabinet.

The critics, including teachers’ unions and civil-rights activists, focused on her support for charter schools and vouchers, her family’s backing for antigay causes, and her lack of familiarity with public education since both she and her children attended private schools. Still, Ms. DeVos retained strong support from Senate Republicans.

Here’s a look at how we got here, with Chronicle news, analysis, and opinion articles on the nomination.

Betsy DeVos appeared before the U.S. Senate's education committee in January for her confirmation hearing. Pressed to support precise positions, Ms. DeVos avoided specifics and instead promised to work with lawmakers toward common goals.
News
In New Profile, DeVos Blames Staff for Rocky Confirmation Hearing
By Adam Harris
“The transition group was very circumspect about how much information they gave me about then-current policy,” the education secretary said in a new profile published by Politico Magazine.
President Trump and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos met with parents and teachers in the White House on Tuesday.
News
How Much Power Does Betsy DeVos Really Hold to Shake Up Higher Ed?
By Kelly Field
Many of the new secretary’s critics have worried about what she might do, but most education secretaries have left a limited mark on higher education. Here’s why.
Betsy DeVos at her confirmation hearing last month. She has said little about higher education, leading many observers to assume that most of the action on higher education under President Trump will come from Congress.
News
Betsy DeVos Survived a Historic Confirmation Fight. What’s Next for Higher Ed?
By Kelly Field
Some experts wonder how much lawmakers will be able to get done on higher education, given their competing priorities and the bitterness over the new secretary’s selection.
Betsy DeVos has emerged as perhaps President Trump’s most-contentious cabinet pick.
News
Why Trump’s Billionaire Nominee Has Awakened Such Fierce Opposition
By Eric Kelderman
Betsy DeVos, a school-choice advocate, has the Senate’s Republican majority on her side. The education establishment is another matter.
Betsy DeVos, shown at a hearing before the Senate education committee last week on her nomination to be secretary of education, faces bitter opposition from teachers’ unions and civil-rights groups, but she is backed by prominent Republicans and others seeking to overhaul public schools.
News
The Battle Lines Over Betsy DeVos
By Peter Schmidt
The nominee for education secretary faces bitter opposition from teachers’ unions and civil-rights groups, but is backed by prominent Republicans and others seeking to overhaul public schools.
Hearings are scheduled to begin this week in the Senate education committee to consider Betsy DeVos’s nomination as education secretary.
News
DeVos Moves From Wealthy Outsider to Cabinet Insider
By Eric Kelderman
Trump’s nominee for education secretary has a long history of wielding influence outside of government and behind the scenes.
Betsy DeVos appeared before the U.S. Senate's education committee on Tuesday as it considered her nomination to be secretary of education. Pressed to support precise positions, Ms. DeVos avoided specifics and instead promised to work with lawmakers toward common goals.
News
DeVos Takes Center Stage: Highlights From Her Confirmation Hearing
By Eric Kelderman
The education-secretary nominee avoided specifics as senators pressed for her positions on issues including student debt, regulations on for-profit-colleges, and Title IX.
Betsy DeVos, the nominee to lead the Department of Education, will appear Tuesday before the Senate education committee. Here are a few topics she might be questioned about.
Government
5 Things to Know About Betsy DeVos
By Eric Kelderman
A primer on President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick for education secretary, whose confirmation hearings begin today.
Betsy DeVos was named by President-elect Donald J. Trump last week to become the next secretary of education. She has no track record in higher education, but that’s hardly unusual over the post’s short history.
Government
Why Most Secretaries of Education Haven’t Had a Higher-Ed Background
By Eric Kelderman
Betsy DeVos, President-elect Trump’s pick to head the Education Department, has no track record in higher education. But that’s hardly unusual over the post’s short history.
The Review
Colleges’ Realities May Curtail DeVos’s Agenda
By Kevin Carey
A huge loan system and day-to-day campus complications can humble any education secretary, no matter how ideologically ardent she is.
The Review
DeVos Is Clearly No Pushover
By Stephen Joel Trachtenberg
Despite her lack of a higher-ed portfolio, Trump’s pick for education secretary combines a passion for education and impressive political skills.
The Review
Expect DeVos to Apply Her Free-Market Outlook to Colleges
By Donald E. Heller
What she’s advocated for in elementary and secondary schools in Michigan has implications for her approach to American colleges.
Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for education secretary, posed last week with Mr. Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence outside the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.
Trump's Team
What Does Betsy DeVos Have in Mind for Higher Ed?
By Dan Berrett, Sarah Brown, Eric Kelderman, and others
Donald Trump’s choice for education secretary has well-established views on elementary and secondary education, but virtually no track record on higher education. Friends and observers say her support for school choice may provide clues to her vision.