| Betsy DeVos Faces Protests as She Visits Her First Public University Since Becoming Education Secretary |
| Friday, 07 April 2017 08:44 |
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Svrluga writes: "At Florida International University, the Miami New Times reported, she was confronted by a student yelling at her about her Cabinet position, while others outside chanted 'Protect our schools!' at her SUV as she left."
Betsy DeVos Faces Protests as She Visits Her First Public University Since Becoming Education Secretary07 April 17
At Florida International University, the Miami New Times reported, she was confronted by a student yelling at her about her Cabinet position, while others outside chanted “Protect our schools!” at her SUV as she left. Maydel Santana, a spokeswoman for the university in Miami, said university police reported about 30 protesters. It was the only disruption in a full day of school visits in Florida, according to a spokesman for the Education Department. DeVos was a controversial pick for education secretary. Her decades of advocating for charter schools, private school vouchers and other alternatives to public schools were praised by supporters eager to spark change and decried by those seeking to strengthen public schools with an experienced educator. The university hailed her visit, where she toured an area designed like a hospital ward to give students experience with scenarios they could encounter on the job. She also learned about the school’s program to increase graduation rates in science, technology, engineering and math. The program includes an emphasis on helping students pass college algebra, a common stumbling block.
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n her first stop at a public university since becoming education secretary, Betsy DeVos on Thursday praised an innovative nursing program for preparing students for jobs in an in-demand field, and faced protesters as well.