Empowering Students Through School Choice, With Betsy DeVos

Recorded on May 15, 2019.

What’s wrong with public education in the United States? Betsy DeVos, US secretary of education, analyzes the role of government in the US education system and the changes she’s making to the Department of Education. She discusses her proposal to overhaul the federal education system by rolling back government overreach from the previous administration. She argues that states and parents need to be empowered to make better informed and flexible decisions for where students attend schools. Her plan is to offer states the opportunity to enroll in an optional tax-credit program that would enable more parents to choose where their children go to school, including charter schools.

Secretary DeVos briefly touches on Title IX. She argues that, even though one sexual assault on a college campus is too many, better protections need to be put into place for the accused to be considered innocent until proven guilty. Peter Robinson and Secretary DeVos also discuss the trials of working in her current position and her dedication to serving the parents and students of the United States.

Related Resources:

Cast

Betsy DeVos

Betsy DeVos

Related

Podcasts

The Education Exchange: “1619 Project” Creator Failed To Use Power And Privilege To Promote Choice

Steven Wilson, a Senior Fellow at the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research, joins Hoover Institution fellow Paul E. Peterson to discuss Nikole Hannah-Jones’ recent essay, in which she wrestles with her decision to send her daughter to an underperforming public school.

October 5, 2026

Articles

A New Documentary Film Chronicling The Life And Legacy Of Rod Paige

On Monday, World Teachers’ Day, friends and relatives of the late Rod Paige released the trailer for a forthcoming film about his remarkable life and career. Titled Paragraphs of a Paige, the appetite-whetting trailer can be viewed here. 

October 8, 2026

Event

Civics Programs And Their Critics

The Alliance for Civics in the Academy held "Civics Programs and their Critics" with John von Heyking, Anthony Ives, Hollis Robbins, and Joseph Knippenberg on October 29, 2026, from 9:00-10:00 a.m. PT.

October 7, 2025