By ERIN HOPKINS, Student Reporter
The United States is currently looking for a secretary of education.
The United States secretary of education is the head of the U.S. Department of Education and promotes public understanding of the department’s mission, goals and objectives.
The U.S. Department of Education is the agency of the federal government that establishes policy for, administers and coordinates most federal assistance to education. This department operates with the goal of ensuring education in the United States is of a good quality and fairly accessible by everyone.
The U.S. Department of Education has specific areas that they focus on in order to reach its main goal.
These areas include creating policies about financial aid and distributing financial aid, collecting data on education in the U.S., bringing attention to key education issues and preventing discrimination.
The secretary is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. As a member of the president’s Cabinet, the secretary is the principal adviser to the president on federal policies, programs and activities related to education in the U.S.
This decision will affect all students in the U.S. Here are some Northwestern students’ response to the following question “Who do you believe would be a good candidate for secretary of education or is there a current candidate you support and why?”
“Of Trump’s top two candidates, I’m glad he chose DeVos over Rhee, since she opposes Common Core and Rhee was against the unionization of teachers. But I wish he would have picked someone with more public school experience. My top choice, who was on Trump’s short list was Williamson Evers. He has experience as an advisor to the US secretary of education during the Bush administration. He denounced Common Core and works toward curriculum reform in the school system.”
-Rachel Carter (junior biology major from Alva, Okla.)
“I cannot support either candidate since they are both under qualified in my opinion. I would like to see someone take that position who has experience in education, not from the sidelines but from the home front.”-Chance Mayhall (senior vocal performance major from Ponca City, Okla.)
“I would like to see someone take the position that really believes they can improve our education. Arne Duncan, the ninth U.S. secretary of education, made a huge difference while holding that position. He helped gain congress’ support for President Obama’s investments in education which included The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This act helped with 325,000 teaching jobs, Pell grants, and low performing schools, as well as many other improvements. I would like to see someone making a huge effort to turn education around, like Arne Duncan. Education is very important in the United States and we need someone in office to help students achieve the best education possible.”
-Jordan Northrip (sophomore nursing major from Oklahoma City, Okla.)
“I’m leaning more towards Betsy DeVos because she’s a republican first of all, and she really cares about the importance of education for the United States. She’s been a huge advocate for voucher programs and school choice. I’m for school choice as well.”
–Kylie Wilson (freshman health and sports science major from Helena, Okla.)
“I think any candidate needs to be well versed in actual education, rather than someone who has political connections. I also think a good candidate will be the one who makes the right but hard decision. Many things in our education system need to change, and change does not always welcome popularity I have not found a candidate that I want to fully endorse. I don’t have a specific person in mind, rather I look for specific qualities.”-Chandler Steckbeck (senior English major from Enid, Okla.)