Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has announced the opening of an office to help educators in developing and managing state and local education programs.
She said the office, which is being led by her chief of staff, will serve as a hub for state and community officials and the private sector in crafting educational reforms and working with states and local communities to improve quality.
“We’re not there yet,” DeVos said during a news conference on Tuesday, “but we’re moving very quickly.”
Education Secretary and Chief of Staff Betsy DeVos, right, shakes hands with Secretary of Education nominee Kaya Henderson, left, during a visit to the United States Mission to the World Bank in Washington, DC, on Oct. 30, 2017.
The office is expected to have staff in the office by next month.
DeVos’s announcement comes at a time when states and school districts are grappling with how to balance the federal government’s investment in education with state budget constraints.
The department is currently in the process of building a new $1.4 trillion, 10-year blueprint for schools that includes plans to improve teacher training and expand early childhood education.
The new plan would create the nation the largest school voucher program in the world, with more than 12 million children eligible to receive up to $1,500 per child to attend private and parochial schools.
DeVos said the new office will be a forum for education leaders, state and district leaders, and business leaders to collaborate on ways to ensure states and districts can better serve students and families.
The secretary also pledged that the office will include the heads of state and governors to help identify ways to improve schools and communities, as well as to share ideas and collaborate on solutions to the nation, including the rollout of new standardized testing and other policies.
“Our schools are failing,” DeVos told reporters after the news conference.
“They are failing our students and our children are failing their communities.
The only solution is to work together to fix the problems that are really driving students away from the classroom and our communities.
That is the real challenge for our country and we’re doing just that with the new secretary of education office.”
She said she plans to create a team of 10 to 15 people to focus on the new initiatives.
“I have an incredibly deep appreciation for the work that teachers do every day to improve our schools, to create new learning experiences, and to keep kids safe and healthy,” DeVos added.
“My administration will be leading on this challenge by building a national network of experts, by working with the private and public sectors to help them understand the problems and how they can help, and by working to find solutions.”
The new office is being overseen by DeVos’s chief of the Office of Education, Katherine Frazier.
“This office is intended to be a hub to foster collaborative efforts between government and the communities we serve,” Frazier said in a statement.
“The department will continue to develop policies and practices that help us address and respond to the needs of our children and our parents, and it will build on this legacy by continuing to create and develop new opportunities for collaboration among state and federal agencies.”
DeVos has not announced which states and public schools will be served by the office.