DeVos clears Senate hurdle toward becoming ed secy

Betsy DeVos's embattled nomination for education secretary cleared another hurdle in the Senate on Friday as Republicans overpowered fierce resistance from Democrats. Senators voted 52-48 to cut off debate in an early-morning session, setting the stage for a final confirmation vote next week on President Donald Trump's nominee.

DeVos nomination at risk with two…

What previously appeared to be a near-certain chance of Betsy DeVos becoming President Donald Trump's education secretary took a hit Wednesday as two Republican U.S. senators said they would vote against her. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska delivered statements from the floor of the U.S. Senate saying they could not support DeVos' nomination, questioning both her experience and commitment to public schools.

What taxpayers should know about the public cost of school choice

School choice proponents often attack their critics by saying that anyone who doesn't support choice programs - charter schools, voucher programs, tax scholarship credits - love the status quo and don't care that children are trapped in failing traditional public schools. *There are some perfectly awful publicly funded traditional public schools and some severely troubled districts, especially in America's cities.

Under DeVos, Education Department likely to make significant shift on sexual assault

Accompanied by Sen. Tim Scott and former senator Joe Lieberman, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, appears before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for her confirmation hearing on Tuesday Jan. 17, 2017. The confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for education secretary underscored the likelihood of a significant shift in federal policy on sexual assault in college.

The Latest: NV Democrats will resist private school vouchers

The Latest on Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval's State of the State address and two-year budget proposal : Gov. Brian Sandoval's State of the State address included a new announcement about Tesla Motors' plans to expand its operations in northern Nevada with more than 500 additional jobs. Sandoval told lawmakers during a joint session in Carson City Tuesday night that Tesla will expand the factory manufacturing lithium-ion batteries to power its electric cars to include the production of electric motors and gearboxes for its next car, the Model 3. Tesla currently has more than 1,000 full-time employees and 2,000 construction workers on site at the 5 million-square-foot "gigafactory" along U.S. Interstate 80 east of Reno-Sparks.

The Latest: Lieberman returns to Senate to recommend DeVos

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut has returned to Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to support the nomination of Betsy DeVos as secretary of the Education Department. Lieberman asked senators at DeVos' confirmation hearing to "give her a chance to change the status quo" in the nation's schools.

Can school vouchers give kids a shot at a better education?

Can school vouchers give kids a shot at a better education? Education nominee Betsy DeVos faces her first Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2jO8Zme President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos.

News | Sen. Whitehouse Was Investor in For-Profit Charter School Company

U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse , who is opposing President-elect Donald Trump's pro-school choice nominee for Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, has had substantial financial interests in for-profit charter school outfit Edison Schools dating back to 2000. Rhode Island State Ethics filings show that Whitehouse held a 10% or greater ownership interest, or a $5,000 or greater ownership investment interest in Edison Schools a for-profit company that was launched by Christopher Whittle and whose leadership included Benno Schmidt - the former President of Yale.

Flooded Glen Oaks High returning to campus but to temporary classrooms

Students from Glen Oaks High School in Baton Rouge are set to return their school grounds for classes sometime in the spring, but they will be moving back into a sea of temporary classrooms because a return to the permanent buildings will have to wait another two more years at least. East Baton Rouge Parish Superintendent Warren Drake said he's received preliminary approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to purchase and install at least $7.5 million worth of temporary buildings at the high school, including a cafeteria, career-and-technical building and 30 classrooms.

Betsy DeVos, Trump’s education pick, has deep ties to Christian Reformed community

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he would nominate Betsy DeVos, a billionaire philanthropist with deep ties to the Christian Reformed community in Michigan, as his education secretary. DeVos is politically known in Michigan for her push for private school voucher programs, a position that has been controversial within public education circles.

Trump’s school choice expansion plan may face uphill battle

8, 2016, file photo, then=Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reaches to shake hands with Egunjobi Songofunmi during a meeting with students and educators before a speech on school choice at ... School voucher programs in the nation's capital and Vice President-elect Mike Pence's home state of Indiana could serve as a blueprint for a Trump administration plan to use public money to enable... School voucher programs in the nation's capital and Vice President-elect Mike Pence's home state of Indiana could serve as a blueprint for a Trump administration plan to use public money to enable disadvantaged... As a small West Virginia community tries to move past the backlash of a racist Facebook post that targeted first lady Michelle Obama, a council member had some inviting words for outsiders who look down on her town.

West Virginia town tries to move past Michelle Obama post

As a small West Virginia community tries to move past the backlash of a racist Facebook post that targeted first lady Michelle Obama, a council member had some inviting words for outsiders who look down on her town. Republicans are still celebrating their election victories, but the country's GOP governors warned this week that they need to move fast on many of the changes that have been promised to voters.

Candidates for District 47 seat focus on education

As Republican John T. Young and Democrat Michael Reddick vie for the Indiana House District 47 seat, their focus will be on improving education, making school funding more efficient and finding better ways to gauge if schools and students are succeeding. Issues such as fixing Indiana's infrastructure and addressing growing addiction problems among Hoosiers are also important to the candidates.

High school graduation rate hits record high of 83.2 percent

The nation's high school graduation rate has reached a record 83.2 percent, continuing a steady increase that shows improvement across all racial and ethnic groups, according to federal data released Monday. President Barack Obama welcomed the higher rate as good news, but the gains come against a backdrop of decreasing scores on national math and reading tests.

On the issues: Clinton, Trump call for more federal funding in education, differ on use

On the issue of education, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump call for greater federal funds, but beyond that, do not share much in common. Trump advocates greater accountability for schools and teachers and the ability for families to choose any school for the child, many with government support, while returning more control to states and school districts.