As the newly appointed Education Secretary, masses of people across the U.S. fear Betsy DeVos will gut the very institution she oversees due to her extreme lack of experience and self-serving motives. The outcry from Senate Democrats and even a few from the Republican Party caused a setback in her confirmation hearing, resulting in a tie that had to be broken by the vice president. Unfortunately, DeVos has absolutely no clue.

First, let us take a look at DeVos. She has been the driving force behind the implementation of charter schools in her home state of Michigan. She is also a top advocate for school vouchers, a program that gives parents the option of choosing private schools over public with state funded money. All of this sounds reasonable to a point, but, the facts start to make the issues a little murky. According to POLITICO, Michigan charter schools ranked near the bottom in math and reading compared to other states, testing lower than most traditional public schools. A lot has to do with the state’s relaxed regulations regarding private schools. The charter school system is also weakening public school funding; the poorest communities being affected the most.

In the meantime, DeVos has pronounced the nation’s public school system as status quo, saying the goal of school choice is to intervene on a failing public school system. DeVos is also not shy about sharing her strong Christian convictions and using it as a platform in her goals to reform the American educational system. Sizable donations to her political party have made certain circles speculate on her nomination as education secretary. 

DeVos’ experience is scary at best. Neither she nor her children have ever attended public schools. She did graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree in business, but unfortunately not education. She has never taught or worked in any type of academia. She has never dealt or worked with any type of federal funding, grants or scholarships. She is oblivious to the function and operation of loan programs and their necessity to higher education.

During confirmation hearings, DeVos was devoid of answers regarding student protection from fake colleges like Trump University, enforcing the rules in place concerning fraudulent schools, the enforcement of disabled student rights under the voucher program system and the difference in proficiency vs. grades within the U.S. education system. And do not forget the very real possibility of dismantling LGBTQ rights in education.

At this point people might be shaking their head and wondering why they’re even having this conversation. So many in America are fearful that their education system will be dismantled and grossly reorganized for egocentric reasons. The leaders of the House and Senate voted in someone who is so grossly unqualified in spite of the outcry of the nation.

The biggest fear circling the entire confirmation of DeVos is the fear of the unknown; the possibility of what might happen. Americans are not taking this new development lying down. DeVos may be the new education secretary, but the bottom line is that she still has an entire nation she must to answer to. One of the reasons the nation is so great is the power to speak and be heard. Do not give up in the face of adversity. Instead, let people move forward in the essence of Senator Elizabeth Warren: resist and persist.