Charter schools hurt public schools

On CBS 60 Minutes (Sunday, March 11), Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who has never visited an underperforming school, could not explain why the performance of the public schools in her home state of Michigan continued to decline under her watch. I can explain it. I only need to use one skill from the over 30 cognitive skills associated with critical thinking. Logic.

Start with a comprehensive heterogeneous community public school. Now siphon off the hard-working, motivated, higher ability, eager to learn, better-behaved students into charter and private schools. The motivated, hard-working, competent teachers tend to follow these good students to the charter schools since teaching the now-larger percentage of unmotivated, lower ability students remaining in the public school turns out to be more difficult and less enjoyable and satisfying. Logically, the performance of public schools declines.

Instead of the president tasking Betsy DeVos with chairing the Commission Focusing on School Safety, she should be chairing a commission on how to motivate the unmotivated students to learn what they need to know to survive in the STEM future that lies ahead of them, as well as helping them develop a love of the arts, an understanding of history and society, and importantly, civility.

In my humble opinion, I'm not sure Betsy DeVos is the right person for this job.

David Thiessen

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