InformED Report: DeVos Confirmation Controversy

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Trump’s pick for education is accused of plagiarizing answers to questionnaire for her confirmation hearing – including one answer lifted from an Obama official

Nikki Schwab | The Daily Mail | Twitter

President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, appears to have done a cut-and-paste job when answering written questions posed to her by U.S. senators.

The Washington Post discovered lifted sentences and phrases in written answers DeVos submitted to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee’s ranking Democrat, Sen. Patty Murray.

One of the clearest examples of plagiarism came from DeVos likely copying an answer from the writing of a top Obama administration official.

To read more visit The Daily Mail

01/31/2017 | Washington, DC | The Times Picayune

Betsy DeVos clears one confirmation hurdle: 6 takeaways

Danielle Dreilinger | The Times Picayune | Twitter

A Senate committee approved President Donald Trump’s education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos on Tuesday (Jan. 31), moving her along to the full Senate.

DeVos advocates for nontraditional school options: independently run public charters and private school vouchers. The uproar surrounding her appointment has been fierce, as shown by two emails sent to NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune Monday afternoon. Their subject lines:

“1,450,000+ Petition Senate to Block Betsy DeVos”

“Support for DeVos Continues to Grow”

The 12-11 vote from the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee fell along party lines. But that doesn’t mean the proceedings went as expected.

To read more visit The Times Picayune

01/31/2017 | Washington, DC | The 74

What Trump’s Ban Means for 17,000 Students From 7 Nations — and the Future of the U.S. Tech Industry

Mark Keierleber | The 74 | Twitter

President Trump’s immigration ban was billed as a critical measure to keep out foreign threats, but when the executive order was issued on Friday, international students were among those who found themselves in the crosshairs of a new policy that barred citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States.

Media reports and social media posts have documented the stories of dozens of students and academic researchers who were prevented from getting on flights to the U.S. or deported after landing at American airports.

To read more visit The 74

School Offers ‘Refugee Scholarship’ in Protest of Trump Order

Lauren Camera | U.S. News | Twitter

Wheaton College in Massachusetts is planning to offer a full scholarship to a refugee escaping conflict, with a preference to students from the seven Muslim-majority nations outlined in President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration.

“We are establishing the Wheaton Refugee Scholarship as a way of adding our voice to the chorus of people across the country who are calling for the immigration ban to be lifted,” college president Dennis Hanno said Tuesday in a statement.

To read more visit U.S. News

01/31/2017 | UK | The Telegraph

National school exercise scheme launched in bid to tackle childhood obesity

Harry Yorke | The Telegraph | Twitter

A new exercise regime which allows teachers and parents to monitor pupils’ activities throughout the school day is being rolled out across the country in a bid to eradicate childhood obesity.

Launched on Tuesday, the Health Active Schools Systems (HASS) – devised by the children’s activity provider Fit For Sport – will provide schools with reports charting the activity of individual children on a daily basis.

It comes as a report published last week by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health revealed that 40 percent of children in the country’s most deprived areas were diagnosed as overweight or obese in 2016 – compared to just 27 percent in more affluent areas.

To read more visit The Telegraph

1. MLive – What to expect now that Betsy DeVos is U.S. education secretary
2. The New York Times – Betsy DeVos, Pick for Secretary of Education, Is the Most Jeered
3. The Washington Post – Universities tell judge travel ban hurts schools, students
4. edCircuit – International Students Going Incognito