Recorded on May 15, 2019.

What’s wrong with public education in the United States? Betsy DeVos, US secretary of education, analyzes the role of government in the US education system and the changes she’s making to the Department of Education. She discusses her proposal to overhaul the federal education system by rolling back government overreach from the previous administration. She argues that states and parents need to be empowered to make better informed and flexible decisions for where students attend schools. Her plan is to offer states the opportunity to enroll in an optional tax-credit program that would enable more parents to choose where their children go to school, including charter schools.

Secretary DeVos briefly touches on Title IX. She argues that, even though one sexual assault on a college campus is too many, better protections need to be put into place for the accused to be considered innocent until proven guilty. Peter Robinson and Secretary DeVos also discuss the trials of working in her current position and her dedication to serving the parents and students of the United States.

Related Resources:

Cast

Betsy DeVos

Betsy DeVos

More from Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson

The Lapsed Atheist: Charles Murray Makes The Case For God

The Lapsed Atheist: Charles Murray Makes The Case For God

Make IPOs Great Again: SEC Chairman Paul Atkins On Ending Regulation By Enforcement

Make IPOs Great Again: SEC Chairman Paul Atkins On Ending Regulation By Enforcement

The Declaration Of Independence And The Fight For America’s Future With Victor Davis Hanson

The Declaration Of Independence And The Fight For America’s Future With Victor Davis Hanson

Frank Dikötter And The True History Of Communist China

Frank Dikötter And The True History Of Communist China

Stephen Kotkin: Can America Still Lead The World?

Stephen Kotkin: Can America Still Lead The World?

Palmer Luckey Wants America To Win

Palmer Luckey Wants America To Win

Governor Ron DeSantis And The Free State Of Florida

Governor Ron DeSantis And The Free State Of Florida

Meyer, Lennox, And Tour: Three Scientists On The Origins Of Everything

Meyer, Lennox, And Tour: Three Scientists On The Origins Of Everything

Ben Shapiro And The Battle For The Soul Of Conservatism

Ben Shapiro And The Battle For The Soul Of Conservatism

How Israel Fights: Inside The Mossad With Zohar Palti

How Israel Fights: Inside The Mossad With Zohar Palti

More Like This

The Lapsed Atheist: Charles Murray Makes The Case For God

The Lapsed Atheist: Charles Murray Makes The Case For God

Norway: Defense And Diplomacy In The High North And Beyond

Norway: Defense And Diplomacy In The High North And Beyond

Thomas Sowell Legacy: A Conversation with Justice Clarence Thomas

Thomas Sowell Legacy: A Conversation with Justice Clarence Thomas

Can AI Libel You? The Robby Starbuck Case

Can AI Libel You? The Robby Starbuck Case

Jan Karski

Jan Karski

Complicated Legacy: Jay Bhattacharya On Fauci, RFK, And Vaccines

Complicated Legacy: Jay Bhattacharya On Fauci, RFK, And Vaccines

AI-Powered Business Formation

AI-Powered Business Formation

Iraq: Reform And The Fight For Sovereignty

Iraq: Reform And The Fight For Sovereignty

Securing the Future of Semiconductors

Securing the Future of Semiconductors

Tom Siebel On Education, Reinvention, And The AI Revolution

Tom Siebel On Education, Reinvention, And The AI Revolution

Related

Articles

When Astronomy Morphs Into Astrology

The 1996 “Sokal Hoax” attests to the longstanding decline of the humanities, and with them liberal education in America.

August 16, 2026

Articles

The Economics Of Better Teacher Pay

Research on teacher value added finds substantial differences in how teachers affect student achievement and longer-term outcomes, including college attendance and earnings. Yet traditional salary schedules base compensation largely on experience and credentials rather than effectiveness. Hoxby examines whether differentiated compensation can better reflect teachers’ contributions, drawing on evidence from Wisconsin showing gains in student achievement and the recruitment of effective teachers.

August 14, 2026

Articles

The Trump Team Gives Head Start The DOGE Treatment

The past two weeks have seen a growing ruckus over big changes in the Head Start regs that are reportedly nearing completion by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

August 13, 2026