John King to Call for Unity Among ‘Advocates for Public Education’ in Apparent Jab at Trump

By Carolyn Phenicie

Washington, D.C.

Education Secretary John King Wednesday will call for unity among “advocates for public education” in a pointed speech that seems aimed at rallying liberal groups against ideas advocated by the incoming Trump administration.

“For all who believe that strong, equitable public education is central to a healthy democracy and a thriving economy, now is the moment for us to set aside the policy differences that we have let divide us, and move forward together courageously to defend and extend this fundamental American institution,” King will say, according to prepared remarks released Tuesday evening.

King’s speech at the liberal Center for American Progress will not explicitly reference President-elect Donald Trump, Education Secretary-designate Betsy DeVos or any of the school choice policies they have advocated. But the repeated references to public education, and refutations of the themes many Americans saw in Trump’s campaign do not appear accidental.

King, for example, will say, “We must continue to press on, firm in the knowledge that when we pull others up, they do not pull us down. When the light of opportunity shines on those who lack it, it does not dim for those already in its glow.”

Some Americans interpreted Trump’s signature “Make America great again” slogan as a call to return to a time when the rights of traditionally marginalized groups like people of color, LGBT Americans, immigrants and women, were limited. In their eyes, the slogan meant that the more recent ascendency of some groups necessarily meant the subordination of those who had held power.

The Obama-era Education Department, meanwhile, has in particular through the Office of Civil Rights focused on issues like ending racial disparities in discipline, providing appropriate facilities access for transgender students, and ensuring undocumented immigrant children have access to public schools.

Later in the speech, King will call for greater inclusion in schools, extolling the country’s diversity — a contrast to Trump, who at points during the campaign called for banning Muslims from entering the country, building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and deporting the millions of undocumented immigrants already in the U.S.

“Our nation and our world are growing more diverse and interconnected. We need to recognize the multicultural makeup of our country as an asset, not a liability. This means we need schools that embrace diversity,” King will say.

King’s speech ultimately will look to bind traditionally Democratic and liberal groups who, while they may hold differing opinions on some education issues, likely will be allies against GOP efforts to expand private school choice or limit the civil rights advocacy pushed by the Obama administration.

The secretary will call for “advocates of public education” to find a middle ground on testing and accountability, and charter schools — two issues that have most visibly divided education reform groups and teachers unions.

(The 74: Analysis — How Betsy DeVos Could Scramble the Ideology and Politics of Education Reform)

The two largest national teachers unions, for example, have clashed with the Obama administration often, and at one point called for King’s predecessor, Arne Duncan, to resign. But AFT President Randi Weingarten joined King’s call last monthto end corporal punishment in schools, and unions are some of the fiercest critics of most school choice efforts.

“I am not saying that we have to agree on every tactic or strategy. We won’t. But I am saying that we can reject false dichotomies and disparaging rhetoric,” King will say. “We can stop questioning our allies’ intentions and fight side by side for the belief that every student in America has the right to a great public education.”

On testing and its place in school accountability, King will call for a “balance,” using “only the highest-quality assessments” that show students’ critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving, rather than rote memorization. Those tests should be part of a “rich and varied” accountability systems, he will say.

He also will urge allies to “resist a false choice between allowing public charter schools and supporting traditional public schools. Our primary concern shouldn’t be the management structure of schools; it should be whether they serve all students well.”

King will call for supporters of charter schools to demand charter authorizers set a higher bar for schools, but also for strong monitoring and turnaround efforts at traditional public schools.

“Supporting public charter schools and supporting district public schools means demanding quality for both,” he will say.

He’ll also call for an end to the “false dichotomy” that teachers are praised as the only solution to the country’s educational woes or criticized for failing to solve them singlehandedly.

In the end, King will say, everyone must be part of the solution.

“We may disagree about tactics and strategies, but, as advocates of public education, we cannot afford to disagree about the need to make choices that reflect the best interests of students, and to push ahead bravely,” he will say.

The Dick & Betsy DeVos Family Foundation provides funding to The 74, and the site’s Editor-in-Chief, Campbell Brown, sits on the American Federation for Children’s board of directors, which was formerly chaired by Betsy DeVos. Brown played no part in the reporting or editing of this article. The American Federation for Children also sponsored The 74’s 2015 New Hampshire education summit.

Originally published at www.the74million.org.