According to one of the presidential candidates for the upcoming United States (US) Presidential Elections, the next US secretary of education should be a teacher. Those were the claims made by the only female candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Professionals and government figures are generally convinced that a teacher will indeed be the right choice for this position. Considering this, it is not surprising that the current Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos has been harshly criticized for her lack of experience as an educator.
Secretary of Education duties
According to Ms. Warren, who was a teacher before going up the political ladder, the Secretary of Education of the United States should be someone who knows what the reality of the system is.
In a speech, she gave in May this year, Ms. Warren stated that the next person to take this critical post should know the struggles of low pay in the educational system. Not only that, but the next secretary should be aware of the growing problem of student debt in the United States.
So far, in the history of the United States’ Secretaries of Education, only a few have ever been part of the secondary education system. A more significant number of them have been part of higher education as professors; however, the majority of past Secretaries of Education did not have previous hands-on experience in the area.
Betting on expertise
Ms. Warren’s promise to appoint a Secretary of Education with actual expertise in the field has brought a wave of approval among the general population, and fellow Democratic party members.
Even so, there are experts who are not entirely convinced in the validity of this promise. According to Peter Greene, a senior contributor to the education column of Forbes Magazine, there are hidden pitfalls to boasting with such promises.
One of his arguments is that many of the possible candidates will have Pro-forma experience in the educational field, which does not guarantee their actual expertise. Consequently, Mr. Greene doubts that Ms. Warren will manage to keep her promise in the most effective manner and with the education system in mind.
