betsy devos, the nominee for u.s. secretary of education, is a school-choice advocate and self-described <u+201c>disrupter<u+201d> known for<u+00a0>a<u+00a0>willingness to fight for<u+00a0>her causes. her nomination by president-elect donald trump would place<u+00a0>a leader of the national school reform movement in a role to shape the nation<u+2019>s education policy. <u+201c>i<u+00a0>am<u+00a0>honored<u+00a0>to<u+00a0>accept<u+00a0>this<u+00a0>responsibility<u+00a0>to<u+00a0>work<u+00a0>with<u+00a0>the president-elect<u+00a0>on<u+00a0>his<u+00a0>vision<u+00a0>to<u+00a0>make american<u+00a0>education<u+00a0>great<u+00a0>again,<u+201d><u+00a0>the michigan philanthropist said, improvising on mr. trump<u+2019>s campaign slogan. <u+201c>the status quo in education is not acceptable.<u+201d> ms. devos, 58 years old, is a prominent charter-school advocate and<u+00a0>supporter of school vouchers,<u+00a0>a funding method that allows students to use public funds to attend private schools. she has been active in politics for more than three decades and is a former michigan republican party chairwoman.<u+00a0>her husband, dick devos, unsuccessfully ran for governor of michigan in 2006. the devos family is heir to the amway corp. fortune. her nomination drew both praise and criticism<u+00a0>from the education community. <u+201c>i think she<u+2019>s going to be an aspiring champion for children,<u+201d> said james goenner, president and<u+00a0>chief executive<u+00a0>of the national charter schools institute. <u+201c>i think it<u+2019>s a bold pick by president-elect trump. she has been an outspoken advocate for years for school choice and charter schools and challenging the status quo.<u+201d> but the national education association, a union with more than three million members,<u+00a0>opposed<u+00a0>the selection. <u+201c>she has lobbied for failed schemes, like vouchers<u+2014>which take away funding and local control from our public schools<u+2014>to fund private schools at taxpayers<u+2019> expense,<u+201d> nea president lily eskelsen garcia said. mr. trump, a supporter of vouchers and school choice, called ms. devos <u+201c>a brilliant and passionate education advocate.<u+201d> <u+201c>under her leadership we will reform the u.s. education system and break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back so that we can deliver world-class education and school choice to all families,<u+201d> mr. trump said. the nomination is subject to senate confirmation. ms. devos chairs the american federation for children, a washington, d.c.-based group that advocates for school-choice legislation. she also serves on various national and local boards, including the foundation for excellence in education and the devos institute for arts management at the university of maryland. her political career has spanned 35 years, beginning with volunteer work for president gerald ford in 1976, according to her website. ms. devos is a mother and grandmother. she and her husband founded the<u+00a0>dick and betsy devos family foundation in 1989, with a focus on education, community, the arts, justice and leadership. write to tawnell d. hobbs at tawnell.hobbs@wsj.com
education nominee betsy devos: a <u+2018>disrupter<u+2019> willing to fight  - wsj
tawnell d. hobbs