WASHINGTON — During her keynote address at the Committee for Economic Development of the Conference Board’s (CED) Fall Policy Conference yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said that “America’s antiquated approach to education fails too many students.”
The United States was recently ranked 26th overall worldwide for its education system and 55th worldwide for the quality of its math and science education programs, according to the World Economic Forum.
“What we really need is a transformational change in K-12 education,” said DeVos.
DeVos spoke to a crowd of business and education leaders, highlighting opportunities for employers, institutions and K-12 schools to improve the overall education system for students.
In terms of employer roles, DeVos said that they should rethink some of their practices.
She gave the example of skills inflation within job postings, recommending that only skills needed should be listed rather than requiring higher level degrees that are not necessarily essential to the job.
Additionally, DeVos advocated for employers and educators to communicate.
