MediaWeek (Vol 13, No 14): What will a Biden Presidency look like for Education?

A quick round-up looking at what a Biden Presidency may look like for education?

From Inside Higher Ed:

"President-elect Biden has promised to make human capital investment a central part of his agenda and this will have widespread implications for higher education. Higher education institutions and student will welcome these efforts," said Terry Hartle, the American Council on Education’s senior vice president for government relations and a top lobbyist for colleges and universities. "Some of his ideas, like doubling Pell Grants, are easily implemented and will enjoy universal popularity. Others -- like the free college proposal -- will be politically controversial and very complicated to design. Yet others -- like large-scale student loan forgiveness -- are potentially quite expensive.

"But we’ll be looking at a once-in-a-generation effort to invest in America’s students and workers," he said

From WAPO: With DeVos out, Biden plans series of reversals on Education:

For the Education Department, the transition committee is being led by Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the California State Board of Education, several people said. Darling-Hammond, who was considered for education secretary by President Barack Obama in 2008, is under consideration again, people familiar with the process said. Also under consideration are two teachers-union leaders: Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Lily Eskelsen García, former president of the National Education Association.

 From NPR: Trump and Biden's plans for education

• Make public colleges, historically Black colleges and universities, and minority-serving institutions tuition-free for families making less than $125,000.
• Make two years of community college and training programs tuition-free.
• Cancel $10,000 of every American's student debt and revise the current loan repayment system.
• Establish universal prekindergarten.
• Read details of Biden's plans here.

Bye Betsy: Education Reacts to Biden Victory

However, it was hard to avoid the jubilation—and mockery—educators aimed at DeVos on Saturday. 

The co-leader of the Educators for Biden 2020 group, Arizona teacher Marisol García, said she was "proud of every educator who said, it's too much and we need to get us a new President," and added the hashtag #AdiosBetsy. The Chicago Teachers Union tweeted: "Bye Betsy." Nate Bowling, the 2016 Washington state teacher of the year, used a GIF to express his joy

The GW Hatchet: What Biden means for higher education:

A Biden-Harris administration would also tamp down the vicious tone of politics on campuses and nationwide. Trump’s shameless and cruel discourse toward women, immigrants, people of color and other marginalized groups has percolated down to many of his supporters: it has been demonstrated that many people who had quietly harbored racist and misogynistic opinions have been emboldened to lend voice to them because of Trump. This normalization of bigotry has even extended to college campuses, with bigoted screeds hiding themselves under “free speech.” Unlike Trump, Biden and Harris do not legitimize hate speech or tacitly lend credence to hate groups. Any president will be divisive at times – it’s the nature of party politics – but Biden and Harris will not spur their supporters to chant “Jews will not replace us.”