Feb. 7, 2017 Update: The Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos to become U.S. Secretary of Education. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure our nation's students are able to access the resources and support they need.

NCAPA Opposes Betsy DeVos for U.S. Secretary of Education 

The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) strongly opposes Betsy DeVos for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. As a coalition committed to improve the lives of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs), we have determined that DeVos is unfit to serve our communities and dangerous for students who face educational challenges and disparities. NCAPA and member organizations Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), OCA, and Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) are among nearly 250 organizations that oppose DeVos’ nomination.

“It was clear from Betsy DeVos’ confirmation hearing that she is unprepared and undeserving to be the next U.S. Secretary of Education, from her demonstrated lack of understanding of key federal education laws and lack of commitment to enforcing those laws across all states. If Betsy DeVos is uncommitted to ensuring that students with disabilities have the protections they are guaranteed under federal law, then I worry for the needs of AANHPI students and all students of color, LGBTQIA students, refugee and immigrant students, and English language learners. Her fixation on growing charter schools and voucher programs without demanding federal oversight of the education outcomes they accomplish is dangerous -- it’s a short-sighted, one-size solution that will not work for all students in America,”said Rita Pin Ahrens, NCAPA education committee co-chair and director of education policy at the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC).

DeVos has no experience as an elected official or as an educator, and her record demonstrates that she does not support equal access to education for all students. SEARAC and OCA have also opposed Betsy DeVos, citing her weak grasp of key federal civil rights education laws.

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Based in Washington, D.C., the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans is a coalition of 35 national Asian Pacific American organizations that serves to represent the interests of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and to provide a national voice for our communities’ concerns. Our communities are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, currently making up approximately six percent of the population.