Hostages No More: The Fight for Education Freedom and the Future of the American Child

by Betsy DeVos

Overview

Now a National Bestseller!

From coronavirus lockdowns to critical race theory in the classroom, it has become crystal clear that America’s schools aren’t working for America’s students and parents. No one knows this better than Betsy DeVos.
 
Long before she was tapped by President Trump to serve as secretary of education, DeVos established herself as one of the country’s most influential advocates for education reform, from school choice and charter schools to protecting free speech on campus. She’s unflinching in standing up to the powerful interests who control and benefit from the status quo in education – which is why the unions, the media, and the radical left made her public enemy number one.

Now, DeVos is ready to tell her side of the story after years of being vilified by the radical left for championing common-sense, conservative reforms in America’s schools.
 
In Hostages No More, DeVos unleashes her candid thoughts about working in the Trump administration, recounts her battles over the decades to put students first, hits back at “woke” curricula in our schools, and details the reforms America must pursue to fix its long and badly broken education system. And she has stories to tell: DeVos offers blunt insights on the people and politics that stand in the way of fixing our schools.
 
For students, families and concerned citizens, DeVos shares a roadmap for reclaiming education and securing the futures of our kids – and America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781546002017
Publisher:	Center Street
Publication date:	06/21/2022
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	381,790
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Betsy DeVos is a leader, an innovator, a disruptor, and a champion for freedom. Having served as the 11th U.S. Secretary of Education from 2017-2021, she delivered historic reforms to improve education and ensure civil rights are protected. For more than three decades she’s led the fight for policies that allow students and their parents the freedom to choose the best educational option for them. Betsy is the former chair of the American Federation for Children, The Philanthropy Roundtable, and the Michigan Republican Party, and has served on numerous boards, including the Kennedy Center and the American Enterprise Institute. She is a graduate of Calvin College and is married to entrepreneur, philanthropist, and community activist Dick DeVos. Together, they have four children and ten grandchildren.

Learn more at BetsyDeVos.com.
 

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Quiet Part Out Loud 1

1 The Opportunity of a Lifetime 9

2 The Un-American Education System 31

3 "The Real Debate Isn't Betsy Devos" 65

4 The Swamp 89

5 The Schools of the Future are Here Today 116

6 There's Nothing Civil About Civil Rights 143

7 The Higher Ed Highway 168

8 The Education Freedom Agenda 193

9 The Great Parental Awakening 231

10 What's a Parent to Do? 262

Epilogue 284

Acknowledgments 289

Notes 291

Index 301

Editorial Reviews

"Hostages No More is definitely a page-turner that could form relatable experiences for parents interacting with their children's school systems. It is a great read because Sec. DeVos connected her personal encounters with the present-day education policies. In addition, she consistently calls for bipartisan support on issues such as critical race theory. Overall, there is so much to learn in this new book!"
 —Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

“In this timely new book, Betsy provides a compelling look at the progress made in education under our administration and offers fresh ideas to put America’s children first and prepare them to achieve and live the American Dream. This is a book for every parent, grandparent, and concerned citizen who cares about the future of America and generations to come.” —Michael R. Pence, 48th Vice President of the United States

“Hostages No More provides readers an inside look at the opposition Secretary Betsy DeVos faced from the day she was nominated and throughout her four years, and her honest efforts to reorient America’s public education system around individual students. Since the introduction of our industrial education model two centuries ago, nearly all students have been held hostage to a single, one-size-fits-all system. Hostages No More takes readers into the back room battles to provide every student with a quality, individualized education. And in a surprise twist, culminates with Secretary DeVos’ very public battles to rely on science, put students first, and re-open America’s public schools – in opposition to the nation’s two largest teachers’ unions fighting tooth and nail to keep public schools closed.”—Jeb Bush, 43rd governor of Florida

“No one has a bigger heart for students and has done more to ensure parents matter in education than Betsy DeVos. I know from experience working with her, you can count on Betsy to put our children first. COVID made clear that too many of our schools aren’t working for American families. In Hostages No More, she lays out the path forward to get our education system on the right track. It’s an important guide for parents across our great country.” —Governor Kim Reynolds, State of Iowa

“Long before Betsy DeVos gained national attention as the Secretary of Education, I witnessed first-hand how passionate and devoted she was to the fundamental right of every child in America to have the best education possible ‘regardless of their zip code.’ I have respected and admired her since the very first day I met her many years ago, mostly because she lives her life giving of her time and treasure to better the lives of others because she herself has been so blessed. And she’s done her homework! Over her three decades of work in education she’s learned how to fix our broken educational system and through this book, Hostages No More, you will learn how to as well.”—Kathie Lee Gifford

“Betsy DeVos has been a leading voice in the most important civil rights fight of our generation – providing parents with real choice in the what, where, and how their child is taught and ensuring that access to a quality education is not determined by a child’s wealth, race, or zip code. In Hostages No More, Betsy offers an exciting vision for education freedom and an educational system that empowers parents and families, to give all students a real chance at success.”

—U.S. Senator Ted Cruz

"In Hostages No More, Betsy DeVos provides a clear vision for how educational freedom can unlock opportunities for students of all backgrounds. This is a roadmap for parents, teachers, and entrepreneurs who believe that hope starts with education based in equal opportunity."—Arthur C. Brooks, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, and #1 New York Times bestselling author

“…a fierce fighter and a fierce voice for the rights of our children and for the rights of parents to a first-class education.”—Condoleezza Rice

“This is probably the most important book on education that you can read right now…This is a great, great book and has some real solutions in it from a person who has been destroyed by the media…you will be amazed to hear her real story in the book. She has real solutions. It’s all about education freedom. Grab the book. It’s an important book, it’s actually a really good read…a must read.”—Glenn Beck

From the Publisher