Welcome to Cashing in on Kids, a newsletter for people fighting to stop the privatization of America’s public schools—produced by In the Public Interest.

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Betsy DeVos broke the neoliberal consensus on charter schools and standardized testing. Author and podcaster Jennifer Berkshire and education historian Jack Schneider on soon-to-be former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s legacy: “Her legacy will still be far-reaching and long-lasting. This is not a result of what she made, but of what she broke: a bipartisan federal consensus around testing and charters that extended from the George H.W. Bush administration through the end of the Obama era.” The New York Times

Order Berkshire’s new book “A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door,” about why the right wing is so fixated on dismantling public education, here.

Tim Shriver’s conflicts of interest. Journalist Jeff Bryant points out the shady connections of one of the Biden administration’s potential picks to run the Education Department: “Biden should not hire Tim Shriver as education secretary because of his ties to the predatory for-profit college industry and because he served on the board of the Edison Project, a failed for-profit school management company.” Retweet this

“A beacon of light for our communities.” Here’s the Journey for Justice Alliance’s (J4J) open letter to President-Elect Joe Biden recommending candidates for the next Education Secretary: “[Our] open letter emphasizes the importance of the moment to undo the damage caused by years of disinvestment and privatization and to enact a positive vision of equity and education justice.” Schott Foundation

Cheating-detection companies have made millions during the pandemic. “Online proctoring” companies have taken in millions of dollars, some of it public money, from thousands of colleges in recent months. Are they coming for K-12 schools next? The Washington Post

Don’t miss it. On December 3, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. ET, join Kristen Hollar, staff counsel at the National Education Association (NEA); Preston Green, professor education leadership and law; Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators; and Tamerlin Godley, partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson, LLP for an online discussion, “Beyond Espinoza: Challenging Vouchers in the Courts.” Public Funds Public Schools

Photo by Gage Skidmore.