U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos visited Atlanta on Wednesday as part of her “Rethink School” Tour that will see her swing through Georgia and Alabama to discuss “rethinking education,” namely in the form of outside-the-classroom learning experiences that will help open doors and improve outcomes for students.
First DeVos met with a panel of local high schoolers to learn about Project ENGAGES, a joint program between Georgia Tech and local City of Atlanta schools that gives students the opportunity to get hands on experience by working alongside university researchers on STEM projects. The program, started about five years ago, has been a resounding success, and students were glowing in their praise at the meeting.
Dean Alford, a former state rep. and member of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, told InsiderAdvantage that DeVos has brought a business-like mentality to the Department of Education, giving more control to the states to push forward programs such as Project ENGAGES.
“One of the things the secretary recognizes is that innovative programs and ideas are best implemented at the state level,” said Alford. “This program is changing (students’) perspective of not only higher education but what they may want to do with their careers. I’m hoping that as time goes on that is what the 21st century classroom looks like.”
The other part of the visit was to unveil the DoE’s new myStudentAid mobile app, which will make it easier than ever for students to apply for financial aid. While the traditional paperwork takes up to two hours to fill out, the app simplifies the process down to just 30 minutes, in a digital form that modern day students are more comfortable with.
“Financial concerns can be the biggest hurdle for students to clear,” said Alford on the app. “I applaud the department, hopefully we will see more students who look and think ‘Ok, now I can go to school.'”
The app, which rolled out just this week, is the first public-facing component of DeVos’ mission to streamline the Federal Student Aid (FSA) program, which has been a major point of emphasis for students around the country concerned at rising school costs and difficulty in securing necessary financial aid.
