Education Secretary DeVos gives cringeworthy interview to '60 Minutes'

CBS

Betsy DeVos.

• Education Secretary Betsy DeVos gave a stumbling, cringeworthy interview to CBS' "60 Minutes" where she said she didn't know if her policies had improved struggling public schools.
• DeVos was a controversial cabinet pick for President Donald Trump, and advocates for increasing school choices rather than investing more in existing schools.
• DeVos commented on sexual assault in education, arming teachers to prevent school shootings, and struggling schools in her home state.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the billionaire school choice advocate who became the first-ever presidential cabinet member to receive only 50 votes in the Senate during a confirmation, gave a stumbling, cringeworthy interview to CBS' "60 Minutes."

Grilled by CBS' Lesley Stahl on a number of issues, DeVos clung to her belief in creating more schooling options for families rather than spending money to improve existing public schools. 

In a wide-ranging interview that touched on many key education issues, DeVos said arming teachers "should be an option," that billions in investments in public schools had produced "zero results," and said she didn't know if the number of false rape accusations on college campuses in the US matched the number of actual sexual assaults.

But the tensest exchange came when Stahl pressed her on her support for public schools. Asked point blank if cutting funds from struggling public schools would improve the schools, DeVos dodged.

"Well, we should be funding and investing in students, not in school, school buildings, not in institutions, not in systems," said DeVos.

Again asked point blank if the schools in Michigan, where DeVos hails from and has long advocated school choice, had improved, she said she did not know.

"I don't know. Overall, I, I can't say overall that they have all gotten better," said DeVos, who at Stahl's suggestion, agreed that maybe she should visit some struggling Michigan schools.

Watch a clip of the tense exchange here: