U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' history of volunteering at a public school in Grand Rapids got a mention on nationally-syndicated radio program This American Life over the weekend.
In the segment that aired Sunday, titled "Vouching Towards Bethlehem," producer Susan Burton highlights DeVos' experience working at Burton Elementary School, a K-5 elementary school in Grand Rapids Public Schools.
Burton reported DeVos was a mentor at the school for five years through the organization Kids Hope USA starting in 2003.
DeVos reportedly helped several students and their families in other ways besides mentoring while volunteering at the school, such as purchasing a car for the parent of one student or chipping in funding for a student's tuition at a private school.
One student, Angie, said on the program that DeVos hired her mother as a cleaner when she needed work and assisted with her tuition at a private Christian high school.
Angie told This American Life that she was frustrated by some of the criticisms against DeVos, and said she hopes her mentor-turned-Secretary of Education looks into making public schools better for students.
One former teacher at Burton, called "Denise" on the show, said she was frustrated that DeVos would help a student by taking them out of the public school they were working in.
"It's super insulting...I thought she wanted to make the school better," she said on the program. "She could have used her power way differently."
DeVos, a West Michigan native, was narrowly confirmed as U.S. Education Secretary earlier this year after months of controversy surrounding her nomination. She and her husband, Dick DeVos, are longtime supporters of the Michigan Republican Party and were heavily involved in the school choice movement.
She was last in Michigan Aug. 1, when she visited Grand Rapids Community College and the Van Andel Education Institute. DeVos has been confirmed as a speaker at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference later this month, and was recently invited to speak at the grand opening of Michigan State University's Grand Rapids Research Center.
To listen to the full This American Life segment on DeVos, visit the show's website.