Betsy DeVos and the controversial US ‘charter school’ battle

Donald Trump’s choice of a backer of so-called ‘charter schools’ as US Secretary of Education has proven one of his most controversial appointments yet. Two Republican Senators joined Democrats and teaching unions in opposition of Betsy DeVos, who they say favours a low-regulation system in which private companies can profit from public education. For charter school backers, DeVos offers the chance to inject competition and private-sector know-how into a failing system.