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b'Betsy DeVos is set to run the United States Department of Education after the Senate confirmed her appointment earlier this week. Many criticized DeVos\\u2019s nomination because she has little experience in public education. She attended a private school, and beyond mentoring in the public schools, she has never attended, taught, or sent children to public schools. A Christian, (DeVos has attended Rob Bell\\u2019s former church Mars Hill) her appointment has raised questions about Christian support for public schools. In short: Can Christians who homeschool or enroll their children in private school still support public schools? One\\u2019s familial education choices don\\u2019t affect the extent to which one can support public schools, says Andrea Reyes Ramirez, the executive director of the Faith and Education Coalition for the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. (Read Ramirez\\u2019s piece offering practical steps from earlier this week.) \\u201cAt this point, we know that 90 percent of America\\u2019s children are in public schools so I think that as believers we need to engage and think afresh about our personal engagement with strengthening the public schools whether our children are at public schools or not,\\u201d she said. According to Ramirez, Christians who do opt for homeschooling or private schools should be conscientious of potential unintended consequences of their decisions. \\u201cWe have to be cautious about being so focused on taking care of our own children that we isolate ourselves from the beautiful, made-in-God\\u2019s-image children in our community,\\u201d she said. \\u201cI think it\\u2019s a great discipleship opportunity for the children in our home, to connect the dots and say, \\u2018We\\u2019re thinking about what\\u2019s best for our family. We\\u2019re praying about how to school you, and in addition, we\\u2019re praying about how to make a difference in our community.\\u2019\\u201d Ramirez joined assistant editor Morgan Lee and editor-in-chief Mark Galli to discuss why 2017 is such a seminal year for public education, where she stands on the DeVos appointment, and how asking God to help her better use her brain helped her get through stats class.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices'