DFER Heroes
Governor David Paterson Earns Praise For His Support of Charter Schools
Few legislators in the United States have been as brave on education reform as New York Governor David Paterson. From his time representing Harlem in the New York State Senate, to his current position as Governor, Paterson has marked his time in Albany as a bold leader working to revitalize New York's public education system.
In 2003, as a state senator, Paterson stood next to Mayor Michael Bloomberg to announce that charter schools would be allowed to share space with public schools. New York Daily News columnist Bill Hammond wrote, "Gov. Paterson deserves high marks for his early and outspoken support for charter schools." The New York Post also offered praise writing, "As a state senator representing Harlem, he was keenly aware of the heartbreaking social cost imposed by public schools that have failed generation after generation of boys and girls."
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Senator Mary Landrieu Stands Up To Critics Of Education Reform
Louisiana's senior senator, Senator Mary Landrieu, has strived to reform our country's education system throughout her career as a legislator. She has actively supported education reform in Louisiana, and has been a strong proponent of charter schools throughout the parishes of her state. Senator Landrieu says of her duty to the children of this country, "I believe it is my job as Louisiana's senior senator to help our state find the resources it needs to secure for every child the finest education possible."
Since winning her Senate seat in a hotly contested election in 1996, Landrieu has been a strong advocate of charter schools and education reform. She opposed abandoning the public education system in favor of private school vouchers in Washington D.C., and was the subject of brutal criticism for doing so. She said of the attacks, "I'm willing to take a few lashes that are being dished out if it means that the children in the city get more opportunities for a quality education."
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Assemblyman Michael Benjamin Fights For Quality Education In The Bronx
Assembly Michael Benjamin's bold support of charter schools through published letters and public appearances has put him in the forefront of the education reform movement in New York State. From his work in lifting the charter school cap, to his quest to bring the cupcake back to school cafeterias, Benjamin has demonstrated his willingness to take an active and vocal approach to help improve the quality of children's lives.
Assemblyman Benjamin, who represents District 79 (the South Bronx), has been a fighter for quality education since assuming office in 2003. Benjamin was an early advocate of charter schools in New York. In a letter to the Legislative Gazette in March of 2005, Benjamin wrote, "Since the inception of the charter school law in 1998, charter schools have multiplied in communities where students are most in need of academic improvement. That's because parents are demanding more model schools like those already operating that are making a difference in their children's education. To keep that momentum going in educational reform, we need to lift the cap on charter schools."
In 2006, Benjamin appeared with other courageous New York State lawmakers to support a measure to raise the cap on charter schools. That same year he appeared at the groundbreaking of the Eagle Academy for Boys in the Bronx, continuing his support of innovation in education.
In 2007, Assemblyman Benjamin supported the state budget's appropriations for charter schools stating, "The state budget authorizes up to 50 more charter schools for New York City while instituting reforms to ease the financial impact of local school districts, increase accountability, and ensure communities have a voice in where they are located."
Benjamin's vocal support of charter schools has often put him at odds with local unions. According to the New York Sun, Benjamin met with members of the Municipal Public Employees Union in 2007 to speak about his support of charter schools. Benjamin reportedly asked the members if any of them had family members in charter schools. According to Benjamin, many responded that they did have family members attending charter schools. Benjamin told the New York Sun that he then asked, "So why shouldn't other families have the opportunity to have success?"
Assemblyman Michael Benjamin has time and again shown New York his devotion to ensuring that every child receive a quality education. He is a true reformer, and a tireless fighter for the Bronx in Albany.
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Former Governor Mark Warner Looks To Senate To Continue Progress On Education
Mark Warner, former Governor of Virginia and current candidate for the US Senate, has dedicated his political career to improving public education. Between 2002 and 2006 Warner spent much of his time as Governor working to improve Virginia's K-12 public education system. He spoke out in support of alternative schooling, such as charter schools, and secured large amounts of funding for education. Under Warner's leadership in 2002 and 2003, K-12 funding was increased by over $100 million. In 2004 Warner implemented a tax package that led to a $1.5 billion increase in funding for K-12, the largest K-12 investment in the history of the state.
After securing this increase in funds, Gov. Warner worked to create innovative and efficient programs to help improve Virginia's public school system. One major project was the Education for a Lifetime (EFL) initiatives, which focus on teacher quality, retention and recruitment. One aspect of the initiatives is providing teachers with incentives to stay at a disadvantaged school or relocate to another, understaffed school. Another EFL initiative is the renowned Virginia School Turnaround Specialist Program, which works to improve leadership in low-performing schools. Under this program, which Warner launched in 2004, top-ranked faculty members from Virginia graduates schools are brought in to train public school principals. The program has been an enormous success, and it has spread to other cities including Chicago and Philadelphia.
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Congressman James Clyburn Leads The Battle For Education Reform
South Carolina Congressman James E. Clyburn's dedication to education can be traced back to his days teaching history in Charleston, South Carolina. Once elected to the United States Congress in 1992, Clyburn's shepherding of education bills pushed him to the forefront of our country's leaders in education reform. Since then he has risen to become the first South Carolinian and second African-American House Majority Whip.
When Congressman Clyburn joined community partners to open the James E. Clyburn Community Empowerment Center in 2007, he added to his legacy of a lifetime's worth of passionate support for education reform by providing children and adults access to technological and educational resources. At the opening of the center he stated, "From my first career as a high school teacher to my current position in the U.S. House of Representatives, I have always dedicated myself to providing youth the best opportunities to succeed in life."
In mid-November 2007, Congressman Clyburn visited Harlem Success Academy Charter School in New York City and was incredibly impressed by what he saw, later describing his visit as "deeply emotional." This visit triggered Clyburn into becoming a vocal advocate of school choice. On November 26, 2008 Clyburn told the New York Sun, "There are few things that are more vital than ensuring that all of our children have access to a meaningful and productive education."
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DFER Education Warrior: Assemblyman Sam Hoyt
New York Assemblyman Sam Hoyt is a true crusader for education. In his 16 years serving the 144th Assembly district, Assemblyman Hoyt has fought hard for increased funding in education and has been an influential proponent of charter schools.
A self-described "leading proponent for charter schools," Assemblyman Hoyt has a history of standing behind progressive education. He was a strong and early supporter of charter schools in New York - long before it was popular - often defending the concept and legislation in legislative sessions and budget deliberations. In 2004 he was honored by the New York Charter Schools Association (NYCSA) with the annual Charter School Champion Award along with New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein. At that time, NYCSA President Bill Phillips stated that Hoyt was "a fighter for children and a hero to the charter school movement, particularly in the City of Buffalo where charters are changing the face of public education."
Upon receiving his award, Assemblyman Hoyt stated, "Children and parents deserve choices when it comes to their education and charters provide an option to the status quo."
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Freshman State Senator Craig Johnson Hits His Stride On Education Reform
After only one year in Albany, New York State Senator Craig Johnson has made a splash in the education reform movement.
Sen. Johnson made history in 2007 as the first Democrat elected to represent New York's 7th District in over 100 years. Backed by the support of a constituency crying out for change, Johnson vigorously fought for education funding for the 16 schools in his district.
In 2007, despite his relatively short time in the Senate, Sen. Johnson broke ranks with his party and secured $25 million for the 7th district – a 19.27 percent increase from the previous year. This was a record amount of school budget funding for the district and the largest increase that year of any senate district on Long Island.
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RI House Majority Leader Gordon Fox Supports Mayoral Academies
When the 2009 Rhode Island state budget passed late last night, House Bill H7874 was included under Article 38, thanks in large part to House Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox. Representative Fox is a DFER hero for his endorsement of this breakthrough piece of progressive legislation that will allow new charter schools, called Mayoral Academies, to begin operating in the state of Rhode Island. Rep. Fox, who has been serving Rhode Island's District 4 since 1992 and was elected House Majority Leader in 2002, recognizes the problems of the Rhode Island public school system, which received "D's" in the areas of student achievement and teacher quality in a 2008 Education Week poll. He told the Providence Journal that it is "time to think outside of the box."
"Based on their desire to recruit the best teachers, engage parents as partners and put student achievement first, I believe it is important to give [Mayoral Academies] the opportunity to develop their plan for ultimate approval by the Board of Regents," Rep. Fox said.
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Representative Margaret Kaiser Helps Charters Compete For The Best Teachers
Representative Margaret Kaiser of Georgia is a DFER hero for her tenacious support of House Bill 1277, which enables charter school teachers to be eligible for Georgia’s health care plan. House Bill 1277 passed the General Assembly two years ago, but was then vetoed by Governor Sonny Perdue. Still, Representative Kaiser persisted and reintroduced the bill earlier this year. It passed on May 13, 2008, and will go into effect in July.
House Bill 1277 is a huge step forward for charter schools in Georgia. It allows charters to compete with other public schools for the best teachers by allowing teachers to receive the same level of health care as their public school counterparts. Additionally, the state funding is a big boon to the charters, who would have otherwise had to dig into their own resources to provide health care for faculty.
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Congressman George Miller Focuses on Results in Education
DFER is proud to recognize Congressman George Miller’s work with the Education and Labor Committee, especially in drafting and fighting for the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) act. Rep. Miller’s steadfast dedication to serious results in education is what makes him an effective leader in reforming America’s education system.
Congressman Miller has represented California’s 7th district since 1975 and in these 33 years he has proven to be one of our nation’s leaders in education. Along with three other members of Congress, Rep. Miller created NCLB, a piece of legislation that requires a level of quality in teachers, as well as a continued examination of students' educational progress in math and english through testing.
In 2007, Congressman Miller and Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) held hearings on NCLB to continue to examine the funding and success of this monumental piece of legislation. Sen. Kennedy and Rep. Miller have fought furiously to convince the Senate and House to reauthorize NCLB, which is currently an issue in front of 110th Congress.
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Colorado State Senate President Peter Groff Fights For Reform
Colorado State Senate President Peter Groff is a DFER Hero for his groundbreaking work in crafting Colorado Senate Bill 130, the Innovation Schools Act of 2008. Sen. Groff is a crusader of education reform and has worked tirelessly in the state of Colorado to make positive changes in the development and authorization of charter schools. We applaud Sen. Groff’s work with charter schools and his excellent quest towards values that best work for our children’s education. On February 1, 2008, Sen. Groff told the Denver Post, “There is a laundry list of things that impairs and impinges innovation in schools. The question we have to be asking is, ‘what is in the best interest of the child.’”
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DFER Education Warrior: NY Sen. Malcolm Smith
New York Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith was a proud supporter of public charter schools long before it became popular to do so within the Democratic Party. A true believer in the economic principle that competition drives innovation, results, and excellence, Smith not only has strongly supported charter school legislation in New York, he has worked to create and support schools himself. Smith is the founder of Peninsula Preparatory Academy (along with Congressman Greg Meeks), the first public charter school in the Rockaways, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Merrick Academy-Queens Public Charter School in Jamaica Queens.
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DFER Education Warrior: Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson
(We were pleased to have Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson join us for our June 5th launch event in NYC because he has shown the kind of courage that it takes to battle an entrenched status quo in his school system. DFER encourages visitors to learn more about/and support Mayor Peterson's work through a non-profit he helped establish, The Mind Trust. The organization exists to help attract, support, and empower educational entrepreneurs in Indianapolis.)
Recently dubbed “the Peyton Manning of charter schools” by Education Next magazine, Mayor Peterson is the only mayor in the nation running a charter school authorizer out of his office and has proven himself willing to be judged by the results. This past school year, the mayor oversaw 16 charter schools serving 3,870 students. His charter school office issues an annual report on its schools that, in its candor and analytical sophistication, rivals just about any report out there.
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Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy Comes Through
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, a Democrat who represents Long Island and parts of Queens , stepped up for quality public schools last week by signing on as a co-sponsor of the Charter Schools Program Enhancement Act of 2007.
According to the folks at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools , the act officially kicks off the discussion of charters in the NCLB reauthorization process.
Highlights include:- Continuing support for charter start-up
- Providing greater support for the expansion and replication of successful charter models.
- Strengthening the Education Secretary's ability to use grant selection criteria to encourage improvements in state charter laws.
- Allowing charter school authorizers to serve as grant administrators in addition to state education agencies
- Allowing the Secretary of Education to allocate funds between the Charter Schools Program and State Facilities Incentive Grants Program.
- Creating a national dissemination program to encourage the sharing of charter schools’ best practices among public schools across the nation.
If you are a Democrat and you support the creation (and continued support) of high-performing public schools through charter school laws in your state, please call Rep. McCarthy (202-225-5516) and let her know you appreciate her sponsorship of this important act.
San Diego Celebrates Brian Bennett Day
Democrats for Education Reform was on hand to honor a living legend on Tuesday, as the San Diego City Council and Mayor Jerry Sanders officially declared it "Brian Bennett Day" in the city.
This story from the San Diego Union Tribune from early May describes the situation. Bennett is a nationally-known education reformer and social activist (he ended up in the Watts race riots, was once arrested trying to desegregate a recreation center, campaigned for Robert F. Kennedy and was at the Ambassador Hotel when the senator was shot and killed, eventually became a strong supporter of school choice, etc.)
A year ago, Bennett, who is one of the sharpest/funniest people I've ever met, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, which has robbed him of his quick tongue and sturdy stature, but hasn't slowed his mind. He continues to work for the National Association of Charter School Authorizers.
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Fenty Swings For The Fences
Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty knows what a ticking clock sounds like. Within just a few hours of officially gaining control of the District of Columbia's stuggling public school system last week, Fenty moved quickly and decisively to usher in a new era, sending clear signals that he was dead serious about what he's up to.
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