Joe Williams' Blog
January 6, 2009
Education Reform Just Lost A Warrior
Some 18-months ago we blogged about how honored we were to be present for the official declaration of "Brian Bennett Day" in San Diego by the City Council and Mayor Jerry Sanders. Bennett had been a front-line warrior in the fight to close the Opportunity Gap through four decades.
I called him a warrior's warrior because that is what he was.
So I was extremely saddened to hear from one of our board members, Alan Bersin, over the weekend that Bennett had died after his courageous battle with ALS. I'll post some of Alan's comments below, after the jump, but going forward, we have decided to rename our Education Warrior Award the "Brian Bennett Education Warrior Award." It just seems so fitting, and the next generation of education reformers has to remember the trailblazers.
The world just lost a great one.
Continue reading "Education Reform Just Lost A Warrior"....
Posted by Joe Williams on January 6, 2009 8:25 AM
The Obamas Heart School Choice
The First Kids-elect got a fresh start at their new neighborhood school yesterday.
Someday maybe all families will look this happy for the first day of school.
Posted by Joe Williams on January 6, 2009 8:03 AM
January 3, 2009
More History In Colorado
The selection of Michael Bennet for the U.S. Senate isn't the only thing happening in the Rockies that has DFER-ites excited.
Check out this goosebump-producing story on Peter Groff and Terrance Carroll in today's Rocky Mountain News.
Groff is on the verge of being re-elected Senate President next week. Carroll is about to be elected Speaker of the House. They are the only two black elected officials in the Colorado Legislature, yet Colorado will become the first state in the union to see two blacks occupying the top two legislative posts at the same time.
Read the story, it lays it out perfectly.
Groff and Carroll are two of the smartest guys I have ever met. They eat and breathe politics (both know how to get things done) and they feel education reform in their guts. Keep your eye on both of them, because I can pretty much guarantee this isn't the last you'll hear from them.
Posted by Joe Williams on January 3, 2009 5:27 PM
Bennet Rhymes With Senate, Yo
As news outlets all over the planet have been reporting for the last 24 hours, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter today officially appointed Denver Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by Interior Secretary designee Ken Salazar. (Bennet is pictured here at the Ed Challenge for Change event that DFER co-sponsored at the Democratic National Convention in the Mile High City last summer.)
Denver Post story is here, Rocky Mountain News is here.
We like Bennet a lot. Our statement is after the jump.
Continue reading "Bennet Rhymes With Senate, Yo"....
Posted by Joe Williams on January 3, 2009 5:06 PM
Was The NCLB Wool Pulled Over The Right's Eyes?
Just before the holidays, when we were all burping up eggnog, Mike Petrilli and Rick Hess argued that history will show that in terms of education policy (namely NCLB), President Bush was practically a tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, VW Bug-driving, bong-sharing lefty who gave in to pressure from the civil rights community.
Mike and Rick went so far as to call Bush the "hall monitor for the civil rights lobby"...
It is not too much of a stretch to suggest that Bush permitted himself to become the “hall monitor for the civil rights lobby” - taking the hits from angry suburbanites and the blame for an unpopular law, while civil rights groups basked in their new status and doubled down by pushing for new and more aggressive federal programs.
I agree with both of them, and it is one of the few things for which I will give the president due credit. (Though the president had a uncanny tendency to go back to his conservative roots whenever it actually came time to pay for NCLB...)
As Mike noted in his blog post, DFER has been a vocal supporter of this particular vast left-wing conspiracy. You can read DFER's top-secret, unrated, uncensored version of Charlie Barone's white paper on this topic here.
Continue reading "Was The NCLB Wool Pulled Over The Right's Eyes?"....
Posted by Joe Williams on January 3, 2009 2:48 PM
DFER's 4-Step Plan For Political And Existential Bliss
Keep the momentum rolling in 2009!
Just because your blew your diet and exercise resolutions already in the first few days of the new year, doesn't mean you can't pick up some quick self-esteem points by crossing off a few easy items from your 2009 task list.
And through the wonders of modern technology, we can make it easy for you to feel good about yourself while helping move the education reform needle at the same time. Just follow our simple, proven four-step plan:
1. Sign the Democrats for Education Reform Statement of Principles. Help us show the Democratic Party there is significant support for change in public education.
2. Make an online contribution to help us support elected officials who "get it." The first $100 that is contributed by anyone in January will be matched by an anonymous education reformer with great hair. (See Step #4.) But that doesn't mean you have to stop at $100, if you get our drift...
3. Invite five friends to check out our website, and encourage them to follow DFER's 4-Steps To Political And Existential Bliss.
4. Lather, rinse, repeat. (We even went to all the trouble of combining these into one, easy step. DFER's gift to great looking hair everywhere.)
Happy New Year!
Posted by Joe Williams on January 3, 2009 1:48 PM
December 16, 2008
DFER Statement On Arne Duncan's Selection As Education Secretary
In response to the selection of Chicago Schools CEO Arne Duncan to head 
the U.S. Department of Education in President-elect Obama’s administration, Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), an organization that supports Democratic candidates committed to education reform, championed the selection and urged the incoming secretary to make good on the promises Obama made while campaigning for the presidency.
DFER was an early advocate of the selection of Duncan because of his commitment to education reform ideas and his experience implementing reform in the Chicago Public Schools.
Continue reading "DFER Statement On Arne Duncan's Selection As Education Secretary"....
Posted by Joe Williams on December 16, 2008 12:05 PM
