As a lifelong advocate for educational equity, I found the March 7 op-ed Democrats Have Taken Over Education Reform misleading and irresponsible.
Let’s be clear: The Trump education agenda is harmful to our nation’s most vulnerable students. The President has sought to undo policies that are helping millions of students receive a better education—weakening accountability measures; supporting crony-capitalism by predatory for-profit colleges; and rolling back civil rights.
Counter to the authors’ claims, most voters across both parties are also at odds with the President’s stance on immigration, taxes and gun control. This is not a Democratic agenda; it’s a mainstream agenda. That’s why we saw Democrats—including Democratic education reformers—win handily at every level of government in 2018.
As for education reform, it is alive and well. Nearly all states have maintained higher academic standards and public school choice continues to be in high demand, particularly in communities of color where the creation of new high-quality public school choices have empowered families to decide what’s best for their children. Democrats are the predominant party in the vast majority of school districts with the largest numbers and concentrations of charter school students.
The education reform movement exists because thousands of students across our country—particularly students of color and students from low-income families—have been denied an equitable education. Supporting what’s best for children shouldn’t be a partisan issue, but under an Administration that has actively worked against equity, it’s more important than ever that Democrats fight for our children.
–Shavar Jeffries, President, Democrats for Education Reform