In response to President Barack Obama’s speech at the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, in which he gave his first major address on education policy, Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) championed the plan and the President’s willingness to make good on the promises he made while campaigning. DFER was an early supporter of President Obama and his Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, because of their commitment to innovative education reform ideas and experience implementing change.
“During the long fight for the presidency Barack Obama made clear that education will be a central focus of his administration,” said Joe Williams, executive director of DFER. “He promised to increase funding for charter schools and create a system for rewarding excellent teachers and today he demonstrated that he will fulfill those promises as president.”
DFER supports Democratic candidates committed to progressive ideas like charter schools; adjustments in teacher licensing requirements; changes to teacher compensation to reward our best educators; and a renewed focus on early childhood education (in particular, linking early childhood education with charter schools, which usually do not include Pre-K).
“In spite of decades of talk about education reform, the system remains broken,” Williams continued. “The Obama administration, with Arne Duncan at the head of the Department of Education, is leading the charge in breaking existing ideological and political gridlock to promote new, innovative and experimental ideas in education.”