FROM INSPIRING LIFE-LONG LEARNING TO EMPOWERING TEACHERS, THESE ORGANIZATIONS ARE TAKING THE EDUCATION BUSINESS TO SCHOOL.
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5. DEMOCRATS FOR EDUCATION REFORM
For sparking a new willingness to battle for education reform. A California lawsuit made headlines last summer when a Los Angeles judge ruled that the state’s laws concerning teacher hiring, firing, and tenure were unconstitutional, due to their disproportionate impact on low-income and minority students. The suit, backed by deep-pocketed donors, revealed an important shift: Education’s most contentious debates increasingly play out in local elections and legal filings, and early mover Democrats for Education Reform is in many ways responsible for awakening a new generation of Democrat-leaning leaders (and donors) to the realities of political hardball. Whether or not you agree with DFER’s policy positions, their impact is undeniable: “There were a lot of people who believed that if you supported good ideas, good schools, people would make room for you,” says Joe Williams, the executive director. “I think that that notion has been nipped in the bud.”
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Read the full post on Fast Company here.