Since its founding, DFER-CT has established itself as a leading political operative and influence builder in the education advocacy community. In 2016, as the state legislature debated a bill that would de-couple teacher evaluations from student achievement on standardized tests, DFER-CT ran a targeted push poll program in 12 districts, garnering the attention of both the reform community and democratic leaders who eventually abandoned the legislation. In 2017, DFER-CT’s affiliate ERN CT launched the Fix the Formula Campaign, a lobbying and advocacy effort, to promote a fair and equitable funding formula. As DFER-CT State Director Amy Dowell said, “creating a progressive public school funding formula remains an issue of equity and civil rights – and Democrats must continue to fight for it.”
