Shavar Jeffries Praises the Confirmation of Dr. John B. King, Jr. as U.S. Secretary of Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Shavar Jeffries Praises the Confirmation of Dr. John B. King, Jr. as U.S. Secretary of Education Following the Senate’s confirmation of Dr. John B. King as the U.S. Secretary of Education, DFER National President Shavar Jeffries released the following statement: “We at DFER could not be more honored to finally address John

Shavar Jeffries on Senate HELP Committee Vote on Acting Secretary John King

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Shavar Jeffries Statement on Senate HELP Committee Vote on Acting Secretary John King Following today’s vote by the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to further the confirmation process for Acting Secretary John King, DFER National President Shavar Jeffries released the following statement: “We are thrilled that Acting Secretary

Shavar Jeffries | SOTU 2016: President Obama's Education Legacy

The following post originally appeared on The Huffington Post: By Shavar Jeffries, National President of Democrats for Education Reform Tonight President Obama will deliver his final State of the Union address, where he will reflect on the incredible progress made during the past seven years of his administration and lay out an ambitious agenda for

Sen. Sherrod Brown Wisely Withdraws Charter Amendment

Here, we would like to think, is why. By Marianne Lombardo Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) offered an ESEA amendment to “improve accountability and transparency” of public charter schools. DFER, and other organizations, believed the amendment would crush public charter schools. Although the amendment will not be voted on, it’s important that the implications be addressed.

Joint Statement on the Senate's Passage of the Every Child Achieves Act

Since HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander announced his plans to reauthorize ESEA at the beginning of this year, our organizations have worked together—across lines that often divide us on matters of public policy—to secure provisions in the law that we all think are vitally important to this nation’s future. Our common goals include: • Maintaining the

Murphy-Booker ESEA Accountability Amendment: An Important Step Toward Educational Opportunity for All

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Murphy-Booker ESEA Accountability Amendment: An Important Step Toward Educational Opportunity for All Today, Democrats for Education Reform’s (DFER) Policy Director, Charles Barone, released the following statement: “This morning, Senators Chris Murphy and Cory Booker put forth an amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act that takes important steps toward ensuring that every

Sen. Bennet Puts Students & Families First During ESEA Reauthroization

  Major federal education policy hasn’t been passed in 14 years, since the writing and passage of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), and today marks the start of the debate in Congress re-writing this law, which actually expired eight years ago. NCLB passed in 2001 with bi-partisan support, but its done very little to improve

Senate ESEA Bill Walks Away From Students in Failing Schools

Senate ESEA Bill Walks Away From Students in Failing Schools Statement from Democrats for Education Reform on Senate ESEA reauthorization, “Every Child Achieves Act” (ECAA) Today, in advance of the US Senate debate on ESEA reauthorization, Democrats for Education Reform Policy Director Charles Barone released the following statement: “The bipartisan Senate ESEA reauthorization bill, due

DFER Joins Coalitions of Education, Business, and Civil Rights Organizations in Letters on ESEA Reauthorization

DFER joins broad coalitions in calling for strong standards that will continue to help close achievement gaps and ensure that struggling schools get the investments they need Today, Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) signed onto two letters to the leadership and members of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) in

50 Years of ESEA — Are You on the Right Side of History?

President Lyndon B. Johnson   Fmr. Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) From a 1966 Senate hearing with then Education Commissioner Harold Howe: Do you mean that you spent a billion dollars and you don’t know whether they can read or not?   Fmr. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton   Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) Ranking Member of