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 King as our United States Secretary of Education. America’s students and their educational futures are in great hands under Secretary King’s bold and visionary leadership. I am confident that he will continue to build upon the Obama administration’s historic progress and work tirelessly to ensure that every child, regardless of their background, has access to the high-quality public education they all deserve.

“Throughout his distinguished career, Secretary King has proven himself a true champion for our kids — putting their needs above the divisive special interest politics that too often perpetuate a broken status quo. By advocating for policies that work for our students and eliminating those that don’t, Secretary King has helped strengthen our public schools so that more students, particularly those in communities long-overlooked and underserved by the system, have a path to a brighter future through a quality education.

“Secretary King’s leadership will be vital as we move toward the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and fight to uphold ESSA’s heritage as a cornerstone civil rights bill. We look forward to working with the Department of Education in ensuring that ESSA — and federal education policy, more broadly — always protects our most vulnerable students and empowers each of them to reach their full potential.

“We applaud the Senate for their bipartisan support of Secretary King’s confirmation and again extend our gratitude to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for their continued leadership throughout the confirmation process.”

###

Contact: press@dfer.org