Why DFER is the most important advocacy group in the US

Tom Vander Ark:

Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) may be the most important advocacy group in America.

In the long run, education is the issue that will most determine this country's role in the world.

In the long run, it will be the position of the leaders of the Democratic party, state by state and in congress, that will determine the quality of education in America. Democrats have historically supported increased spending but not always measures that increase quality. DFER makes the case in its statement of principles:

A first-rate system of public education is the cornerstone of a prosperous, free and just society, yet millions of American children today - particularly low-income and children of color - are trapped in persistently failing schools that are part of deeply dysfunctional school systems. These systems, once viewed romantically as avenues of opportunity for all, have become captive to powerful, entrenched interests that too often put the demands of adults before the educational needs of children. This perverse hierarchy of priorities is political, and thus requires a political response.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 3, 2011 2:06 AM
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