Stay Informed
Press
November 10, 2008
The New Team: Joel I. Klein
November 10, 2008
The New Team
Joel I. Klein
By ELISSA GOOTMAN
Name: Joel I. Klein
Being considered for: Education secretary
Would bring to the job: Six years as chancellor of the New York City public school system, the nation's largest. An increasingly prominent national presence, thanks to forming, with the Rev. Al Sharpton, the Education Equality Project, a coalition seeking to transform public education.
Is linked to Mr. Obama by: Friends and associates, including Caroline Kennedy, a college roommate and close friend of Mr. Klein's wife, Nicole K. Seligman. One of Mr. Obama's education advisers, Jon Schnur, is the chief executive of New Leaders for New Schools, a program based in New York that has hired many of Mr. Klein's former staff members. Mr. Klein knows John D. Podesta, who is leading the Obama transition team, from his Washington days.
In his own words: "Are we making good on the moral vision -- and the clear social obligation -- set forth in the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education when we tolerate poorly performing public schools?" (From remarks at a forum in January 2004.)
Used to work as: A lawyer in Washington for nearly three decades, and from 1997 to 2001 as the assistant attorney general in charge of antitrust enforcement at the Justice Department, where he led the prosecution of Microsoft. He spent two years as deputy White House counsel during the Clinton administration and was chairman and chief executive of Bertelsmann Inc.
Carries as baggage: Randi Weingarten, the powerful president of the New York City teachers' union who is also the president of the national American Federation of Teachers, has had an acrimonious relationship with Mr. Klein.
Résumé includes: Born Oct. 25, 1946, in New York City ... graduated from Columbia University, but his dearest alma mater is William Cullen Bryant High School in Queens ... taught math to sixth graders in Queens.
October 2, 2008
Tonight's VP Debate: Will Education Make an Appearance?
Education Week
Michele McNeil
October 2, 2008
If moderator Gwen Ifill doesn't ask Republican Sarah Palin or Democrat Joe Biden a question about education during tonight's must-watch debate at 9 p.m., it won't be because no one tried.
The Education Equality Project folks are making their pitch to the debate honchos to ask an education question. A letter to the moderator, signed by New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and ED in '08 leaders, makes the case that the amount of time devoted to education during the presidential campaign has been "shockingly small." The letter goes on to say:
In fact, of 653 questions at 30 debates, only 20 questions addressed education--just 3%. The infrequency with which education is discussed at the debates can't be attributed to a focus on the economy and foreign policy. In the last Democratic debate in Cleveland, for instance, Senators Obama and Clinton spent more than 15 minutes discussing health care; no education questions were asked.
Continue reading "Tonight's VP Debate: Will Education Make an Appearance?"
September 16, 2008
The "All Else Equal" Question
The "All Else Equal" Question
By Andy Rotherham
Talking Points Memo Cafe
September 16, 2008, 3:31PM
First let me thank TPM for hosting this discussion and Paul for inviting me to participate. Paul has a lot of fans in the education policy community because his work at the Times Magazine has elevated the discourse around education a great deal, and everyone who cares about education is in his debt for that. Our corner of the policy world doesn't often get lights like this shined on it.
That's why Whatever It Takes is a wonderful book. It's a great story; Geoffrey Canada is just one of those magnetic people in life. It's an outstanding and accessible look at the complicated intersection of social policy, education policy, race, and class. And it couldn't be better timed. Although education is a second tier issue in a presidential campaign where the economy, foreign policy, and energy are understandably taking center stage, the school reform debate is quietly coming to a head.
Continue reading "The "All Else Equal" Question"
September 12, 2008
The Democrats' Education Divide
The Democrats' Education Divide
By Charles Upton Sahm
City Journal
12 September 2008
While party unity was a key theme of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, an important divide has emerged on education between teachers' unions on one side, and a new cadre of urban education leaders on the other. The upstarts represent a significant challenge to the unions' stubborn opposition to education reform as well as their stranglehold on the Democratic Party.
The split was evident at the "Ed Challenge for Change" forum, which attracted an overflowing crowd in Denver during convention week. Joe Williams, director of Democrats for Education Reform, began the discussion by noting that "the Democratic Party used to be a party about progress, and our hope on the education issue is that we will return to that day when we are the ones standing up for the little guy." Williams went on to introduce a roster of speakers whom he identified as "the misfits of the Democratic Party." They included Newark mayor Cory Booker; Washington, D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty and schools chancellor Michelle Rhee; New York schools chancellor Joel Klein; Denver schools superintendent Michael Bennet; and former Colorado governor Roy Romer.
Continue reading "The Democrats' Education Divide"
September 9, 2008
KLEIN, SHARPTON RESPOND TO OBAMA SPEECH
Education Equality Project co-founders Reverend Al Sharpton and New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein issued the following statement following Senator Barack Obama's education policy address today in Dayton, Ohio:
"Senator Obama says that neglect of the ongoing crisis in public education in the United States has created a 'day of reckoning' for this country's leaders. We couldn't agree more," said Reverend Sharpton and Chancellor Klein. "We welcome Senator Obama's emphasis on reforms that we've set forth in the Education Equality Project's statement of principles: funding successful charter schools to create better choices for parents and increasing pay to teachers who raise the achievement of their students as well as replacing those who do not succeed.
"As with all such proposals, the details matter. For these initiatives to work they must not be half-measures and must also be accompanied by other efforts that will ensure meaningful accountability and real academic rigor. All Americans must recognize that it's essential to our Nation's future that we set high standards for our children and then hold ourselves accountable--as teachers, school leaders, parents, community members, and elected and appointed officials--for meeting those standards."
Obama: "Closing the achievement gap that exists in too many cities and rural areas is right."
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama--as prepared for delivery
A 21st Century Education
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Dayton, Ohio
Yesterday was a special day around my house. It was back-to-school day for my girls. Sasha started second grade and Malia began 5th. I know Malia was really embarrassed when I walked her to the classroom, but I did it anyway because she's still Daddy's girl. And seeing them back at school was a reminder not only that another year had passed and that they're growing up a little faster than I'd sometimes like. It was also a reminder of all the other parents who are dropping their children off at school, and all the other kids who are getting ready for another year of classes.
Every four years, we hear candidates talk about the vital importance of education; about how improving our schools is key to the future of our children and the future of our country. Every four years, we hear about how this time, we're going to make it an urgent national priority. Remember the 2000 election, when George W. Bush promised to be the "education President"?
But just as with energy independence and health care, the urgency of upgrading public education for the 21st century has been talked to death in Washington. And that failure to act has put our nation in jeopardy.
OpEd: Bridging the achievement gap in schools
Bridging the achievement gap in schools
The New Jersey Star Ledger
By Cory A. Booker and Rev. Al Sharpton
September 08, 2008 5:41PM
While political pundits have spent countless broadcast hours and editorial pages obsessing over an imaginary rift within the African-American community's generational leadership, very few have given sufficient time or attention to the real divide that deserves our entire country's focus: the achievement gap in our public schools.
The future of America rests on our ability to educate all children -- black, white, Asian and Hispanic, rich and poor, urban and suburban -- at high levels. Our ability to live up to this nation's founding ideals will be chiefly measured by our progress in closing the educational attainment gap between youth in the most disadvantaged communities and those in more affluent neighborhoods.
While we have made such extraordinary advancements in technology, science and communications, it is a national disgrace that we have failed to make equivalent gains in providing every child access to a quality public education. In a global, knowledge-based economy, America's competitiveness is dependent upon the preparedness and proficiency of its young people. By this standard, we have fallen short.
Continue reading "OpEd: Bridging the achievement gap in schools"
September 2, 2008
Gingrich Calls for 'Tripartisanship' to Improve Schools
Gingrich Calls for 'Tripartisanship' to Improve Schools
Education Week
By Alyson Klein
09/02/08
President Bush isn't the only Republican who believes in high academic standards and aggressive accountability. That's the message that came across at today's event put on by American Solutions for Winning the Future, a nonprofit organization started by Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Education Equality Project and ED in 08 were among the co-sponsors of the event.
Gingrich's group used the issue of global competitiveness to galvanize support for policies, including alternative pay for teachers and rigorous curricula benchmarked against international standards. For education redesign efforts to succeed, they will have to be championed by Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, Gingrich said.
"If you're going to get this to scale, it's going to have to be a tripartisan effort," Gingrich said. "What we're going to have here today is some people you've probably traditionally thought of as Democrats and some you've probably thought of as Republicans."
Continue reading "Gingrich Calls for 'Tripartisanship' to Improve Schools"
Sharpton, Gingrich strange bedfellows in Minny
Sharpton, Gingrich strange bedfellows in Minny
By Daniel Massey
Crain's New York
September 2, 2008 1:35 PM
Trolling for Hillary voters was one thing. Giving Joe Lieberman a speaking slot another. But the Republicans took this reaching across the aisle thing to a whole new level Tuesday morning when the Rev. Al Sharpton shared the stage with Newt Gingrich at an education reform forum in downtown Minneapolis.
"I woke up this morning and a cynical Democrat asked me why I would be at the Republican convention appearing onstage with Newt Gingrich," Mr. Sharpton said. "And I looked at him in the mirror"at this point Mr. Sharpton was interrupted by a wave of laughter "and said that there must be some things that we can put partisan and ideological things aside for. And that must be our children."
Continue reading "Sharpton, Gingrich strange bedfellows in Minny"
Gingrich, Sharpton Lead Education Forum
Gingrich, Sharpton Lead Education Forum
By Kyle Trygstad
The Real Clear Politics Blog
September 2, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS -- What could bring the leader of the 1994 Republican Revolution and a Baptist minister from New York together on one stage? Education reform.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Rev. Al Sharpton addressed Republican delegates this morning in a downtown hotel ballroom about the need for a bipartisan approach to improving the education of America's children. Gingrich now serves as chairman of American Solutions, a bipartisan, multi-issue nonprofit. Sharpton co-chairs the Education Equality Project along with New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. Mayors, superintendants and education reform leaders from around the country have signed on to the EEP.
Continue reading "Gingrich, Sharpton Lead Education Forum"
August 26, 2008
NYPost Editorial: An American Wife
AN AMERICAN WIFE
NYPost Editorial
August 26, 2008
Folks wondering whether Michelle Obama will be an asset or a liability to her husband's campaign for the White House got their answer last night: She's a plus - and then some.
Continue reading "NYPost Editorial: An American Wife"
August 25, 2008
Denver Post: Advocates Draw Attention to Education
By Allison Sherry
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 08/25/2008 12:48:27 AM MDT
In a year when voters are focused on the economy and war, the needs and short- comings of the nation's education system must remain in the forefront of political discussion, education advocates said Sunday.
"When we look at the achievement gap, we almost look like we're back in the mid-'50s," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, his preacher's voice bouncing off the steel outside the Denver Art Museum and drawing in passers-by. "It is embarrassing to the world as we try to redefine ourselves in the global setup that we have such a stark and blatant gap in achievement in this country."
Sharpton; Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker; former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer; and a handful of other prominent civic leaders working on the Education Equality Project beseeched voters Sunday to pay attention to America's education system.
Continue reading "Denver Post: Advocates Draw Attention to Education"
August 24, 2008
Reader's Digest: Education Overhaul? Have I Just Sniffed the Scent of Real Change?
By Carol Kaufmann
ReadersDigest.com
August 24, 2008
Something is brewing here in Denver. A day before the Democratic National Convention officially begins, a collection of proven education reformers have come together in the Denver Art Museum for the purpose of outlining a strategy for the Obama campaign. Their mission: To submit a letter with concrete details that they believe will provide the best chance for drastic educational reform in the United States. What is inspiring about this group is that their words hold genuine hope.
Dem Ed Reformers Take Unions to Task
By Alan Gottlieb
Education News Colorado
August 24, 2008
A coalition of Democratic school reformers sent a stark, bare-knuckled message to teacher unions Sunday: the days of the party pandering to this particular interest group are over.
During a convention-eve forum hosted by a coalition of local and national education organizations, Democratic mayors, legislators and school officials spoke in no uncertain terms about how, in their view, unions have become a major obstacle to meaningful education reform.
And, they said, radical reform must begin now if the United States is to have a prayer of remaining economically competitive as the 21st century progresses.
Continue reading "Dem Ed Reformers Take Unions to Task"
Press Release
REVEREND SHARPTON AND SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR KLEIN JOIN GOVERNOR ROMER, MAYOR BOOKER, MAYOR FENTY, MAYOR HICKENLOOPER AND OTHER LEADERS IN DENVER URGING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO VIEW THE NATION'S FAILING SCHOOLS AS A CIVIL RIGHTS CRISIS
On the Eve of the Democratic Convention, Education Equality Project Coalition Members Say Transforming a System that Has Failed Generations of Minority Students Should be A Core Element of the Democrats' Domestic Agenda
Educational Equality Project co-founders Reverend Al Sharpton and New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein today joined with elected officials, educational leaders, and teachers in Denver to call on the Democratic Party to view the nation's failing schools as a civil rights crisis and make school reform central to the party's domestic agenda. They were joined at a press conference outside the Denver Art Museum by several signatories of the Education Equality Project's statement of principles, including former Colorado Governor Roy Romer; Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey; Mayor Adrian Fenty of Washington, D.C.; Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper; Denver Superintendent Michael Bennet; Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee; Chairman of Democrats for Education Reform Kevin P. Chavous; musician and radio host James Mtume, and Denver teacher Greg Ahrnsbrak. The Democratic Party's national convention begins tomorrow in Denver.
Continue reading "Press Release"
August 17, 2008
NYTimes Mag: A Teachable Moment
August 17, 2008
A Teachable Moment
By PAUL TOUGH
EXCERPT
"The second group, led by Joel I. Klein, the New York City schools chancellor, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, was called the Education Equality Project; its declaration blamed not social woes but a broken education system for the failure of so many of the nation's schoolchildren. In the weeks after the announcements, Pastorek and Vallas both added their names to that declaration, and when I met with Pastorek, I asked him about it. What about the other group's argument? Was it really possible to solve the problems of New Orleans's children in the classroom without involving other social services and supports?
"It would be convenient to say that it's a whole lot of other people who need to be part of the equation," he replied. "But we have the job. And we have to do something." Pastorek said he didn't want to fall back on the excuse that he had heard from many other school officials, in Louisiana and elsewhere -- that it was impossible to fix their schools until other social problems had first been corrected."
Continue reading "NYTimes Mag: A Teachable Moment"
August 1, 2008
KLEIN, SHARPTON RESPOND TO MCCAIN SPEECH
The following is a joint statement by New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein and Reverend Al Sharpton on Senator John McCain's remarks at the National Urban League's convention this morning:
"We are gratified that Senator McCain has endorsed the principles of the Education Equality Project, joining education, civil rights, and elected officials across America who are working together to bring meaningful reform to our nation's public schools. The members of the Education Equality Project believe that education reform is the civil rights issue of our time. Fixing our schools won't be easy and it will require strong national leadership--but nothing short of that will enable us to live up to our basic commitment to our children: to help them learn so they have a real shot at achieving the American dream. Education reform, like civil rights, is above partisan politics and must be embraced by all."
McCain to National Urban League: "The Education Equality Project is a practical plan for delivering change and restoring hope for children and parents who need a lot of both."
Remarks as prepared for delivery to the 2008 National Urban League Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, Friday, August 1, 2008.
Thank you, Marc, for the introduction. I appreciate your kind invitation and this warm welcome to Orlando and to the Urban League. Through all the business cycles and political cycles of almost a century, this organization has championed an agenda of economic growth and opportunity. You've never lost your sense of mission, or your commitment to bettering the lives of African Americans and of all citizens. I'm honored to be with the men and women of the Urban League.
NYTimes Editorial: Education as a Civil Rights Issue
New York Times
Editorial
August 1, 2008
Civil rights groups have begun a welcome attack on a House bill that would temporarily exempt the states from the all-important accountability requirements in the No Child Left Behind Act, which was signed into law in 2002. The attack, led by powerful groups like the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, was unexpected, given that the nation's two big teachers' unions actually hold seats on the conference's executive committee. Recent events suggest that the civil rights establishment generally is ready to break with the teachers' unions and take an independent stand on education reform.
Continue reading "NYTimes Editorial: Education as a Civil Rights Issue"
July 15, 2008
NYSun: Schools Chancellor Reaches Into Presidential Contest
By ELIZABETH GREEN, Staff Reporter of the Sun
As the city teachers union head, Randi Weingarten, enters the national scene by marking her first full day as president of the American Federation of Teachers, the city's schools chancellor is also reaching out beyond New York.
As part of Joel Klein's new Education Equality Project, the effort he kicked off last month with the Rev. Al Sharpton, the chancellor has been spending the summer break promoting to the presidential candidates his philosophy of how to improve public education.
He and Rev. Sharpton were in Chicago yesterday meeting with campaign staffers for Senator Obama.
Education Equality Project members have also met with Senator McCain's campaign, and Mr. McCain has told the group he is considering signing onto the project, a source with the group said.
Continue reading "NYSun: Schools Chancellor Reaches Into Presidential Contest"
July 14, 2008
NY Daily News: Sharpton And Klein Pay Obama Campaign A Visit
The Daily Politics
By Elizabeth Benjamin
New York's newest political odd couple, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, dropped in on Barack Obama's campaign HQ in Chicago today to talk up their joint undertaking, the Education Equality Project , representatives from both sides confirmed.
Continue reading "NY Daily News: Sharpton And Klein Pay Obama Campaign A Visit"
Denver Post: Time is ripe to fix education, experts assert
An eclectic mix of officials is out to put schools front and center in this fall's politics.
By Allison Sherry
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 07/14/2008 12:30:59 AM MDT
Fixing the nation's schools is the civil-rights priority of this century because so many of them -- particularly those serving poor kids -- are not delivering high-quality service, a group of prominent city, civil-rights and education leaders said Sunday.
In the lobby of one of Denver's sterling charter schools, New York City schools chief Joe Klein, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, state Senate President Peter Groff and Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien, among others, said they would do whatever it takes to push education onto the crowded political agenda this fall.
Continue reading "Denver Post: Time is ripe to fix education, experts assert"
Rocky Mountain News: Group aims to fashion cure for ailing education system
By Julie Poppen
Monday, July 14, 2008
So the Rev. Al Sharpton and Newt Gingrich sit down to talk about education . . .
No, this isn't the beginning of a joke.
In fact, the fiery New York civil rights leader and 2004 presidential candidate and the conservative, but equally verbose, former House speaker are in fact on the same page when it comes to education.
It's going to take such "odd couples" to fix the nation's ailing educational system. That's what a group of educators, politicians and community activists said at a news conference Sunday at the Denver School of Science and Technology as they touted the recently unveiled Education Equality Project.
Continue reading "Rocky Mountain News: Group aims to fashion cure for ailing education system"
July 13, 2008
Education News Colorado: Heavyweights urge radical ed. changes
Written by Alan Gottlieb
Sunday, July 13 2008
A coterie of Colorado political heavyweights joined New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein Sunday to trumpet a new national effort to force radical education reform on recalcitrant special interests.
The newly formed, non-partisan Education Equality Project, co-chaired by Klein and the Rev. Al Sharpton, is framing school reform as a civil rights issue whose time, after decades of stagnation, has finally arrived.
"Every social movement in this country's history has been built on failure, failure, failure, and failure, before reaching critical mass," Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper told Education News Colorado following Sunday's press conference. Education reform's time has finally arrived, he said.
Continue reading "Education News Colorado: Heavyweights urge radical ed. changes"
July 9, 2008
Politico.com OpEd: NEA too big for its britches
By Richard Whitmire
July 9, 2008
Everyone knows you don't tug on Superman's cape, spit into the wind or mess with the 3.2-million-member National Education Association, especially during election time. The union's liberal agenda is backed by a campaign war chest estimated at $40 million, but its bigger ammunition is its unmatched army of energetic volunteers.
Continue reading "Politico.com OpEd: NEA too big for its britches"
The American Prospect: How the Left Can Avoid a New Education War
A battle is brewing between portions of the civil-rights community and teacher unions over the future of liberal education policy.
Richard D. Kahlenberg | July 9, 2008 | web only
Just as Democrats have finally settled on a nominee and begun to unite, a major new fight has broken out between competing factions in the liberal education-policy community. One group argues that poverty should not be used as an excuse for failure and sees teacher unions as a major obstacle to promoting equity through education reform. The other group says education reform by itself cannot close the achievement gap between rich and poor and black and white without addressing larger economic inequalities in society.
Continue reading "The American Prospect: How the Left Can Avoid a New Education War"
July 7, 2008
Washington Post: Focus on School Reform
A new coalition presses the presidential candidates to face the problems of public education.
Say what you will about the Rev. Al Sharpton, it is hard to ignore -- or deter -- him. And that is good news for those interested in fixing the nation's troubled public schools. In giving his voice to school reform as a true civil rights issue, Mr. Sharpton may help change the nature of the debate. Equally significant is his willingness and that of other leaders in a recently formed coalition to challenge traditional allies in the cause of black and brown children.
Mr. Sharpton has joined New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein in heading a fast-growing national coalition of educators, politicians and academicians that aims to focus attention on the real issues of education reform. The Education Equality Project avoids the arcane language of policy in framing school improvement as a matter of basic human rights. How can America boast of equal opportunity when so many black and Latino children are denied a good education? How can we fully take pride in the likely Democratic presidential nomination of Sen. Barack Obama, Mr. Sharpton asks, when fewer than half of all black males graduate from high school?
Continue reading "Washington Post: Focus on School Reform"
June 25, 2008
Press Release: SUPPORT FOR NEW EDUCATION EQUALITY PROJECT GROWS
AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS AS FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR JEB BUSH, CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATE ROGER WILKINS, DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP COUNCIL CHAIRMAN HAROLD FORD, JR., NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA PRESIDENT JANET MURGUIA, FORMER NATIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR JASON KAMRAS, AND OTHERS SIGN STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES
Signatories Join Reform Coalition Working to End Decades-Long Failure of America's Public Schools to Educate High-Needs and Minority Children
The Education Equality Project continues to attract wide support from prominent educators, political and religious leaders, and civil rights advocates across the nation since its launch in Washington, D.C., two weeks ago. Twenty major stakeholders working to improve the nation's public schools have added their names alongside the original signatories on the coalition's statement of principles, including former Florida Governor and Chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education Jeb Bush, civil rights advocate Roger Wilkins, four-term U.S. Congressman and Democratic Leadership Council Chairman Harold Ford, Jr., National Council of La Raza President Janet Murguia, and 2005 National Teacher of the Year Jason Kamras.
The list of those who have endorsed the project's statement of principles since the June 11 launch includes:
Continue reading "Press Release: SUPPORT FOR NEW EDUCATION EQUALITY PROJECT GROWS"
June 20, 2008
Mayor Michael Bloomberg on The Education Equality Project
Speech at 'Excellence in Action: A National Summit on Education Reform'
06/20/08
"Let me quote a great education leader: 'Reform is never finished and success is never final.' That's our host, Governor Bush, speaking. And as usual, he has hit the nail right on the head. So has New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, who last week helped launch a new national campaign, 'The Educational Equality Project,' designed to put school reform front-and-center in this year's Presidential election. I say: More power to them.
"Because both major candidates and both major parties must address this ringing indictment included in the Education Equality Project's 'statement of principles,' and I quote: 'Despite the urgency of the need and the righteousness of the cause, public education today remains mired in a status quo that not only ill serves most poor children, but shows little prospect of meaningful improvement. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. That is the trap we must avoid, or risk losing another generation of our children.'"
Continue reading "Mayor Michael Bloomberg on The Education Equality Project"
June 19, 2008
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings Praises The Education Equality Project
Excellence in Action: A National Summit on Education Reform Keynote Address
Orlando, Florida
06/19/08
"And I ask, no I beg you to continue speaking out for true accountability. We all how hard it can be to challenge the status quo. As Governor Bush says, in education reform, you're always "walking uphill. And if you stop moving forward, gravity naturally starts pulling you back.
But as [Education Equality Project signatory] Governor Romer and others will tell you, that's all the more reason why we must push harder. That's why I'm pleased that he and Joel Klein are teaming up with the Reverend Al Sharpton, Representative J.C. Watts, Newark Mayor Corey Booker, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and other game changers who are demanding more from our schools--and getting it.
This is exactly the type of alliance that we need more of. We must work closely together with like-minded people who may not be our natural allies, but who share a common concern for the education of all students. We will be successful only if we work together across party lines and all other divisions. The work is too challenging, and the opponents too numerous, to do it alone.
When it comes to education policy, we must always ask ourselves one question: who does this benefit, kids or grown ups?"
Continue reading "Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings Praises The Education Equality Project"
June 17, 2008
EdWeek: 2 New Coalitions Seek Influence on Campaigns
By David J. Hoff
EdWeek
Washington
Should schools be held primarily responsible for improving student achievement, or do they need help from health and social programs to ensure their students' success?
Two sets of prominent educators and policy leaders released statements last week emphasizing different answers to that question. But both groups acted with the same purpose: to inform and highlight the debate over education in the 2008 presidential campaign and to influence the future of the No Child Left Behind Act and other policies of the next president.
The Education Equality Project, formally launched last week by New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein and the Rev. Al Sharpton, the civil rights activist, plans to organize events at the Democratic and Republican national conventions to promote its message that "public education today remains mired in the status quo" and "shows little prospect of meaningful improvement" without significant changes in the ways schools are structured, its statement said.
Continue reading "EdWeek: 2 New Coalitions Seek Influence on Campaigns"
Blackamericaweb.com: Civil Rights Activists, Teachers Call on Candidates to Address Reforming Education System
By Michael H. Cottman
Blackamericaweb.com
A national coalition of black civil rights leaders, elected officials and educators are mobilizing to reform public school education and challenge presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain to work toward racial equality in America's schools.
Called the Education Equality Project, the initiative is designed to brand public school education as the premier civil rights issue of the 21st century by urging educators and public officials to re-think how America educates students with special needs.
Lancaster (PA) Online: Quite a Coalition
Joe Hainthaler
Lancaster (PA) Online
An education reform group has a (sadly) novel idea: Make education policy about what's best for students.
Imagine that.
Continue reading "Lancaster (PA) Online: Quite a Coalition"
June 14, 2008
Transcript: Al Sharpton Rally
Sharpton: This week in Washington D.C. we announced an Education Initiative. As I have expressed the last several weeks, we are extremely concerned with the achievement gap between black and Latinos and white and Asian students. There are those that have their pet blame game. The fact is that everybody bears some blame--the administrators, the principals, the teachers, and the parents. Civil rights leaders, activists, elected officials--all of us have some responsibility but the fact is we can blame or we can come to the table and say, "how we goin' to deal with this?" Chancellor Joel Klein of the City of New York and I have not always agreed--I think I even marched on him once and might be scheduled to march again, I don't know. But the fact is that both of us agree that a serious dialogue on this must happen.
Continue reading "Transcript: Al Sharpton Rally"
June 13, 2008
New York Times: Obama, Liberalism and the Challenge of Reform
Op-Ed Columnist
By David Brooks
Is Barack Obama really a force for change, or is he just a traditional Democrat with a patina of postpartisan rhetoric?
That question is surprisingly hard to answer. When you listen to his best speeches, you see a person who really could herald a new political era. But when you look into his actual policies, you often find a list of orthodox liberal programs that no centrist or moderate conservative would have any reason to support.
To investigate this question, I looked more closely into Obama's education policies. Education is a good area to probe because Obama knows a lot about it, and because there are two education camps within the Democratic Party: a status quo camp and a reform camp. The two camps issued dueling strategy statements this week.
Continue reading "New York Times: Obama, Liberalism and the Challenge of Reform "
June 12, 2008
Transcript: "Sharp Talk" with Rev. Sharpton and Chancellor Klein
Al Sharpton: Keeping it real, keeping it real, I'm your host reverend Al Sharpton. Yesterday we announced--as I stated yesterday and today--a new initiative to really come together and deal with the achievement gap in this country--nationally--of black students when compared to others. And New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein--we've been called the Odd Couple, which I argue because he and I have not always agreed; I'm sure we wont always agree in the future--but both of us are passionate about the fact that this gap is really not being discussed. It's an election year, there's a lot of bells and whistles going on, and somehow the fact that black students are not being taught is alright with everybody. He came at our invitation and said: 'Well, I'm going to do something for the long haul.' So we put this group together. Explain to us, Chancellor Klein, how bad is the problem?
Joel Klein: It's terrible. I can't exaggerate the dimensions of the problem. Right now in America today, African American and Latino students are way, way behind by every measure. Graduation rates: we're talking 20, 30, 35 points. That's huge. We're talking bout test scores, we're talking huge amounts. And the result of this, Al, is we're developing, increasingly, a black under class. And these are kids--if you don't have a high school diploma, on your way to college, then you're going no place. In the 21st century, you're going no place. And the thing that has surprised me most is people don't want to talk about it, right? It makes people uncomfortable. Think about this: fifty-four years after Brown vs. Board--we promised every kid an equal educational opportunity--fifty-four years later they're not getting that opportunity. We've got to talk about it.
Continue reading "Transcript: "Sharp Talk" with Rev. Sharpton and Chancellor Klein "
US News & World Report: Sharpton and Klein, Education's Odd Couple
by Eddy Ramírez
There they were, standing next to each other in a room full of television cameras and reporters, about to announce their recent engagement: New York City public schools chancellor Joel Klein and the Rev. Al Sharpton, two men who have clashed on issues of education equity and access in the past, now announcing that they will work together to fix the nation's troubled schools. Call us the odd couple, Klein said. Or the necessary couple, Sharpton quipped moments later. Both men were in Washington, D.C., this week to kick off a campaign to make education a top priority during the general election and beyond. Together, they will spearhead the Education Equality Project, a new coalition of elected officials, civil rights leaders, and education reformers.
Continue reading "US News & World Report: Sharpton and Klein, Education's Odd Couple"
Washington Post: 'Standing Up for the Children': New Group Pushes Education Reform as Campaign Issue
By Bill Turque
Washington Post Staff Writer
It was the kind of odd coupling that seemed more like the premise for a reality show than a news conference on education policy: New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein and the Rev. Al Sharpton.
They were in Washington yesterday as co-chairmen of a new national effort to push education issues from the periphery to the center of the 2008 presidential campaign. The Education Equity Project, Klein and Sharpton said, will challenge the presumptive presidential nominees, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), to treat the failure of schools to educate black and Latino children as the overriding civil rights issue of the 21st century.
New York Times: Democrats Offer Plans to Revamp Schools Law
By SAM DILLON
New York Times
Democrats are dividing into camps as they debate a new course for education policy after President Bush leaves office.
On Wednesday, a group of a dozen prominent educators and lawmakers, led by Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein of New York and the Rev. Al Sharpton, said the United States' public schools shortchanged poor black and Latino children in a way that was "shameful," and urged Washington to squeeze teachers and administrators harder to raise achievement among minorities.
Continue reading "New York Times: Democrats Offer Plans to Revamp Schools Law"
USA TODAY: Sharpton, education plan may tear union ties
By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
Decades-long ties between civil rights groups and teachers unions could be split by a new effort, led by the Rev. Al Sharpton and New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, to close the nagging achievement gap between white and minority students.
Continue reading "USA TODAY: Sharpton, education plan may tear union ties"
AP: Educators: Bad schools a civil rights issue
WASHINGTON (AP) -- If Johnny can't read and Sally can't add, it's often because of the color of their skin and their ZIP code, educators and activists said Wednesday.
The heads of the New York City and Washington, D.C., school systems joined with civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton and others to press for a shake-up of public schools from coast to coast to narrow the achievement gap between white students and black and Hispanic students. The group called the gap the nation's most pressing civil rights issue.
Continue reading "AP: Educators: Bad schools a civil rights issue "
June 11, 2008
Transcript: Education Equality Project Opening Press Conference
June 11, 2008
National Press Club, Washington, D.C.
Joel Klein: Good morning, and thank you for joining us here today. Two events independent of each other occurred in 1954, and the arc of those two events intersect here today. The two events: the Supreme Court's decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education, and the birth of the Reverend Al Sharpton. Both in 1954. [Laughter.] Now, as I said, they're going to intersect here today. You know, it took America 165 years to figure out something that seemed so obvious, which is that in education, separate is not equal. That decision that I mentioned, Brown vs. the Board of Education, was supposed to mean that every student in this country, no matter their race, no matter how poor or rich they were, would receive the same educational opportunity, a real shot at the American dream. That was 54 years ago, yet we stand here today more than a half century later, and we have failed to make the progress on education that we promised. We failed to fix what was so obviously broken in the 1950s and long before that. Today if you're born African American or Latino in this country, if your parents are poor, you're much more likely to fall behind in a struggling school. You're likely to get much lower scores in math and reading than you need and in other core subjects, and you're much more likely to drop out. And if you do graduate, you're more likely to graduate less prepared for college and for success.
Continue reading "Transcript: Education Equality Project Opening Press Conference"
Press Release
REV. SHARPTON AND SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR KLEIN JOIN
MAYOR BOOKER, FORMER GOVERNOR ROMER, AND OTHER
NATIONAL LEADERS TO LAUNCH EDUCATION EQUALITY PROJECT
New National Education Reform Coalition Calls Fixing Public Education the
Civil Rights Struggle of the 21st Century, Aims to Challenge National Leaders to Work for Change
Reverend Al Sharpton and New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein joined with elected officials, civil rights leaders, and education reformers from across the country today to announce the launch of the Education Equality Project, a new organization focused on transforming America's public schools and educational outcomes for high-needs students. The Project will challenge politicians, public officials, educators, union leaders, and others to view fixing public schools as the foremost civil rights issue of the early 21st Century. It will focus America's attention on its highest needs students, who--54 years after Brown v. Board of Education--still receive far less educational opportunity and often struggle and fail in school. In the coming months, the Project will seek to focus the presidential candidates on educational equality, hosting forums at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. The founding members of the Project announced their new effort at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Continue reading "Press Release"