Here are education-related excerpts from President Obama’s speech tonight, according to prepared remarks: Now, I’ve cut taxes for those who need it – middle-class families and small businesses. But I don’t believe that another round of tax breaks for millionaires will bring good jobs to our shores, or pay down our[Read More…]
Education Politics
He’s one of the parent trigger profiteers?
In Orlando back in June, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and other big-city Democratic mayors convinced the U.S. Conference of Mayors to unanimously endorse the idea of parent triggers – and were promptly savaged by critics. They were tools of ALEC, profiteers, enemies of public schools. Nutter just spoke to the DNC a[Read More…]
For Democrats and education reform, the times they are a-changin’
We want to spotlight two new videos that highlight the tension – and potential for change – that we’ve been seeing all week between education factions at the Democratic National Convention. The first is from Democrats for Education Reform; the second, from TEACHED. To whet your appetite, here are some choice[Read More…]
Florida’s teachers union president and his grumpy tweet for Arne
Andy Ford, president of the Florida teachers union, has done his darnedest to kick out many of the Republicans who continue to run both the executive and legislative branches in this state, and they don’t usually take a shine to his approach. Just the other day, Ford bought a two-page[Read More…]
Arne Duncan: Romney will cut education to help millionaires, billionaires
From U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s prepared remarks at the DNC tonight: I’m here tonight as a parent with two young children who attend a wonderful public school. No one has more at stake in this election than our kids, and that is why we need to re-elect President Obama![Read More…]
Education factions battle at the DNC
The battle for the soul of the Democratic Party, at least in the area of public education policy, was on full display yesterday at two panel discussions organized by Democrats for Education Reform. (Full disclosure: I am DFER’s Florida coordinator.) The first panel consisted of Democratic state legislators from Colorado,[Read More…]
Deval Patrick: With Obama, students ‘have a champion in the White House’
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick made the most extensive remarks about K-12 education on the DNC stage last night. He didn’t explicitly mention Race to the Top, expansion of charter schools or a push for better teacher evaluation systems (all Obama administration priorities) but he did reference more accountability, higher teaching standards and[Read More…]
Can a school-voucher Democrat become president?
Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a star in the Democratic Party, is already considered a future presidential candidate. But he is also an unflinching supporter of private school vouchers. In a rousing speech at the DNC tonight, he moved delegates with his lines on education: “You should be able to afford health care for[Read More…]