URGING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO VIEW THE NATION'S FAILING SCHOOLS AS A CIVIL RIGHTS CRISIS

Here's the 2nd 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.

“Closing the achievement gap and ensuring that every child receives a good education is the major civil rights issue of our time,” Reverend Al Sharpton said. “EEP was created with the sense that, regardless of your party affiliation or the color of your skin, if you are dedicated to this aspiration, you are welcome to join us and work with us.”

            “As a country we can’t continue to accept that one of every two black or Hispanic children will drop out from school or that the reading levels of black children are years behind white children’s,” Chancellor Klein said. “These facts translate into diminished life opportunities. We must forego political expediency in favor of a bipartisan commitment to address this crisis by any means necessary. I urge the Democratic Party to rise above traditional politics and special interests to endorse the common sense principles of our project.”

            Reverend Sharpton and Chancellor Klein formed the Education Equality Project in June 2008 to transform America’s public schools and educational outcomes for high-needs students. The Project challenges politicians, public officials, union leaders, and others to view fixing the public schools as the foremost civil rights issue of the early 21^st century. It takes on conventional wisdom and the entrenched impediments to real reform, focusing on teacher quality and pay; accountability for results; and maximizing parents’ options. The Project will challenge laws and contracts that preserve a system that fails students. In the view of Project’s signatories, the one measure of every policy, regardless of the depths of its historic roots or the power of its adherents, must be whether it advances student learning. 

“We know that the future health of our communities depends on creating a sound education foundation for our children,” said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. “We know there is no single more important endeavor, and the stakes are too high for Denver and all American cities.  Failure is not an option.”

“The future of our country and its competitiveness in the global economy is dependent upon our ability to educate all children, regardless of their race or socio-economic status, at high levels,” said Newark Mayor Cory Booker.  “This is not a democratic or republican issue, it's an American problem that afflicts us all.  The time for collective responsibility and bold action in education reform is now.”

“I am a strong supporter of Barack Obama and the Democratic Party.  That being said, many of us believe that now is the time for our party and our new president to really stand up for kids,” said Kevin Chavous, Chairman of Democrats for Education Reform.  “Old policies and the status quo are unacceptable. On behalf of America’s children, we insist that education issues be a priority for our party and that we boldly embrace innovation and creativity in our schools, even at the expense of historical special interests alliances.”

“We need to stop thinking about our dropout rate and low levels of achievement as the inevitable results of poverty and begin to understand that it is our obligation to transform our education system to ensure all of our kids have real opportunity," said Denver Superintendent Michael Bennet.

“Now is the time for all of us--teachers, school districts, and communities to stand up and work together to build great public school systems that serve all our children," said Greg Ahrnsbrak, a 16-year Denver Public School veteran teacher.  Ahrnsbrak is one of the leaders of Denver Teachers for Change, a group of DPS teachers who came together to advocate for reform and a settlement during recent contract negotiations between DPS and the Denver teachers union. "We can't wait another 50 years. We can't wait even one year, and teachers must be at the leading edge of the reform. Incremental changes will not get us the results we need--the time for bold systemic changes is now."

             Signatories of the Educational Equality Project’s statement of principles include, along with today’s speakers, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Arizona Senator and presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain, National Council of La Raza Chief Executive Officer Janet Murguia, civil rights leader Roger Wilkins, Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan, Houston Independent School District Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra, Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, Baltimore City Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Andres Alonso, New Orleans Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas, President of Council of Schools Supervisors & Administrators Ernest Logan, and 2005 National Teacher of the Year Jason Kamras.

            For more information on the Educational Equality Project, please visit www.educationequalityproject.com.

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Contact:           David Cantor (for Joel Klein)  212-374-4341 / c917-856-5607

                        Rachel Noerdlinger (for Al Sharpton)  212-876-5444 / c646-981-5903