Education Reform: Before It Was Cool –The Real Story and The Pioneers Who Made It Happen
CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
April 4, 2014
An indispensable new anthology on the beginnings of the modern-day education reform movement, Education Reform: Before It Was Cool – The Real Story and The Pioneers Who Made It Happen, is designed for people who truly want to understand and learn first-hand from the greatest contributors to the movement to make our nation’s schools work better for all children through choice, accountability, and innovation.
Published by The Center for Education Reform (CER) and edited by founder and president emeritus Jeanne Allen, Education Reform: Before It Was Cool is born not out of theory, but out of real practice and success witnessed in over twenty years in the field.
“As The Center for Education Reform turned 20 years young and looked back at the history it helped create, it became clear that the next generation of reformers should learn from the lessons of the past, the battle lines drawn and re-drawn, the missteps made, and the victories won,” said Allen. “One must know who fought the early battles, who took the first arrows, and who made it cool for a new generation to come to the party.”
Education Reform: Before It Was Cool breaks down the history of the movement into seven parts, relating the experiences of accomplished activists and policy makers across more than a dozen states and numerous communities. Highlights include the efforts of a parent turned state superintendent of schools the growth of a city wide block of charter schools and social service organizations in one of the poorest sections of Los Angeles, the leadership of an African-American Mom who had lost her son to gun violence and who made it possible for other sons and daughters to receive a safe and successful education, and the evolution of a city councilman from establishment to reformer. These and other leaders paved the way for today’s reform efforts.
“I’m grateful to the leadership at CER for producing this important historical book and guidepost to the future. Without an opportunistic outlook we will become just like the institutions we sought to change twenty years ago,” said Allen. “Good intentions won’t deliver American kids from embarrassingly low proficiency in the basics, restore rigor to their classrooms, or ensure college—and career-readiness. Only hard, smart decisions and substantive efforts will.”
History is the best teacher, and Education Reform: Before It Was Cool equips the next generation of leaders with rare insights about how real substantive and structural change got started, and is a handy guide to avoiding repetitive failure and ensuring repetitive success.
To purchase an e-copy of Education Reform: Before It Was Cool or reserve a hard copy, please go here.
About the Editor: Jeanne Allen is the founder of The Center for Education Reform and served as its president from 1993-2013. Today, Jeanne is a Senior Fellow and president emeritus, and serves on CER’s Board of Directors. Jeanne Allen is Vice President of K-12 Programs for HotChalk, Inc., an education technology company.