Revolutionary Resolutions!
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FRESH RESOLUTIONS? Losing weight (again)? Kicking an addiction (or two?) More kindness, more assertiveness… you name it, we’re all thinking it. But how about resolutions that actually GIVE rather than receive…
To wit, here are just a few original Resolutions — to guide a much needed EDRevolution when 2021 arrives.
EDRevolution Resolution #1
MAKE MONEY FOLLOW KIDS. It shouldn’t take a pandemic to understand the inequities that are plaguing our society. However, it does take a crisis in America —sadly — to understand that just having a building to go to doesn’t equal great education. A New Year is a great time for new people in positions of power to get real about what it takes to educate kids. How might that work? It’s like a virtual backpack, where every student gets what they need to be educated. We’ll be working with the millions of like-minded parents, teachers, policymakers and other groups to move this revolutionary resolution along in 2021.
EDRevolution Resolution #2
EQUALIZE OPPORTUNITY. The chance to take your funds to the school that you think works best for the children in your charge is not real opportunity, until it is equal to that which others have. The individual choices of parents and families should have the same foundation state by state. The fact that we have educational choice programs where students get less than half of what traditional district students get, or where charters receive 65 percent on the dollar is pure insanity. We have to say so, and act on it, in 2021.
EDRevolution Resolution #3
LET TEACHERS REALLY CHOOSE. Opportunity for teachers should be enormous. Their ability to grow and thrive in whatever school environment they choose to use their passion and skills should be rewarded. But keeping them under the control of union-demanded, state regulated contracts requiring uniformity at the expense of quality and seniority as a condition for better pay is the recipe for failure that we are witnessing now in full techicolor. The teachers unions have been rightly blasted all over the country for keeping kids out of school… and for years prior for minimizing the opportunity for teacher excellence. We have a US Supreme Court decision decision that gives teachers the right to choose whether to pay for such backwards behavior but states have failed to execute on the Janus decision. Time for an EDRevolution to free teachers from contractual bondage in 2021.HELP US PUT THE REVOLUTION IN REFORM.
At CER, the R has always been about more than Reform. It’s about Results, and ultimately about Revolutionizing education and upending its 19th century roots. We are as nostalgic as you are about the importance of schooling in our children’s lives, but we will be unapologetic about needing to eradicate its inequitable impact on too many kids.
Please take a minute now to DONATE to help us make 2021 the real turning point for children everywhere. With your help, we will succeed.
From all of us at CER, we send our hopes and prayers for a Happy and ESPECIALLY Healthy New Year!
DID YOU MISS YOUR HOLIDAY SURVIVAL TALKING POINTS? Whether you’re walking the dog, paying a visit to the parents or the local bar behind plexiglass, if you’re in need of a few things to say, you’ll want these handy dandy conversation starters.
Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education. We’re always delighted to hear from our readers…suggestions, questions and even the occasional complaint!