The typically unconventional Center for Education Reform Gala paid tribute to real Rock Stars whose lives are integral to the successes we share. Eighteen years of doing this work, day in & day out, has taught us all that nothing comes easy. Indeed, it’s the hard work that does pay off. From the tedious work of convincing a fellow policymaker to break ranks and vote for a bill that challenges the unions, to creating a school from ideas and inner resolve, only to see it targeted for extinction, there is no work harder. Our honorees embody this. All of them have allowed us to serve them over the years, providing counsel and advice, cover and yes, even critique when we felt it was warranted. Their moral and financial support, ideas and yes, critiques, have carried us and so this gala was our gift—for a brief few hours — to applaud, laugh and sing to them, and to you all.

There is nothing we can’t do without a little help from our friends. We are better when we have people who move and shake the earth to get results, no matter what the consequences. Our honorees are not easily satisfied, and they don’t settle for the top of the mountain. The EdReformies are for the rebels, those who inspire and those who eschew convention.

Sincerely, Jeanne Allen