I am a bit of a nomad. As a kid I moved across the country multiple times; Hawaii, California, South Dakota, Arizona, and South Carolina. Now I am living and working in Washington DC, but I always struggle when people ask me where I am from. It’s a serious identity crisis. But when people ask…

This weekend, First Lady Michelle Obama, Madame Peng, wife of President Xi of China, and students from the Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School, attended the naming ceremony of the new baby panda at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. (his name is Bei Bei!) At this ceremony, the Yu Ying School was recognized by…

After attending the event Ten Years After Katrina: Education Reform in New Orleans at the American Enterprise Institute, I am left with many thoughts. A bit of confusion of course, since I am still learning when it comes to education reform and all of the technicalities that come with it, but I was also very unsettled…

In the hands of some very seasoned campaign advisors, most presidential candidates take a safe approach to debates. With a relatively short time to get your talking points out, numerous issues to cover and lots of competitors working hard to hog the stage, they are advised to stay focused. But the measure of a candidate…

Thursday, September 17 is Constitution Day, marking the 228th anniversary of the document that laid the groundwork for the great experiment that is the United States of America. Through a series of Articles and Amendments, the Framers of the Constitution provided the blueprint for federalism — that is the way in which the federal government…

On the way to The Center for Education Reform’s (CER) offices for my first day, I was completely nervous with a million expectations running through my head. While navigating myself from the metro, I basically jogged to get to the office, only to arrive 40 minutes early. No one wants to be late on his or…

A blog post by National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia has popped up a few times with little to no traction, so ReformerRed isn’t going to help the piece along by linking to it here. However, it is worth addressing to set the record straight. Garcia warns caveat emptor! Let the buyer beware when…

I am ecstatic to begin my journey as an intern here at The Center for Education Reform (CER). As a senior at The George Washington University majoring in human services and social justice, I have been required to take service-learning classes throughout my collegiate career. Thus far I have volunteered as an English as a…

The nation will never forget watching the levees break, the fear and pain on the faces of the people trapped, the destruction, countless lives lost too soon. Ten years ago to the date, a storm, an act of God, broke down almost every system and structure that was supposed to keep the great people of…

As I approached the doors of suite 705, I was not exactly sure what to expect. This organization, CER, seemed so small in comparison to something so big - the gap between high-quality and low-quality schools, the gap between education policy and what is actually happening inside of the schools, and the endeavors to empower…