Bill Clinton was president and charter schools… (and once upon a time, full educational choice)

And these issues were noticeably bi-partisan.

So were standards.

Throughout the years, we’ve worked with and through four presidential administrations;

And through many crises, like Hurricane Katrina, where we pressured the federal government for $20 million in unspent charter funds to take on displaced kids and stood up the first family hotline to match students with schools in 9 states.

So when COVID-19 hit our world, we did what we have done for 27 years… we didn’t skip a beat. We immediately reached out to colleagues and innovators nationwide and brought them together to share how they were “countering COVID’s” effects on education. They became inspirational models for others.

For 27 years our DNA hasn’t changed — no matter who was on our team — we work relentlessly, with urgency, consistency and resolve.

Even when there wasn’t a crisis and the press wasn’t paying attention to education, CER has worked to prod and poke and create exceptional education opportunities for all children.

It’s like John F. Kennedy once said:

“The best time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining.”

The CER sun has been shining light on Parent Power & the need for money to follow kids (and backpacks full of cash) since our beginnings.

CER was talking about and acting on innovation and opportunity before the storm. And we’ll be doing it after this one, and the next.

Some of our nation’s most prominent citizens, parents, press and policymakers are impatient, however. They want overnight results.

But it’s like Malcolm Gladwell says, movements take generations to succeed.

“The task that you’re engaged in is at the center of what it means to create a fairer world.

“… you are at ground zero in that fight. This is a long slow fight, it’s not a short, quick one.

“Nothing will defeat us faster than thinking this is some kind of short term operation.”

We hope you’ll take a moment to help us recognize the contributions of the hundreds of team members, advisors, funders and friends who have helped us build a generation of education innovation and opportunity advocates.

Together our work has changed hearts, minds, laws and legal rulings. 

Some would like us to just go away. Despite what the mainstream would have you believe, we are up against the deepest pockets in political and special interests.  Running and sustaining an organization in these unprecedented times is especially difficult. The work is often thankless, and fighting every day is hard work.

But we’re just getting started.

If you like what we do, what you’ve seen, and what you’ve heard, now is the time to join our cause. 

Gratefully,   Jeanne