“My whole life was transformed because someone went out of their way to inconvenience themselves to make sure I had a chance. I think we are here today because we are on the cusp of an opportunity to do the same thing – to inconvenience ourselves in order to save and help our country. We have precious kids who have genius locked up inside of them. It is our responsibility to do what we have to do in order to extract that genius from our kids and help our country be what we know it can be. I’m down for the fight and so grateful to be in this fight.” – Pastor Josh Robertson
This comment is perhaps the best summation of the work, and the reason, that the leaders, innovators, educators and policymakers gathered with us during Inauguration Weekend.
Before the frigid air rolled in, CER was warming everyone up for the important work ahead – securing education for all students that is sustainable, transformational, outstanding and permissionless.
A new Administration is a new opportunity. Full STOP. As GSV Founder and CER Board Chair Michael Moe said,
“The future is open ended if we take this momentum, put the foot on the gas, and go for it. Your future should be determined by access to great, quality education that can give you the opportunity to reach your full God-given potential and your purpose.”
The room was packed with friends and supporters of real education reform, which is the foundation of achieving sustainable, transformational, outstanding and permissionless education, e.g., the freedom to direct one’s education dollars to the school or venue of choice, with the full and fair funding to which every child, no matter their zip code, is entitled.
Long time CER friend Kellyanne Conway reminded us that, “We are in the middle of a “parents’ rights renaissance. They are saying, ‘my child is in the fourth or fifth consecutive school year of lost learning. I want to have more of a say of where they go to school and what is taught there.’”
And thanks to those across the country who have been working with legislatures to respond to an overwhelming demand from parents for a better approach, more accountability for what their children are learning, and where their tax dollars are going and how they’re being spent, that’s precisely what’s happening.
And thanks to those across the country who have been working with legislatures to respond to an overwhelming demand from parents for a better approach, more accountability for what their children are learning, and where their tax dollars are going and how they’re being spent, that’s precisely what’s happening.
Pat Brantley, CEO of the nearly 30 year-young Friendship Charter Schools in Washington, DC echoed the opportunities ahead.
“I am honored to be in a room where what binds us together is caring about kids. Do you know why we are in this room together? Because we understand one thing. If we do not put the right education program in front of our kids, we are never making America great.
What I was taught after years of working in civil rights is that there is one administration at a time. And it is that administration that is going to help us advance the work for children in this country.
Friendship Charter School is almost 30 years old. We have almost 5,000 kids. 15 campuses. But none of that would have been possible without people first getting into the fight so we could open those schools. And those schools are making a difference.”
That’s why school choice is also the “economic freedom issue of our time,” said noted economist Steve Moore.
“It is the civil rights issue of our time. It is the prosperity of our time… None of this matters if our kids are not well educated, and we are not going to be an economic superpower until every single child in America regardless of income, creed, skin color has the best possible education and that is through giving every child a choice about where they go to school.”
“We have precious kids with genius locked up inside of them. It is our responsibility to extract that genius and help our country be what we know it can be.” Cris Gulacy-Worrel, Vice President of Oakmont Education. “When we center students, we become much more powerful to defeat the challenges against us.”
As CER’s Jeanne Allen told the group – and to you reading this in the proverbial “room” as well:
“You are all in this room because you do something, want to do something, or have done something extraordinary for America’s kids and that is what CER has been doing since 1993.
“Now we have an opportunity to do more.”
We’ll be sharing more soon about how to help us do just that. Join us in the fight ahead. Get in touch with us here to get started. Read more about CER’s work and initiatives.