As a leading national advocate for school choice, former Washington, D.C. city councilman, Kevin P. Chavous chaired the Committee of Education helping shepherd the charter school movement in the Nation's Capital. As Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Education Reform (CER), Mr. Chavous works with legislators, policy makers, and grassroots advocates in states across the country.
Mr. Chavous, a prominent African-American Democrat, was at the forefront of promoting change within the District Public School system. Under his leadership, charter schools in the District grew from zero schools to over 40 serving 17,000 students in six short years. That number represents 20 percent of the overall public school population in the District, the highest percentage of charter schools in the country. His efforts on behalf of charter schools earned him the prestigious MAC award in 2000. Mr. Chavous, instrumental in facilitating partnerships to ensure equitable economic development in residential neighborhoods throughout the District of Columbia, sponsored a number of innovative community programs such as job fairs, community wide forums on public safety and parental involvement in D.C. public schools.
A noted author, Mr. Chavous authored Serving Our Children: Charter Schools and the Reform of American Public Education. His book represents the first detailed discussion of the charter school movement both in the District of Columbia and around the country and has received praise from policy makers, educators and book critics.
Mr. Chavous practices law with the Washington, D. C. law firm of Sonnenschein, Nath and Rosenthal, and is currently developing the firm's Education Law practice. He teaches as an adjunct Professor of Law at American University's Washington College of Law.
Recently from Kevin Chavous:
Mr. Chavous' impassioned address at the Education Equality Day rally in Washington, DC, May 2009.
"Charters now are viewed as part of the solution.... It means we have to break out of this one-size-fits-all paradigm," The Christian Science Monitor, August 26, 2009
Education, By Any Means, The Washington Post, April 14, 2009
The Key to Better Schools, The Washington Post, December 29, 2008
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The Center for Education Reform (CER) creates opportunities for and challenges obstacles to better education for America’s communities. Founded in 1993, CER combines education policy with grassroots advocacy to foster positive and bold education reforms. For more information, contact CER at (202) 822-9000 or send us email. 
