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CER Marks A Decade of Education Reform Advances at 10th Anniversary Celebrations
CER Press Release
Washington, DC
October 27,2003
Over the last decade, in states and communities across the nation, education reform has brought a sea change in policy and practice in public education and in providing options for schooling. On October 29th and 30th, the Center for Education Reform (CER) will celebrate its 10th Anniversary with two events designed to showcase the accomplishments of education reform over the last ten years and provide a look ahead at the next ten years. CER's gala will recognize those achievements and pay tribute to some of their advocates. "We are honored that our gala dinner on October 29th, and the next day's conference will be attended by so many who have put education reform at the top of their agendas for so long: Governor Jeb Bush, Secretary Rod Paige, New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg and many key state and federal leaders," said CER president and founder Jeanne Allen. CER's gala will be followed the next day by a conference that will bring together high-level reform participants to discuss the on-going issues and challenges of education reform. Despite entrenched opposition, education reform has moved slowly, but very surely, forward since CER was founded in 1993. Charter schools, school choice, and accountability have grown from the dreams of a few to mainstream realities of thousands. Today, all but 10 states have charter school laws and last year, the Supreme Court ruled that parents have the right to choose a wide array of options in order to escape failing schools. Today accountability is more than just a buzzword - it is a measure of how schools are working. The Center has been a key player in helping achieve those advances and continues to be in a leadership position in the education reform movement.The following are details about the two events: Center for Education Reform 10th Anniversary Gala October 29, 7:00 pm-9:45 pm Speakers: - Florida Governor Jeb Bush
- U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige
- Undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Education Eugene Hickok
- DC City Councilman Kevin Chavous
The evening will include: special surprise awards recognizing individual, group and state efforts in improving education for all children. The awards will be presented by distinguished education reform leaders, video tributes and more. Link here to read about the award recipients. CER 10th Anniversary Conference October 30, 8:30 am-2:00 pm The Best is Yet to Come… A Look at the Next Ten Years of Education Reform in America Education has been the Big Idea of the last ten years when it comes to domestic policy. With the broad notion of school choice at the core of reform, nearly every state in the nation has adopted some form of choice designed to enhance opportunities and respond to growing criticism that the education system as we know it is not good enough and still lags behind most other industrialized countries. Sessions include: - From the Digital Divide to Literacy Divide, with BlackPlanet.com president Omar Wasow.
- From the Front Lines: Maybe School Choice is a Panacea, with Cleveland City Councilwoman Fannie Lewis, Townsend McNitt of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, And Jim and Fawn Spady, Co-Directors of the Education Excellence Coalition of Washington State.
- Addressing the Skeptics and Scare Tactics: Education Management on the Offensive, with Mark Thimming, CEO, White Hat Management, OH, Mike Sandler, CEO, EduVentures, MA and Washington's own Donald Hense, President and CEO, Friendship-Edison Public Charter Schools.
- The Honorable William J. Bennett will address the topic of Twenty Facts: Non-Fiction in a Land of Dreams presented during lunch.
Link here for full conference agenda. For more information, call Mary Kayne Heinze at CER at 202-822-9000, or visit our 10th Anniversary page on the web. ALL EVENTS TO TAKE PLACE AT: The Ritz-Carlton 1150 22nd Street, NW WASHINGTON, DC See also: Schools of Choice Invited to Perform in Washington, DC at CER's 10th Anniversary Gala CER's 10th Anniversary Sponsors!# # # The Center for Education Reform is the leading authority for information on innovative reforms in education and works in states and communities across the country to advance the cause of educational excellence. CER celebrates its 10th Anniversary this October. For more information, contact CER at (202) 822-9000 or send us email.
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