After the tap on the shoulder from his chief of staff, the news people interrupted and the rest, as they say, is history. Weeks later, Bush would begin anew with the late Senator Edward Kennedy, House education chair John Boehner, house education ranking member George Miller and others as they forged a new consensus that money without strings, and without a requirement for student results, would no longer be the way our government conducted business.

As No Child Left Behind took hold over many contentious days and nights of negotiation, eventually, and in large part owing to the new found camaraderie that sprang out of the tragedy of 9/11, a new law was born.

Despite its many detractors and some flaws, NCLB then, as now, continues to shine sun on an outrage that should upset the American public at its core, on a regular basis. That outrage — that fewer than half of ALL of U.S. children are not proficient in basic, needed elements of education, and that children of color lag by another 30 percent — is something that we should approach not much differently than as if a foreign power was attacking us right here on our own soil.

In the aftermath of 9/11, we were reminded that generations of students lack a fundamental understanding of history. Evil acts aside, most Americans did not understand why anyone might find our country distasteful, why we are different, and how other nations and communities have not had the benefit of the freedoms that our founders fought to provide. From that day sprang important lessons that should be taught to generations of students across the country.

Today, while U.S. students continue to struggle in geography, civics, and American and international history, the events of 9/11 continue to offer students a chance to put history and world culture in context.

Two documents are critical to that context. The first, from a woman of much history in education herself, author and historian Diane Ravitch offered this just one year after the attacks: “U.S. public schools must reclaim their vital role preparing students to become informed citizens who will preserve and protect democracy.” She offered seven important lessons, from, “It’s OK to be patriotic” to the importance of students learning U.S. and world history. The second is from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and is their newly published, “Teaching about 9/11 in 2011: What Our Children Need to Know.”

“Those who do not know history are destined to repeat the past.” Today as we prepare for a weekend of commemorations and recollections over the loss of life, innocence and yes, some of our cherished freedom, we need to both learn and remember the values and the facts that make our country great, and yes, even superior.

That is a role for not only our families, but also all our institutions and most of all our schools. Without a solid proficiency in all core subjects, we cannot understand, nor fight against, the causes and results of 9/11.

After the tap on the shoulder from his chief of staff, the news people interrupted and the rest, as they say, is history. Weeks later, Bush would begin anew with the late Senator Edward Kennedy, House education chair John Boehner, house education ranking member George Miller and others as they forged a new consensus that money without strings, and without a requirement for student results, would no longer be the way our government conducted business.

As No Child Left Behind took hold over many contentious days and nights of negotiation, eventually, and in large part owing to the new found camaraderie that sprang out of the tragedy of 9/11, a new law was born.

Despite its many detractors and some flaws, NCLB then, as now, continues to shine sun on an outrage that should upset the American public at its core, on a regular basis. That outrage — that fewer than half of ALL of U.S. children are not proficient in basic, needed elements of education, and that children of color lag by another 30 percent — is something that we should approach not much differently than as if a foreign power was attacking us right here on our own soil.

In the aftermath of 9/11, we were reminded that generations of students lack a fundamental understanding of history. Evil acts aside, most Americans did not understand why anyone might find our country distasteful, why we are different, and how other nations and communities have not had the benefit of the freedoms that our founders fought to provide. From that day sprang important lessons that should be taught to generations of students across the country.

Today, while U.S. students continue to struggle in geography, civics, and American and international history, the events of 9/11 continue to offer students a chance to put history and world culture in context.

Two documents are critical to that context. The first, from a woman of much history in education herself, author and historian Diane Ravitch offered this just one year after the attacks: “U.S. public schools must reclaim their vital role preparing students to become informed citizens who will preserve and protect democracy.” She offered seven important lessons, from, “It’s OK to be patriotic” to the importance of students learning U.S. and world history. The second is from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and is their newly published, “Teaching about 9/11 in 2011: What Our Children Need to Know.”

“Those who do not know history are destined to repeat the past.” Today as we prepare for a weekend of commemorations and recollections over the loss of life, innocence and yes, some of our cherished freedom, we need to both learn and remember the values and the facts that make our country great, and yes, even superior.

That is a role for not only our families, but also all our institutions and most of all our schools. Without a solid proficiency in all core subjects, we cannot understand, nor fight against, the causes and results of 9/11.

John Boehner, Katherine Bradley, Kevin Chavous, John Fisher, Steve Klinsky, John Legend, Eva Moskowitz and Brian Williams will be honored with the distinguished EdReformie award, announced today by The Center for Education Reform (CER). These honorees will be celebrated on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011 at the W Washington D.C. Hotel as part of CER’s 18th anniversary gala, The EdReformies – Rockin’ Reform Revue.

“This group of accomplished honorees are as diverse as they are influential in bringing about much-needed change to America’s schools,” said Jeanne Allen, president of CER. “Collectively their unwavering support of expanding educational opportunities, accountability, teacher programs that work and parental choice is commendable. Individually their contributions to improving education reform through philanthropy, advocacy, media, entertainment and education are remarkable.”

Every few years the Center for Education Reform celebrates distinguished leaders for their break through contributions to creating and expanding quality educational opportunities for children. The collective accomplishments of these six individuals span almost all states and represent several million new opportunities for children. The EdReformies will be awarded to:

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner, a politician who has never let political pressure get in the way of ensuring children access to a better education.

As the nation’s most well-respected and influential journalist, Brian Williams has thrust the need for education reform into the homes and minds of millions of Americans.

Despite being one of the world’s most talented and popular musicians, John Legend is publically engaged in school reform, which he says is the “civil rights issue of our time.”

For over two decades, Katherine Brittain Bradley has driven reform by strategically launching efforts that focus on community engagement and volunteerism. She has created and recruited top-flight organizations to the nation’s capital and opened her home and heart to bolster education reform nationally.

As a policymaker, parent, author and attorney, Kevin P. Chavous has spent his career securing the adoption of school reforms that serve America’s children, through a passion and commitment and new alliances that prove that anything is possible when you put children first.

Business leader John Fisher is committed to ensuring quality educational opportunities for children most in need. As chairman of KIPP and through his board leadership in numerous other national organizations that create new supplies of schools and human capital, John’s passion has ignited thousands more to be intensively involved.

Steve Klinsky, founder and CEO of New Mountain Capital, started highly successful organizations to provide safe, nurturing and academically excellent opportunities for low-income children in some of the Big Apple’s most depressed neighborhoods and beyond.

As New York City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz challenged the status quo to show results, or move out of the way. She went on to lead one of the nation’s most successful charter networks, Success Charter Network, and in so doing, has continued to challenge the establishment and raised the public’s awareness about the problems facing public education.