Edwatch: Democrats for Education Reform
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| Organization Name: | Democrats for Education Reform |
| Company Line: | Democrats for Education Reform aims to return the Democratic Party to its rightful place as a champion of children, first and foremost, in America's public education systems. We support leaders in our party who have the courage to challenge a failing status quo and who believe that the severity of our nation's educational crisis demands that we tackle this problem using every possible tool at our disposal. |
| Bottom Line: | Three hedge fund managers, Whitney Tilson, Boykin Curry, and John Petry, who call themselves Democrats, discovered that putting money into the politics of education is the most leveraged investment of all. They are at the hub of education "reform" advocating more high stakes testing, teacher deregulation, and school closures. |
| Year Established: | 2004 |
| Organization Type: | Nonprofit |
| Major Donors: | |
| Where the Money Goes 990 Tax Documents: | |
| Related Articles: | Peas in a pod: Koret Foundation, The Hoover Institution, and Democrats for Education Reform This 1935 quote from Sinclair Lewis could have been ripped from today's headlines if only journalists were brave enough to print the truth. "I tell you, my friends, the trouble with this whole country is that so many are selfish! Here's a hundred and twenty million people, with ninety-five per cent of 'em only thinking of self, instead of turning to and helping the responsible business men to bring back prosperity! All these corrupt and self-seeking labor unions! Money grubbers! Thinking only of how much wages they can extort out of their unfortunate employer, with all the responsibilities he has to bear!" ... "Then was revealed the New American Education, which, as Sarason so justly said, was to be ever so much newer than the New Educations of Germany, Italy, Poland, or even Turkey." — Sinclair Lewis Just because you say you are a Democrat doesn't make it so! "So we told John Walton, “Thank you, you’ve inspired us to do this and we’re going to create an organization with quite a similar mission to what you’re doing, not voucher focused so much, but a broader mission, but we can’t take any of your money.” That’s probably the first time in his life anyone had ever said, “You’re our friend. We’re doing something you would support, but we can’t take a penny of your money.” Because the moment we take any Wal-Mart money – that’s anti-union, etcetera, etcetera – then it becomes a partisan issue again." |
