Two Democrat groups offer national education reform plans

Democrats offer plans to revamp schools law

New York Times  June 12, 2008

Two groups of political and educational leaders, mainly Democrats, offered plans to reform education policy.  One group, led by New York Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and Reverend Al Sharpton, focused on the need to raise achievement among minority students, particularly black and Latino children.  It labeled teachers union contracts as an obstacle in raising achievement of poor students and focused on assigning the most effective teachers to the neediest classrooms.  The other statement, signed by Julian Bond and Janet Reno, among others, focused on the need to address the social and economic disadvantages as a means to improving achievement in school.