Field Guide to Education Reform Informs Media, Voters

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Sep 06, 2012, 11:57 ET

New Tool Helps Educate Public

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week the Center for Education Reform released "The Field Guide to Education Reform: How to Spot a Real Education Reformer" as part of its Taking America Back to School on Education Reform campaign. Much like a bird watcher relies on his trusty guide to distinguish one type of species from another, CER's Field Guide will help the media, voters, and other interested observers of education reform to identify the core issues that result in substantive, structural education reform and help them ensure that they understand the important nuances between ideas that will result in real reform and those that will result in superficial and therefore, less impactful school change.

"The Field Guide to Education Reform is a perfect companion to any reformer's work with policy and policymakers," said CER President Jeanne Allen. "There are many proposals — and people — that use words and phrases that sound like education reform, but there are also many wolves in sheep's clothing. Voters and media should keep this handy tool close in the coming months so they can easily separate reformers who just talk the talk from those who actually walk the walk."

The Center produced this guide to ensure that, during a time of deep education crisis, when a majority of students remain in schools considered failing by state and national benchmarks, and peer nations are leading in critical areas, that an increasingly aware public understand the reforms being debated and proposed and whether or not they will have any impact on wholesale school improvement. "The Field Guide to Education Reform: How to Spot a Real Education Reformer" guides reformers through a series of questions on important education issues to ask any candidate, policymaker, or member of the educational establishment.

In a heated election year where education is proving front and center, activists and candidates often confuse real education reform with half measures.

"As we head into the meat of the election season, the Field Guide ensures that the media ask the right questions of candidates to determine exactly where they stand on important education issues like school choice, accountability & standards, and teacher issues," said Allen.

CER, since 1993, is the leading voice and advocate for lasting, substantive and structural education reform in the U.S. www.edreform.com.

SOURCE Center for Education Reform