Contact:
Devin Boyle | 202.445.0416 | Devin@dfer.org
Harrison Blackmond | 248.229.4157 | Harrison@dfer.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Democrats for Education Reform Michigan Commends State Senate for Reinstating Funding for Common Core State Standards Implementation
Lansing, Michigan, October 24th, 2013 – Democrats for Education Reform Michigan (DFER-MI) released the following statement by State Director Harrison Blackmond commending the Michigan State Senate for passing its version of HCR-11, reinstating funding for state implementation of the Common Core State Standards.
“Today marks a triumph of good sense and thoughtful policymaking over politics. I applaud the Michigan Senate for approving a resolution today to advance the Common Core State Standards and make state funds available for their implementation. This bipartisan vote is a win for all Michigan students.
“A broad coalition of organizations from the business community, labor, government and the education sector all came together behind this very important set of standards. That’s not something that usually happens in education policy, but when Michigan students’ ability to compete with other states and countries and be prepared for college and their careers is on the line, it’s critical that different groups can come together to do the right thing.
“In this case, legislators really saw the value of having high standards for Michigan students. This is the kind of getting-things-done approach Michigan voters are looking for. The decision lays the groundwork for making sure the next generation of students has the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in college and the workforce.”
The victory today in advancing Common Core came after months of hard work by DFER and others including the Detroit Regional Chamber, Great Lakes Education Project, The Education Trust-Midwest and the Michigan Association of School Boards, who educated state legislators on how Common Core has the potential to drive fundamental reforms in Michigan’s education system. We look forward to the Senate and House resolving the small differences between their bills in conference.
About Democrats for Education Reform
Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) is a political action committee with 13 state offices whose mission is to encourage a more productive dialogue within the Democratic Party on the need to fundamentally reform American public education. DFER operates at all levels of government to educate elected officials and support reform-minded candidates for public office.
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