Nearly 200 education deans from across the nation released a “Declaration of Principles,“calling on Congress and the Trump Administration to advance democratic values in America’s public schools.
Press Release:
Contact:
Dean Kevin Kumashiro: (415) 422-2108, kkumashiro@usfca.edu
Dean Kathy Schultz: (303) 492-6937, katherine.schultz@colorado.edu
William J. Mathis: (802) 383-0058, wmathis@sover.net
BOULDER, CO (January 13, 2017) – As the nation watches this month’s transition to a new administration and a new Congress, a growing alliance of deans of colleges and schools of education across the country is urging a fundamental reconsideration of the problems and possibilities that surround America’s public schools.
In a Declaration of Principles released today, 175 deans sounded the alarm: “Our children suffer when we deny that educational inequities exist and when we refuse to invest sufficient time, resources, and effort toward holistic and systemic solutions. The U.S. educational system is plagued with oversimplified policies and reform initiatives that were developed and imposed without support of a compelling body of rigorous research, or even with a track record of failure.” The deans called upon federal leaders to forge a new path forward by:
Upholding the role of public schools as a central institution in the strengthening of our democracy;
Protecting the human and civil rights of all children and youth, especially those from historically marginalized communities;
Developing and implementing policies, laws, and reform initiatives by building on a democratic vision for public education and on sound educational research; and
Supporting and partnering with colleges and schools of education to advance these goals.
Signing the statement are current and former deans of colleges and schools of education from across the United States, as well as chairs of education departments in institutions with no separate school of education.
The statement was authored by Education Deans for Justice and Equity (EDJE) and prepared in partnership with the National Education Policy Center. EDJE was formed in 2016 as an alliance of deans to address inequities and injustices in education while promoting its democratic premises through policy, research, and practice.
The entire Declaration of Principles by Education Deans for Justice and Equity on Public Education, Democracy, and the Role of the Federal Government, as well as an online form for additional education deans to sign on, can be found on the NEPC website at http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/deans-declaration-of-principles.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Better late than never to the party, eh!
Where were these folks during that last two presidents’ terms when all this nonsense was being foisted upon the innocents-the children?
First they came for. . . and now with a potential destruction of their fiefdoms the upper echelon of America’s finest educational institutions by the incoming regressive administration they decide to say something. We know whose ass they are attempting to cover and it certainly is not the innocents’.
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Agreed.
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Another VIP statement from a great source.
The effort to undermine teacher education, and education research in higher education is just part of a broader effort to make all of public higher education the “engine of the economy” and as cost-efficient as possible–which means as many on-line courses as possible, eliminating tenure, cutting benefits for faculty, and even valuing research only to the extent that fuels the state economy. The latter is John Kasich’s vision for Ohio.
Federal measures for the “gainful employment” of graduates and the rating schemes in use for higher education are designed to kill off studies in the arts and humanities, and small liberal arts universities. Add the “pension bloat” argument for cutting budgets. http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/39005-next-steps-in-the-fight-for-public-higher-education Next Steps in the Fight for Public Higher Education, Friday, January 06, 2017 By Jerry Kloby and Jill Schennum, Truthout | News Analysis
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The AAUP published Dr. Kumashiro’s condemnation of the self-anointed ed policy czars, almost 5 years ago. He should be highly commended for taking a stand. His school is in the bay area, which is the breeding ground for ed parasites. Advocating for principles can be costly for people and their institutions.
In contrast to Kumashiro, the rewards for his fellow Dean at the University of Southern California, who is a Fellow of Gates-funded Aspen Pahara Institute, are potentially substantial. IMO, she is the one who should experience the wrath of the righteous.
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Rip Van Winkle awakes.
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This report gives me hope. As teacher educators, deans and faculty have been consumed with responding to every new code requirement designed to hamstring teacher education. It is refreshing and encouraging to see this statement of principles and to see colleagues I know on this list. Kudos to the deans!
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About time.
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