The Democratic Party in Colorado and California have passed resolutions attacking Democrats for Education Reform as a phony, corporate-controlled front organization and demanded that it stop sullying the Democratic Party by using its name.
In New York, where hedge fund money flows freely to DFER, it continues to be a political player, having no popular political base but owning corporate politicians who wants its campaign contributions. It has filled the vacuum left by the collapse of the phony “Families for Excellent Schools,”also funded and owned by billionaires who never set foot in a public school.
Now DFER in New York is speaking out to call for more school closures and more privately owned charter schools.
If only New York’s Democrats had the fortitude of their counterparts in California and Colorado and were brave enough to call out DFER as DINOS, whose only purpose is to destroy public schools in communities of co,or.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The NAACP and Black Lives Matter and other concerned social justice groups should meet with the New York Democratic party and ask if they want their support in the midterms. They should remind Democrats that money can only go so far in an election. They need votes to win. Democrats having had it both ways too long. They should be forced to take a stand.
I agree. Additionally, shouldn’t the AFT speak up: “It’s bad enough the rightwing Supreme Court has to weaken us and the Democratic Party by denying our ability to collect fees. Now we have to have this group weaken us and the Democratic Party with school privatization, and do it while calling themselves Democrats!”
YES. Both CA and CO have worked out ways to force DFER to take the D out of their names; this should be happening in all states
The Democratic party in both CA and CO took a stand against DFER and exposed its nefarious effort to label itself “Democrat” when it is a front for corporate interests. Unfortunately they have no way to enforce their demand that DFER change its name. It should be “Wall Street for Education Reform.”
WSFER.
YES.
Again I’ll ask, what’s the “or else”? If the Democrats refuse to play ball, should NAACP, BLM and other social justice groups refuse to support them?
We already know that Cuomo is in the tank for DFER. That’s why he has been undermining Mayor de Blasio for the last 5 years.
The question is why are any unions still supporting DFER Dems.
FYI — look at the Democratic primary for Virginia Governor. The DFER candidate was DEFEATED by the pro-public education candidate Ralph Northam.
That’s what needs to happen. The DFER candidates need to be defeated. However, sometimes DFER candidates are actually progressive on all the other issues and are running against right wing Trump supporting haters.
In the case, voters will have to make a choice as to whether they will sacrifice the entire country to Trump and his supporters because the DFER candidate in Virginia endorsed by all the progressive politicians just wasn’t good on public education.
FYI – I would have voted for the DFER candidate in the general election had he defeated the pro-public education candidate in the primary because he was progressive on lots of issues and I understand that a difference of opinion does not make one so evil that having Trump and his people in charge of this country is a better choice.
Go away, DFERS.
It’s not just DFER, it’s the Center for American Progress, which is anything but. Three months ago CAP published, “Great Education Policy Ideas for Progressives in 2018”.
CAP’s policy recommendations include (1) states should authorize charter schools
(2) revenue to replace cuts in state education funding should come from sources like the sale of business advertising on buses (3) computerized tutoring…
Even though the bio’s of many of CAP’s staff show they benefitted from taxpayers’ creation and funding of public universities (the staff’s only alternative to legacy admission schools), they, hypocritically, seem eager to carry water for the limited government of the richest 0.1%.
The most galling part is CAP’s intentional blindness to the political corruption that privatized education introduced in states like Ohio. The transfer of hundreds of millions of taxpayer education dollars to charter businesses that failed to educate has finally, after years of the abuses, garnered prosecutorial interest in the nation’s 7th largest state. Yet, not one of CAP’s recommendations addresses misappropriated taxpayer funds that resulted from the failed charter scheme to profit off of kids in vulnerable situations.
CAP matters because they have greater prominence, and select and promote more Democratic candidates than DFER does.