As School Year Begins, Dean Praises 'Ambitious' Progressive Education Reforms

Washington, DC - As the 2005-2006 school year begins, principals, teachers and parents are beginning an annual tradition: welcoming children back to school and wondering how long they will have to wait for real education reform to reach their communities. Today, a task force formed by the Center for American Progress and the Institute for America's Future unveiled a report with a series of ambitious reforms for overhauling public education in America.

The report was released one day after Connecticut's Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education challenging the unfunded mandates in Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act.

In a statement, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean praised the report and called on the Republican leadership in Washington, DC to consider the progressive ideas detailed in the report:

"Access to quality, public education has always been a top priority of Americans and an issue that has always been at the center of the Democratic Party's agenda. As a party, we understand that well-educated citizens are the keys to America's strong economy and America's strong democracy.

"For the last five years, America's schoolchildren, their parents and their teachers have been bombarded with Republican rhetoric about reforming public schools, but these tired slogans have resulted only in broken promises, burdensome regulations and unfunded mandates. I congratulate the Center for American Progress, the Institue for America's Future and Governor Napolitano for conducting this study and laying out a series of ambitious reforms to make sure that our children and our nation are prepared to meet the challenges posed by the global, 21st century economy.

"I call on Republicans in Washington, DC and across the country to put aside the empty rhetoric and join with Democrats to find real solutions to strengthen public education in America."