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Tuesday, August 25, 2020

An Open Letter to Biden and Harris from Washington State’s Superintendent of Public Instruction | Diane Ravitch's blog

An Open Letter to Biden and Harris from Washington State’s Superintendent of Public Instruction | Diane Ravitch's blog
An Open Letter to Biden and Harris from Washington State’s Superintendent of Public Instruction



Chris Reykdal, state superintendent of public instruction in Washington State, published this excellent letter to the Democratic candidates.
It overflows with wisdom and common sense.
An Open Letter to the Biden-Harris Ticket:
Mr. Vice President and Senator Harris, there is so much at stake with this year’s presidential election, including the very foundation of our country’s democracy – the future of our public education system. Led by Betsy DeVos and fueled by years of education privateers, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) has been an utter failure in advancing student learning, racial equity, and gender equity over the last four years. Under DeVos, the USDOE has jeopardized the financial future of too many young adults and actively worked against civil rights protections for our most vulnerable students.

As Washington State’s elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, I have worked with leaders across the state to build bipartisan coalitions to improve student achievement, but this same bipartisanship and student-centric approach have been elusive under the DeVos regime. It will take federal leadership working alongside CONTINUE READING:
 An Open Letter to Biden and Harris from Washington State’s Superintendent of Public Instruction | Diane Ravitch's blog