W H A T I S A D F E R?

Transcription

1 L E G I S L AT I V E S U P P O RT F O R T H E O B A M A E D U C AT I O N A G E N D A WHO BACKS BARACK?

2 Our debate seems stuck between those who want to dismantle the system and those who would defend an indefensible status quo, between those who say money makes no difference in education and those who want more money without any demonstration that it will be put to good use. President Barack Obama, 2010 State of the Union W H A T I S A D F E R? Both Democrats and Republicans have failed to address the tragic decline of our system of public education, but it is the Democratic Party - our party - which must question how we allowed ourselves to drift so far from our mission. Fighting on behalf of our nation s most vulnerable individuals is what our party is supposed to stand for. A Democrat for Education Reform - a DFER - is someone who supports the leaders in our party who have the courage to challenge a failing status quo and who believe that the severity of our nation s educational crisis demands that we tackle this problem using every possible tool at our disposal Education then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance-wheel of the social machinery. Horace Mann E D U C A T I O N R E F O R M I N M A S S A C H U S E T T S Nearly twenty years ago, Massachusetts Democrats completely transformed government s relationship to schools. The Education Reform Act of 1993 marked a watershed in the delivery of public education, dramatically increasing educational accountability in exchange for more generous funding from the state. The Act also created Massachusetts first charter public schools, a school model that turned out to be a national game-changer. Twenty years later, Massachusetts is consistently ranked number one in the nation on a wide range of educa-

3 tional metrics. The quality of Massachusetts charter school system, in particular, is cause for celebration. Stanford University s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) recently reported that the average increase in learning by Boston charter school students are is the largest CREDO has seen in any city or state thus far. The policies that led Massachusetts to success - accountability in exchange for equitable funding, curricular rigor, expansion of high-performing charter schools - are precisely the same ones championed today by President Obama Instead of just pouring money into a system that s not working, we launched a competition called Race to the Top. President Barack Obama, 2010 State of the Union While Massachusetts revelled in the success of its 1993 education reform efforts, the rest of the country spent twenty years trying to catch up. Despite an overall number one ranking, Massachusetts faced a persistent achievement gap among low-income students and students of color. Thanks to President Obama s leadership in beginning the Race to the Top program, Massachusetts finally made substantial changes with the 2010 Act Relative to the Achievement Gap. Student outcomes are consistently improving, yet we still have a long way to go. The successes of 2010 Act are replicable - indeed, the Act was structured to be expanded. Now is not the time for Massachusetts to limit success

4 W H O B A C K S B A R A C K? If someone can tell me where the Democratic Party stands on education reform, please let me know. Because I can t figure it out. Our party has got to wake up on this! then-senator Barack Obama at June 3, 2005 DFER event From day one of his presidency, Barack Obama challenged states to answer his call by reimagining their education policies. Massachusetts legislators had a chance to give the President s education reform agenda a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. Most supported his agenda - some did not. Where does your Massachusetts legislator stand on the President s agenda? Based on combination of their voting records from the 2010 Act Relative to the Achievement Gap and legislator responses via , we have rated the 163 Massachusetts legislators below on their support for President Obama s education reform agenda

5 Massachusetts Legislators' Stances on President Obama's Education Agenda Legislator Name District Vote on 2010 Education Reform Bill Stance on the Obama Education Agenda Representative Denise Andrews Second Franklin N/A Representative James Arciero Second Middlesex Supported Support Representative Brian Ashe Second Hampden Opposed Oppose Representative Cory Atkins Fourteenth Middlesex Supported Support Representative Bruce Ayers First Norfolk Opposed Oppose Representative Ruth Balser Twelfth Middlesex Supported Support Senator Michael Barrett Third Middlesex N/A Representative Carlo Basile First Suffolk Supported Support Representative Jennifer Benson Thirty-Seventh Middlesex Supported Support Representative John Binienda Seventeenth Worcester Supported Support Representative Garrett Bradley Third Plymouth Supported Support Representative Michael Brady Ninth Plymouth Opposed Oppose Senator Stephen Brewer Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex Supported Representative Paul Brodeur Thirty-Second Middlesex N/A Support Senator Will Brownsberger Second Suffolk and Middlesex Supported Support Representative Antonio Cabral Thirteenth Bristol Supported Support Representative Thomas Calter Twelfth Plymouth Supported Support Representative Christine Canavan Tenth Plymouth Opposed Oppose Senator Gale Candaras First Hampden and Hampshire Opposed Oppose Representative James Cantwell Fourth Plymouth Opposed Oppose Representative Gailanne Cariddi First Berkshire N/A Representative Tackey Chan Second Norfolk N/A Senator Harriette Chandler First Worcester Supported Support Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz Second Suffolk Supported Support Senator Kartherine Clark Fifth Middlesex Opposed Oppose Representative Cheryl Coakley-Rivera Tenth Hampden Abstained Representative Nick Collins Fourth Suffolk N/A Support Representative Thomas Conroy Thirteenth Middlesex Supported Support Representative Edward Coppinger Tenth Suffolk N/A Representative Michael Costello First Essex Supported Support Senator Cynthia Creem First Middlesex and Norfolk Abstained Representative Claire Cronin Eleventh Plymouth N/A Representative Sean Curran Ninth Hampden Supported Support - 4 -

6 Massachusetts Legislators' Stances on President Obama's Education Agenda Legislator Name District Vote on 2010 Education Reform Bill Stance on the Obama Education Agenda Representative Mark Cusack Fifth Norfolk N/A Representative Josh Cutler Sixth Plymouth N/A Representative Linda Dean Campbell Fifteenth Essex Supported Support Representative Marjorie Decker Twenty-Fifth Middlesex N/A Speaker Robert DeLeo Nineteenth Suffolk Supported Support Representative Brian Dempsey Third Essex Supported Support Representative Marcos Devers Sixteenth Essex N/A Senator Sal DiDomencio Middlesex and Suffolk N/A Representative Stephen DiNatale Third Worcester Opposed Oppose Representative Diana DiZiglio Fourteenth Essex N/A Representative Paul Donato Thirty-Fifth Middlesex Opposed Oppose Senator Kenneth Donnelly Fourth Middlesex Opposed Oppose Senator Eileen Donoghue First Middlesex N/A Senator Benjamin Downing Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin & Hampden Supported Support Representative James Dwyer Thirtieth Middlesex Opposed Oppose Representative Carolyn Dykema Eighth Middlesex Supported Support Representative Lori Ehrlich Eighth Essex Opposed Oppose Senator James Eldridge Middlesex and Worcester Opposed Oppose Representative Christopher Fallon Thirty-Third Middlesex Abstained Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier Third Berkshire N/A Representative Robert Fennell Tenth Essex Opposed Oppose Representative John Fernandes Tenth Worcester Supported Support Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante Fifth Essex Opposed Oppose Senator Barry Finegold Second Essex and Middlesex Supported Support Representative Michael Finn Sixth Hampden N/A Senator Jennifer Flanagan Worcester and Middlesex Supported Support Representative Linda Forry Twelfth Suffolk Supported Support Representative Gloria Fox Seventh Suffolk Supported Support Representative John Fresolo Sixteenth Worcester Opposed Oppose Representative William Galvin Sixth Norfolk Supported Support Representative Sean Garballey Twenty-Third Middlesex Opposed Oppose Representative Denise Garlick Thirteenth Norfolk N/A Representative Colleen Garry Thirty-Sixth Middlesex Opposed Oppose - 5 -

7 Massachusetts Legislators' Stances on President Obama's Education Agenda Legislator Name District Vote on 2010 Education Reform Bill Stance on the Obama Education Agenda Representative Anne Gobi Fifth Worcester Supported Support Representative Thomas Golden Sixteenth Middlesex Supported Support Representative Kenneth Gordon Twenty-First Middlesex N/A Representative Danielle Gregoire Fourth Middlesex Opposed Oppose Representative Patricia Haddad Fifth Bristol Supported Support Senator John Hart First Suffolk Supported Support Representative Jonathan Hecht Twenty-Ninth Middlesex Supported Support Representative Carlos Henriquez Fifth Suffolk N/A Representative Paul Heroux Second Bristol N/A Representative Kate Hogan Third Middlesex Supported Support Representative Russell Holmes Sixth Suffolk N/A Representative Kevin Honan Seventeenth Suffolk Supported Support Senator Patricia Jehlen Second Middlesex Opposed Oppose Senator Brian Joyce Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth Supported Support Representative Louis Kafka Eighth Norfolk Supported Support Representative Jay Kaufman Fifteenth Middlesex Supported Support Representative Mary Keefe Fifteenth Worcester N/A Senator John Keenan Seventh Essex Opposed Oppose Senator Thomas Kennedy Second Plymouth and Bristol Opposed Oppose Representative Kay Khan Eleventh Middlesex Supported Support Representative Peter Kocot First Hampshire Supported Support Representative Robert Koczera Eleventh Bristol Supported Support Representative Stephen Kulik First Franklin Abstained Representative John Lawn Tenth Middlesex N/A Representative Jason Lewis Thirty-First Middlesex Supported Support Representative David Linsky Fifth Middlesex Abstained Senator Joan Lovely Second Essex N/A Representative Timothy Madden Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket Supported Representative John Mahoney Thirteenth Worcester N/A Support Representative Elizabeth Malia Eleventh Suffolk Opposed Oppose Representative Brian Mannal Second Barnstable N/A Representative Ronald Mariano Third Norfolk Supported Support Representative Paul Mark Second Berkshire N/A - 6 -

8 Massachusetts Legislators' Stances on President Obama's Education Agenda Legislator Name District Vote on 2010 Education Reform Bill Stance on the Obama Education Agenda Representative Christopher Markey Ninth Bristol N/A Senator Thomas McGee Third Essex Opposed Oppose Representative Paul McMurty Eleventh Norfolk Supported Support Representative James Miceli Nineteenth Middlesex Supported Support Representative Aaron Michlewitz Third Suffolk Supported Support Senator Mark Montigny Second Bristol and Plymouth Opposed Oppose Senator Michael Moore Second Worcester Supported Support Senator Richard Moore Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex Supported Support Representative Frank Moran Seventeenth Essex N/A Representative Michael Moran Eighteenth Suffolk Supported Support Representative James Murphy Fourth Norfolk Supported Support Representative Kevin Murphy Eighteenth Middlesex Abstained Senate President Therese Murray Plymouth and Barnstable Abstained Representative David Nangle Seventeenth Middlesex Opposed Oppose Representative Harold Naughton Twelfth Worcester Abstained Representative Rhonda Nyman Fifth Plymouth Supported Support Senator Kathleen O'Connor Ives First Essex N/A Representative James O'Day Fourteenth Worcester Opposed Oppose Representative Eugene O'Flaherty Second Suffolk Supported Support Senator Marc Pacheco First Plymouth and Bristol Abstained Representative Jerald Parisella Sixth Essex N/A Representative Sarah Peake Fourth Barnstable Supported Support Representative Alice Peisch Fourteenth Norfolk Supported Support Representative Thomas Petrolati Seventh Hampden Supported Support Senator Anthony Petruccelli First Suffolk and Middlesex Supported Support Representative William Pignatelli Fourth Berkshire Supported Support Representative Denise Provost Twenty-Seventh Middlesex Opposed Oppose Representative Angelo Puppolo Twelfth Hampden Opposed Oppose Representative Kathi-Anne Reinstein Sixteenth Suffolk Supported Support Senator Michael Rodrigues First Bristol and Plymouth Supported Support Representative David Rogers Twenty-Fourth Middlesex N/A Representative John Rogers Twelfth Norfolk Opposed Oppose Representative Dennis Rosa Fourth Worcester Supported Support - 7 -

9 Massachusetts Legislators' Stances on President Obama's Education Agenda Legislator Name District Vote on 2010 Education Reform Bill Stance on the Obama Education Agenda Senator Stanley Rosenberg Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester Supported Representative Jeffrey Roy Tenth Norfolk N/A Support Senator Michael Rush Norfolk and Suffolk Opposed Oppose Representative Byron Rushing Ninth Suffolk Abstained Representative Jeffrey Sánchez Fifteenth Suffolk Supported Support Representative Tom Sannicandro Ninth Middlesex Supported Support Representative Angelo Scaccia Fourteenth Suffolk Supported Support Representative Paul Schmid Eighth Bristol N/A Representative John Scibak Second Hampshire Abstained Representative Carl Sciortino Thirty-Fourth Middlesex Opposed Oppose Representative Alan Silvia Seventh Bristol N/A Representative Frank Smizik Fifteenth Norfolk Opposed Oppose Representative Theodore Speliotis Thirteenth Essex Supported Support Senator Karen Spilka Second Middlesex and Norfolk Supported Support Representative Thomas Stanley Ninth Middlesex Opposed Oppose Representative Ellen Story Third Hampshire Supported Support Representative William Straus Tenth Bristol Supported Support Representative David Sullivan Sixth Bristol Opposed Oppose Representative Benjamin Swan Eleventh Hampden Supported Support Senator James Timilty Bristol and Norfolk Opposed Oppose Representative Walter Timilty Seventh Norfolk Opposed Oppose Representative Timothy Toomey Seventh Middlesex Supported Support Representative Cleon Turner First Barnstable Supported Support Representative Aaron Vega Fifth Hampden N/A Representative Joseph Wagner Eighth Hampden Abstained Representative Chris Walsh Sixth Middlesex N/A Representative Martin Walsh Thirteenth Suffolk Supported Support Representative Steven Walsh Eleventh Essex Opposed Oppose Senator James Welch Hampden Opposed Oppose Senator Daniel Wolf Cape and Islands N/A Representative Jonathan Zlonik Second Worcester N/A - 8 -

10 PHOTO CREDITS Cover photo, Obama 2012 Campaign Rally UIC Chicago, January 11th, 2012, by Gavin Gould (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) Ready to Go Rally, Columbus, Ohio, May 5th, 2012 by Christopher Dilts (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) Ready to Go Rally, Richmond, VA, May 5th, 2012 by Scout Tufankjian (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) Obama! by Karen Blumberg (CC BY-NC 2.0) Ready to Go Rally, Columbus, Ohio, May 5th, 2012 by Christopher Dilts (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) Democrats for Education Reform - Massachusetts like us on Facebook follow us on read our blog: