Reform: Whatever Happened To The CDF?

Back when I was growing up, the CDF was a widely-recognized and seemingly powerful advocate for low-income children's interests, but by the time I arrived in Washington 20 years ago it was greatly diminished and no longer really working on K12 issues as far as I can tell.  Nothing seems to have changed much since then, and I rarely hear or read about the CDF any more.  I'm not sure I'd agree with what the organization might have to say on school reform issues but I'm still curious?  What happened?

Comments

[Joan]

Several key players left for other venues. Katy Haycock to Ed Trust for example.

[Alexander Russo]

good point, joan -- but why nothing (or at least not very much) since then? they built up such an amazing brand and so much credibility and then, at least on education, seemed to let it slip through their hands.

[Patti Hassler]

The Children’s Defense Fund launched the Cradle to Prison Pipeline campaign to put the spotlight on the fact that a Black boy born in 2001 has a one in three chance of ending up in prison in his lifetime and a Latino boy a one in six chance. CDF recognizes that education is the best path out of the pipeline and we are committed to dismantling the pipeline and replacing it with a pipeline to college and productive work. CDF believes the federal government should be the engine of equality, not the locomotive of inequality, which has been the unintended consequence of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). We have been working with leading civil rights groups and education reformers to build support for the reauthorization of ESEA this year. CDF supports President Obama’s Blueprint for Education Reform but wants Congress to go beyond the blueprint to better reach children in concentrated poverty. We can’t let poor children continue to subsidize the education of rich children . Specifically, we want Congress to:

• Improve Funding Equity for Children in Areas of Concentrated Poverty.
Fix the Title I funding formula to send more dollars to children in areas of concentrated poverty, AND close the "comparability loophole" that allows districts to spend disproportionately more on wealthier schools.

• Expand Access to Full-Day Kindergarten. Just eleven states require all school districts to provide full-day kindergarten. A new ESEA must provide incentives to states to ensure all school districts offer full-day kindergarten so that young students do not miss a step as they move through school.

• Help Children Stay in School and Graduate. Schools must report data on early indicators to identify and intervene with students most at-risk of dropping out. A reauthorized ESEA must continue to collect and report disaggregated data on student achievement, graduation rates, and school discipline. It must also focus competitive grants on dropout prevention and target School Improvement Grants proportionately to high schools.

• Increase Educational Support for Children in Juvenile Detention Facilities and Foster Care. Children in detention facilities need quality education and help with the transition back to their community schools. Children who enter foster care or change placements must be helped to remain in their same school or, if such a placement is not in their best interest, ensured prompt enrollment in a school near their new placement.

When we ask that ESEA focus on the most vulnerable, we want to be clear the we see the need to close the achievement gap for all children. We are not only talking about the students and schools in the bottom 5 percent. They certainly need attention, but we must ensure schools, districts and states are held accountable for closing the achievement gap for all children.

A simple google search would have turned up many columns in the past year on the need to reauthorize the ESEA and how it needs to be changed to reach children living in areas of concentrated poverty. If you listen to the radio or watch TV you might have heard Mrs. Edelman talking about the need to make sure ESEA truly leaves no child behind. You might have heard Mrs. Edelman on CBS The Talk last week talking about the need for All Day Kindergarten so children don’t miss a step in their path to college. CDF is actively engaged in public education and advocacy on education. In fact, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was just here to speak to and hear from a group of Black leaders along with a number of distinguished thought leaders on education which you can see on our web site at www.childrensdefense.org.