SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwire - November 1, 2010) - California State Senator Gloria Romero (D -- East Los Angeles), Chair of the Senate Education Committee, has been selected to lead the expansion of Democrats for Education Reform to California, the national organization announced today.
"With a bold vision and a fearless approach, Senator Romero has been leading the way on critical education reform in California for years," said Joe Williams, DFER's Executive Director. "Gloria recognizes the destructiveness of California's achievement gap, and she's committed to closing it for the benefit of all of the state's young people. There's simply no better person to steer our Golden State expansion."
Launched in 2007, DFER has active chapters in New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Colorado, with others on the way. The organization pushes to make Democratic politicians more active participants in efforts to dramatically improve public schools for students.
Senator Romero, who as a candidate for office was named one of DFER's "Education Reformers of the Month" in 2009, has been recognized as one of the most powerful leaders on education policy issues in California and nationally. In addition to chairing the Senate Education Committee, she created and chaired the Senate Select Committee on Urban School Governance. She has spearheaded numerous legislative efforts to improve public education by increasing accountability and enabling school choice, among many other initiatives.
"California needs DFER and I am excited to be entering this new chapter in my public service," Romero said. "DFER has long been a central advocate on education reform across the country. The task before us, collectively as concerned citizens, is massive. But with DFER's network and resources, there's no limit to what we can accomplish here."
In her role at DFER, Senator Romero will apply her expertise and experience to tackling the state's pervasive education challenges, which severely limit opportunity for hundreds of thousands of students. She will spearhead DFER's efforts to hold schools accountable for students' performance, tackle California's persistently high dropout rate, encourage the growth of high-quality public charter schools, and develop political support for other innovative solutions to the failing status quo in education.
The California chapter of DFER is expected to launch in the Spring.
ABOUT DEMOCRATS FOR EDUCATION REFORM:
Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) is a political action committee whose mission is to encourage a more productive dialogue within the Democratic Party on the need to fundamentally reform American public education. DFER operates on all levels of government to educate elected officials and support reform-minded candidates for public office.
Contact Information:
Jeremy Robinson-Leon
jrobinsonleon@groupgordon.com
Justin Horton
jhorton@groupgordon.com