According to one Democratic education reformer, the Democratic Party’s platform draft has been “hijacked” in a “bait and switch.”
“After putting forward a progressive and balanced education agenda in the initial draft of the 2016 Democratic Platform, this weekend the Platform Drafting Committee inexplicably allowed the process to be hijacked at the last minute,” Shavar Jeffries, president of Democrats for Education Reform, said in a press release. “What happened in Orlando is little more than a bait and switch, one we are eager to fix, and which we hope is unreflective of Hillary Clinton’s priorities, as she has repeatedly supported standards and accountability and high-performing charter schools.”
Jeffries said the platform change moved the party away from President Obama’s education policies. “This unfortunate departure from President Obama’s historic education legacy threatens to roll back progress we’ve made in advancing better outcomes for all kids, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds… President Obama has made clear that the best way to strengthen our system is not just with more resources, but reforms that ensure our children are progressing. Our Party’s platform should build upon that legacy.”
In a win for teachers’ unions, the platform shifted away from testing students and supported parental rights to opt students out of standardized tests. The new draft platform says the Democratic Party supports “enabling parents to opt their children out of standardized tests without penalty for either the student or their school.”
The American Federation of Teachers applauded the platform changes. “This platform makes it clear that Democrats are committed to ending the failed era of test-and-sanction,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said.
But teachers’ unions and civil rights groups battle on that issue, since testing provides detailed information about how racial minorities are learning compared to their white counterparts. Test results can often be used in conjunction with accountability measures to ensure schools have to enact reforms to close the gap between minority students and white students.
“Those encouraging testing opt-outs are harming the prospects of low-income and minority children,” Jeffries said.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
