ECCA is a winning issue. 📊 Nearly 2 in 3 voters want governors to opt in. The question: which Democrats will take the lead? Read POLITICO's First Look here→[tinyurl.com/mpvja3zw]

What kind of data really helps families choose schools? In GreatSchools.org’ latest expert round-up, Jorge Elorza joined other ed reform colleagues in exploring bold new answers. crpe.org/school-choice-…

One-size-fits-all education isn’t working. The real question: is the barrier resources—or the operating system itself? Jorge Elorza explores in Part II of Education Rebuilt → tinyurl.com/5ckars35

@dfer_News estimate the federal choice tax credit could generate $24 billion nationally, including up to $450 million in Wisconsin for tutoring, supplies, tuition, and other supports---yet Gov. Evers indicated he wants to reject the credit dfer.org/2025/10/06/new…

“Progressivism at its best has always meant widening the circle of opportunity and giving every child the chance to rise as far as his talent and effort will take him” ⁦Jorge Elorza⁩ ⁦DFER⁩ ⁦Education Reform Now New York⁩ ⁦Education Reform Now⁩ wsj.com/opinion/zohran…

The fight over NYC’s gifted programs isn’t just a local issue — it’s a test of whether Democrats still stand for expanding opportunity or shrinking it. Read Jorge Elorza's latest in today's The Wall Street Journal: on.wsj.com/4nkxwi2

🚨 New NJ poll: Mikie Sherrill leads Jack Ciattarelli 49%–40% in the governor’s race. Voters overwhelmingly back her focus on early literacy, accountability, and results-driven education reform. Read more coverage of our latest polling via New Jersey Globe tinyurl.com/3wtftk4n

.DFER CEO and former Providence, RI mayor Jorge Elorza joins Freedom to Learn to explain why Democrats should embrace the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit and how education freedom is an 80-20 issue with the American people.

WOW, Arne Duncan just came out in favor of private school choice, and the education tax credit in the OBBBA! washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/…

Opting in to the federal tax credit scholarship program isn’t about abandoning Democratic values…It’s about putting students first and proving that when the stakes are high, we act. “arneduncan⁩ ⁦Jorge Elorza⁩ ⁦⁩ ⁦The Washington Post⁩ washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/…

The Southern Surge is "the new benchmark." "Replicating the surge will require leaders willing to prioritize execution over politics." A tight writeup of the Southern Surge State of the States from Jorge Elorza of DFER.

Great piece Richard Boykin Chicago Tribune - Democrats, don’t repeat the GOP’s health care mistake on education DFER Education Reform Now chicagotribune.com/2025/11/12/opi…

It’s time to pay teachers more to be where we need them most. See our first-ever analysis comparing pay systems in teaching and nursing. The results are eye-opening. nationalparentsunion.org/campaigns/inve…

"Good ideas don’t wear jerseys.” In the Chicago Tribune , Richard Boykin calls on Democrats to put kids before politics—and claim nearly $1 billion in federal resources for Illinois students. chicagotribune.com/2025/11/12/opi… #EdReform #EducationEquity #ILPol

The lack of pay bonuses for teachers who serve in high-poverty schools isn't just a quality problem–It's also a fiscal one. Read more from National Parents Union Education Reform Now nationalparentsunion.org/campaigns/inve…

America's kids can't do math anymore. The avg 8th grader’s math skills, which rose steadily from 1990 to 2013, have plunged to 1970s levels. Combo of phones, social media, pandemic, and declining education standards, have gutted American numeracy. theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/…

“What happened to learning as a national priority? … as Democrats tried to address poverty & inequality, they sometimes minimized schools’ core functions of learning … Satisfaction with public education is at a quarter-century low” — Dana Goldstein in the New York Times

My prediction: the UCSD report is going to go down as a watershed moment in public opinion about K-12 education. This story is reverberating, and it seems to portend a shift. I made a similar call seven years ago. When Emily Hanford’s Hard Words came out in 2018, I sensed

Lots to be thankful for this year but particularly grateful to those who kept me engaged in the fight for excellent schools! Happy Thanksgiving 🍁

For years, concerns about America’s academic decline were confined to niche policy circles. That era is over. Leading voices are converging on the same conclusion: the crisis is too big, too measurable, and too far-reaching to ignore. open.substack.com/pub/democratsf…