A weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else — from the nation’s leading voice on education innovation and opportunity.

THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CANCELLED COLUMBUS DAY but thank God the rest of America had a great time celebrating this weekend. In Pittsburgh the Italians marched with pride and thousands cheered as floats and representatives of all stripes passed by. New York’s parade went off without controversy, which saw throngs of people of all nationalities lined up on 5th Avenue, and with support from Governor Cuomo.

PRESIDENT OBAMA ONCE PROCLAIMED: “On Columbus Day, we reflect on the moment the world changed.

BUT DC, having apparently solved all the urgent problems besetting D.C. – crime, poverty, traffic, homelessness, public schools that don’t educate, etc. –renamed Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples' Day. No parade, no recognition of the great explorer. Now there will just be parties, like this one, without history or any lesson.

NATIONWIDE, most rational people whose various social media feeds, conversations and news reports quoted seemed willing to accept the idea that if there is cause for a new day, perhaps it doesn’t have to rain on a celebration of exploration of the new world, of modernization, and advancement. But there are those loud but small constituencies that don’t believe in paying tribute to progress.

LIKE THE NEA, the nation’s largest teacher’s union, which, if you wonder why CER is taking a stand you need only look at the lack of educational balance offered by this tweet:

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE. Agree or disagree, history is our future, and without knowing it, learning it, constantly reviewing it and debating it, we as a nation will fall into oblivion. Our CEO’s oped in Real Clear Education yesterday apparently stirred the pot by offering views on this topic, but rather than engage thoughtfully, many “leaders” in DC summarily attacked that commentary. Here’s more food for thought.

Shifting to something as fundamental to our future, we turn to just how people obtain a great education and not just to get jobs but to have the quality of education that allows them to reason, argue, debate and understand widely varying viewpoints, with respect, even when you disagree.

PROTEST TO SUPPORT CHARTER SCHOOLS. Will the DEBATE tonight be politics as usual? Not if these Dems have their way...Thousands of civil rights advocates who understand the importance of having power to decide the best education for their own families will be at the Democratic debate TONIGHT in Westerville, Ohio (ironically near Columbus) to protest the negativism on charter schools and demand recognition for this critical, life saving reform. Follow along with their progress on twitter at @SaveCharters.

WHY SAVE CHARTERS? Let’s start with their breadth , depth and success. That’s enough. For now...

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Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education.

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