Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Charter Schools & Why The Candidates (And Others) Are Wrong

December 2019

With three well respected reports demonstrating dismal and shocking performance by American education in just the past few weeks, the public should expect that candidates for president (and others) might focus on what truly can be done to arrest the decline of American education . They should work to understand and appreciate the nation’s more than 7,000 charter schools which were created to address the failures of traditional public schooling in all too many towns, cities and states. But as the debates continue, and multi-million dollar funded unions and others hold forums to assess which candidates will please them the most, we know that only true justice allows the free pursuit of excellence that will allow all students to achieve their dreams.  Charter schools are making that possible for millions. Just look at the diversity and plethora of those who concur, representative of the millions daily fulfilling the promise of great education for all.

11.19.19 | Education Post
Our Children Need Better Politicians

“Leading Democrats running for president have all but said they will outlaw school choice, charter schools and parent power—a promise likely to unjustly trap millions of kids on the margins in education dead zones where their great potential will be lost to poor preparation...

“If we love our children as more than props in labor disputes, more than pawns in ideological struggles, and more than nameless, faceless units in classrooms, we will find a way to work with those we differ with politically but agree with on one cardinal truth: the unsurpassable worth of every child...”

Chris Stewart, @citizenstewart
Activist | Child Advocate |@edu_post CEO | @8BlackHands1 co-host | Writer | Speaker | 2014 Bush Fellow | 2019 Pahara Fellow | #HowAreTheChildren

12.6.19 | The National Interest
ELIZABETH WARREN TELLS POOR PARENTS TO FIX THEIR OWN SCHOOLS

“Warren is telling parents stuck with low-performing neighborhood schools that the state should not allow their kids to attend good schools, and instead they themselves should take responsibility to fix the neighborhood schools. It’s the parents’ job to raise money, spend volunteer hours, and, apparently, implement the schoolwide reforms that allow the charter sector to do so much better at teaching poor kids...”

Jonathan Chait, @jonathanchait
Writer for New York magazine

10.23.19 | New York Daily News
ELIZABETH WARREN FAILS KIDS OF COLOR

“There is no place in America where charter schools receive the same funding as their district school counterparts, a fact made more acute because charter schools typically pay for their own facilities, which further drives down the amount that can be spent on things like teacher salaries — about which, as a former teacher, the senator apparently cares. If equalization is the goal, the answer should not be to lift funding for one group of poor kids in district schools while sacrificing the rest on an altar of imperfect collectivism...”

Derrell Bradford, @Dyrnwyn
Ed Reformer, School Choicer, Gamer, Writer, Photographer. Not Being a Shark 4 Status Quo Remoras. E.D. @ NYCAN. E.V.P. @ 50CAN.

12.4.19 | the74million
SHULS: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HOLD CHARTER SCHOOLS TO THE ‘SAME STANDARDS’ AS TRADITIONAL SCHOOLS? TO WARREN & CHARTER PARENTS, VERY DIFFERENT THINGS

“Charter schools are public schools. They are funded in much the same way as traditional public schools, via local, state and federal tax dollars. With rare exceptions, charter schools must teach the state standards, and their students must complete state-required standardized exams. They are not allowed to discriminate in admissions and must hold lotteries to admit students when they are oversubscribed...”

James V. Shuls, @shulsie
Asst. prof. educational leadership and policy studies at @UMSL; Program director of @UMSLlead; Fellow at @Showme, @Edchoice, & @HammondInst

12.4.19 | Washington Examiner
2020 DEMOCRATS ARE SCHOOL CHOICE HYPOCRITES

“These politicians must deal with a huge dilemma: they claim to want to help disadvantaged populations but are fighting against giving those groups more educational options. This dilemma is only magnified by the hypocrisy of candidates who had the privilege to exercise school choice for their own families actively seeking to stop private school choice programs that give the less fortunate the ability to do the same...”

Corey DeAngelis, @DeAngelisCorey
Director of School Choice at @ReasonFdn; Adjunct Scholar at @CatoInstitute; Executive Director at @EF_Institute

Tommy Schultz, @Tommy_USA 
National Communications Director, American Federation for Children @SchoolChoiceNow

11.28.19 | Detroit News
Jacques: Elizabeth Warren Wrong on Michigan Charter Schools

“As you know, in Michigan, charter schools don’t have to meet the same standards as public schools,” Warren said.

“First of all, charter schools ARE public schools,” countered Dan Quisenberry, president of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, in a statement. “And to be clear, charter schools not only have to meet all the same standards as traditional public schools, they have to meet quite a few more.”

Ingrid Jacques, @Ingrid_Jacques
Deputy Editorial Page Editor & columnist @detroitnews

1234.19 | the74million
74 Interview: Howard Fuller on Schooling Elizabeth Warren About Charters, African-American Families, School Choice & Her Education Plan

“What we’re trying to establish — so that everyone is absolutely clear — is that the attack on charters, and the attack on [school] choice more generally, is an attack on self-determination of black and brown families who need these options for their children, No. 1...”

Howard Fuller , @HowardLFuller
If there is no STRUGGLE, there is no PROGRESS. Power concedes nothing without a DEMAND. It never did and it never will. (Frederick Douglass) 

11.26.19 | New York Times
Minority Voters Chafe as Democratic Candidates Abandon Charter Schools

“Charter schools, which educate over three million students, are publicly funded and privately managed — and often are not unionized. Nationally, the schools perform about the same as traditional neighborhood schools. But charter schools that serve mostly low-income children of color in large cities tend to excel academically. And bipartisan support in Washington has allowed charters to proliferate, with their waiting lists swelling into the hundreds of thousands. ​”

Erica Green, @EricaLG
Translating education policy & politics to real life in the @nytimes D.C buro.@baltimoresun bred, with the nerve to walk my own way.

Eliza Shaprio @elizashapiro
I write about New York schools for The New York Times.

11.19.19 | Wall Street Journal
The Big Lie About Charter Schools

“To begin with, charters themselves are public schools. The only difference is that they are operated independently of district bureaucracies, with more freedom to design their programs and choose their teachers but also more accountability. If charters fail—if their students fall too far behind—they are usually closed.

The same arguments made about charter school funding don’t make sense in other contexts. When a family moves out of a district, the district loses state and federal money for its child’s education, but no one accuses the family of draining funds from the district. When parents move their child to a private school, no one accuses them of sabotaging public schools...”

David Osborne, @OsborneDavid
Author Reinventing America's Schools, Reinventing Government & others. Dir. of Progressive Policy Institute Project on Reinventing America's Schools @ppi

11.13.19 | NY Daily News
Democrats need a charter-school education: Presidential candidates’ plans could most harm black and Hispanic kids

“Despite all this evidence that schools like ours are uplifting the very people and families Democrats purport to care the most about, many candidates talk about charters as if they are the enemy of public education. This could not be further from the truth. Public charter schools like ours are part of the public school system. We share space, we share resources, and we partner to help all kids succeed.

Among us, we have worked with thousands of traditional public school teachers and guidance counselors to share our work on literacy, math and college access. We don’t let labels get in the way of working together. When candidates threaten charter schools, they threaten the rich collaboration that is advancing student achievement in traditional public schools as well.”

Brett Peiser, @BrettPeiser
CEO, Uncommon Schools.  And Dad.

Dacia Toll, @achievement1st
All children, regardless of race or economic status, deserve access to a great education. We operate 37 public charter schools in NY, CT & RI.

11.10.19 | New York Post
Warren’s ginormous school-choice hypocrisy

“People who can afford it also exercise choice by moving to communities with good public schools, as Warren appears to have done. A similar search for her daughter turned up just one record, which showed Amelia attended Anderson High School in 1987. Although it’s not a private school, US News and World Report ranks Anderson among the top high schools in the country.

“Warren’s family’s educational situation is vivid proof of the need for school choice. In the same year, one child went to private, the other went to public. One size does not fit all.”

Corey DeAngelis, @DeAngelisCorey
Director of School Choice at @ReasonFdn; Adjunct Scholar at @CatoInstitute; Executive Director at @EF_Institute

10.16.19 | Project Forever Free
Time for Democrats to Recognize the Progressive Roots of Charter Schools

“As reform-minded Democrats attempt to put children first, union-backed Democrats block them. They betray America’s children — particularly those whose parents lack the money to move into a district with strong public schools or send their children to private schools.”

David Osborne,@OsborneDavid
Author Reinventing America's Schools, Reinventing Government & others. Dir. of Progressive Policy Institute Project on Reinventing America's Schools @ppi

Emily Langhorne @EmilyLanghorne
Associate Director, Reinventing America's Schools, @ppi; former high school English teacher

11.26.19 | Education Post
The System Is Winning. For Now.

“Those who wish to be president on the Democratic side want the most economically insecure families to wait for better schools. A fix is coming, they promise, like they promised for years. More money, more services, more staff in the same system of miseducation will make it all better. No need for expanding school choices, or for improving and diversifying the teaching profession, or for improving and modernizing our standards and curricula to better serve the needs of each and every child.

Be patient.

But how patient would middle-class people be if their kids were falling years behind in school? What do they do when the system isn’t working for their kids? Warren’s case is instructive. When the public system didn’t work for her son she put him in a private school.”

Chris Stewart, @citizenstewart
Activist | Child Advocate |@edu_post CEO | @8BlackHands1 co-host | Writer | Speaker | 2014 Bush Fellow | 2019 Pahara Fellow | #HowAreTheChildren

11.27.19 | redefinED
HOWARD FULLER WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA LOOKING FOR A PARTY’S SOUL TO HEAL

“Warren claimed a few different times that she doesn’t oppose charter schools; she “just wants them held to the same standards.” Charter schools, however, because they are public schools, teach state standards and give state tests and get rated by the same metrics in all states.”

Matthew Ladner, @matthewladner
writer for @redefinEDonline

11.22.19 | FOX News
Warren told pro-school-choice activist she sent her kids to public school, campaign says otherwise

“In a video that was originally uploaded on social media, Sarah Carpenter (@LadyTenn) of the Powerful Parent Network challenged Warren's opposition to charter schools, at one point saying: "We are going to have the same choice that you had for your kids because I read that your children went to private schools."

"My children went to public schools," Warren told Carpenter.

However, a yearbook obtained by The Washington Free Beacon showed Warren's son Alex attended Kirby Hall School during the 1986-1987 school year. The online publication reported that the school currently charges nearly 5,000 per year for tuition, up from ,700 in 1995, the earliest year for which records are available.”

Joseph A. Wulfsohn, @JosephWulfsohn
Media Reporter @FoxNews. Formerly@Mediaite,@FDRLST,@DailyCaller. Send tips, hate mail, love letters to joseph.wulfsohn@foxnews.com

11.22.19 | Chalk Beat
‘I’m going to make sure I got it right’: What Elizabeth Warren told charter activists after protest at Atlanta event

“Warren’s education plan, which she released last month, proposes limiting charter schools in a number of ways. It promises to ban for-profit charter schools and eliminate federal funding for new charters. Warren’s plan also seeks to limit who could authorize charters — the kind of change that could threaten existing schools, though one that it’s unclear whether a president could pull off. It’s a reflection of a growing skepticism about charter schools among Democrats, though two recent polls show black and Hispanic Democrats tend to be more supportive.”

Matt Barnum, @matt_barnum
Ed policy reporter and wannabe wonk @chalkbeat; fake stats vigilante 

11.20.19 | Eduwonk.com
Do Charter Schools Harm Traditional Public Schools?

“In a separate brief, Mathematica looked at the effects of school choice on racial and economic integration. They concluded, “Among the studies with charter schools, 2 studies found that charter schools increased integration, 5 found no effect on integration, and 3 found that they decreased integration. Most studies we reviewed that found effects on integration tended to report small effects.”

Chad Aldeman, @ChadAldeman
I write about education policy for @Bellwethered and @TeacherPension. Iowa native and Hawkeye fan.

11.22.19 | Project Forever Free
Parents at Elizabeth Warren Rally Are Done Being Ignored and They’re Fighting Back

“Did any of these reporters attend schools that had single digit reading and math proficiency for decades? Do any of them plan to enroll their own children in schools where under 10 percent of black boys read on grade level? Would any of them leave their child in a neighborhood school where they were relentlessly bullied, miserable every single day, or a witness to gang violence on a regular basis? 

No. They wouldn’t.”

Erika Sanzi, @esanzi
Very imperfect mom of 3 sons, wife, former educator, chief editor at @projforeverfree, Senior Visiting Fellow at Fordham, http://goodschoolhunting.org

11.6.19 | Washington Post
Elizabeth Warren, I urge you to see charter schools for the partners that they are

“We are great admirers of your commitment to make this same dream achievable for all Americans. So it was disheartening to hear that your education platform includes eliminating federal funding for charter schools. MESA and other high-performing, high-quality charter schools like it could not operate without this funding. There is, perhaps, an assumption that all charter schools have wealthy donors who can make up funding shortfalls. But as a community-based school serving low-income families, we rely on federal dollars to pay teachers, purchase basic necessities and serve our students. Last year, MESA raised just under 5,000 privately; some parents associations in wealthier parts of New York City raised more than million. It is hard to see how depriving schools like MESA of federal funding helps further your goal of reducing inequality.”

Arthur Samuels, @arthur_samuels
Co-Founder and ED of @MESACharter. Father.  Husband.  Mets Fan.  New Yorker.  Tweets my own.

10.28.19 | Washington Post
Children Are Losers in Elizabeth Warrens Plan for Charter Schools

“The losers in these political calculations are the children whom charters help. Charters at their best offer options to parents whose children would have been consigned to failing traditional schools. They spur reform in public school systems in such places as the District and Chicago. And high-quality charters lift the achievement of students of color, children from low-income families and English language learners. Research from Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes found, for example, that African American students in charter schools gained an additional 59 days of learning in math and 44 days in reading per year compared with their traditional school counterparts.”

Washington Post Editorial Board

10.23.19 | Detroit News
Jacques:Warren's costly school plan prioritizes unions over kids

“Since the U.S. Department of Education was formed 40 years ago, it has grown into a behemoth that gobbles 0 billion a year, but hasn’t led to better academic results.

Warren’s solution? Double down.

“There is certainly no constitutional basis for the federal government to be involved in this way,” says Mary Clare Amselem, a policy analyst in the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy. “More spending on education simply has not moved the needle at all.”

Ingrid Jacques, @Ingrid_Jacques
Deputy Editorial Page Editor & columnist @detroitnews

10.22.19 | staging.edreform.com
CER: AFTER WRONGFUL ATTACK ON CHARTER SCHOOLS, ELIZABETH WARREN SHOULD SKIP TEACHERS’ STRIKE

“Warren’s attack is especially disturbing considering that her home state charter schools have done undeniable wonders for student achievement. Her plan is a direct attack on all of those student achievers. We will not allow truly progressive policies that improve education, and the lives of so many families, to be replaced in the name of radical politics. Charter schools give students the choice to pursue their dreams, regardless of race, religion, or hometown, and we should stand by any choice that enables students to succeed.”

Jeanne Allen, @jeanneallen
Education maven. Entrepreneur. Innovation strategist. Ed Opportunity champion. CEO of @edreform. ????Mother of 4 amazing young adults. Proud Italian-American. ????????????????

10.22.19 | staging.edreform.com
CER NEWSWIRE: Warrens Plan, Chicago Strike

“NO FOR-PROFIT CHARTER SCHOOLS.  That’s because there’s no such thing! Sanders and Warren think this is a great talking point to corral people.  After all, no one should make money off the backs of kids, right? So teachers should not be paid? Providers of bus transportation, textbooks and technology should contribute their time and resources? Let’s be clear - this isn’t utopia and everything in life costs money. Non-profit charter schools like all other public entities can buy whatever resources they need to do the job, including companies who will hire, train and manage all their operational needs. So Warren wants to get rid of the ability for educators to do what every other social sector in the US can do - hire competent people. Good one”.

CER Newswire

12.10.19 | Education Post
Democrats Are Finally Talking Public Education, But You Probably Won’t Be Invited to the Table

“So now, instead of attending an inspiring, hopeful and long-overdue discussion on the need to radically overhaul our inequitable education system, we are being forced to live-stream this circus wherein a nearly all-White panel talks about educational realities that aren’t their own.

Not for nothing—the only person of color scheduled to attend, Cory Booker, is a charter school supporter. Charter schools are more highly regarded among Black and Latinx Americans than Whites.”

Zachary Wright, @zfwright
2018 @usedgov Teacher Fellow Finalist-2013 Phila.TOY- Contributor @edu_post -Teacher Educator-Special Needs Parent. All views my own

7.22.19 | FOX News
Joseph Lieberman: School choice is a winning policy, so why don't Democrats support it?

“The Democratic Party that I joined a long time ago was on the side of the average American with dreams of rising higher and higher, rather than the elites who have already made it. Supporting school choice is a good way for my fellow Democrats to show they still embrace that priority.”

Senator Joseph Lieberman, @JoeLieberman
Former United States Senator (I-CT)

12.11.19 | FOX News
Student touts Trump's push for school choice: 'Everything changed' for me after receiving private scholarship

“Blanks experienced firsthand the impact of school choice on his life, saying that prior to receiving the Seize First private school choice program scholarship, he struggled in the public school system and his energetic-social personality was constantly viewed as a distraction in the classroom.

“Once I received the scholarship and attended Tree Life Christian in Columbus, Ohio, everything changed," Blanks said.”

Walter Blanks Jr, @ChozenOne14
Communications Associate | American Federation for Children @SchoolChoiceNow | Fighting to give all kids #EducationFreedom

11.27.19 | NBC News
Biden should back school choice. Democratic voters want it and his opponents reject it

“But most of the Democratic presidential candidates won’t support choices like these for lower-income parents. Nearly the entire primary field has opposed or refrained from backing any proposed model beside the standard public school system.

"The irony is that while Democratic politicians slap down school choice proposals, Democratic voters are clamoring for them. A 2017 Gallup poll found that providing federal funding for programs that allow students to attend any private or public school was one of only a handful of issues with majority support from Democrats and Republicans. And a poll this year by Beck Research (a Democratic polling firm) found a majority of all Democrats (56 percent) support programs that put at least some education dollars in parents’ hands, with supermajorities of support among key segments of the party’s base: 67 percent of African Americans, 73 percent of Latinos and 75 percent of millennials.”

Andrew Cuff
Researcher for the Commonwealth Foundation

7.31.19 | Washington Examiner
Will every Democratic candidate abandon pro-school choice Democrats like me?

“I wonder how these millions of students, families, and teachers feel, as contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination essentially tell them that they shouldn’t have a choice in where to send their child to school and that their only option should be the traditional public school in their neighborhood, regardless of whether that is what’s best for their child.

What these candidates all failed to mention is that the students who attend charter schools have better academic outcomes, are more likely to graduate from high school, attend and persist in college, and have future higher earnings.”

Krista Kaput @MinneKrista
@EdAlliesMN Research Director and @HHHSchool MPP student I Former High School Teacher I @EPFP_MN Coordinator 

9.16.19 | Washington Examiner
Democrats love school choice, except when they're running for president

“Elizabeth Warren wrote a detailed section in a book about the promise and benefits of school vouchers, especially for those in struggling schools. Joe Biden spoke movingly on the Senate floor about the life-saving impact school choice could have on children living in the inner-city. Cory Booker was even on the board of the largest school choice organizations in the country alongside now-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

Now that they’re all running for president, these candidates have flip-flopped on the issue while they attack DeVos, an ardent supporter of educational options for low-income families. These candidates are doing this at the behest of teachers' unions while turning their backs on their own Democratic constituents who support educational choice.”

Tommy Schultz, @Tommy_USA
National Communications Director, American Federation for Children @SchoolChoiceNow / Fighting to give all kids #EducationFreedom / @Stanford

10.7.19 | the74million
Jeffries: New Poll Finds Voters Favor Innovation, School Choice, Fair Funding and Accountability. The Democrats Should Listen

“Despite attempts to make public school choice a polarizing issue in this election, 8 in 10 Democratic primary voters support expanded access to public school choice options, including public charter schools.”

Shavar Jeffries, @shavarjeffries
Husband, father, civil-rights lawyer, and President of Democrats for Education Reform (@DFER_news)

6.13.19 | Dallas News
Democrats who are pro-choice should also support school choice

“But here's one thing he didn't say: Charters are also popular among racial minorities, a key Democratic constituency. According to 2018 data compiled by Education Next, 47 percent of black Democrats support charters and 29 percent oppose them; similarly, 47 percent of Hispanic Democrats back charters, and 35 percent oppose them. By contrast, only 27 percent of white Democrats support charter schools and 50 percent are against them.”

Jonathan Zimmerman
Education and History Professor at the University of Pennsylvania

11.2.19 | Washington Post
Letter to Elizabeth Warren: Before making decrees on charter schools, talk to parents

“Children of parents such as Nikia need good schools now. The best charter organizations appear to be supplying some of those schools. Why should their growth be curtailed? Most charters are no better, and are sometimes worse, than traditional schools. But a significant number have much to offer. According to a Stanford University study released in 2017, 41 percent of charters that are part of nonprofit networks or charter management organizations do better than nearby traditional public schools in math, and 37 percent do better in reading.”

Jay Mathews
Education columnist for The Washington Post

3.27.19 | FOX News
There’s nothing progressive about strangling charter schools

“THE MOST enduring — and unforgivable — civil rights offense in our country today is the consigning of so many poor, often minority children to failing schools. Among the more promising efforts to deal with this urgent issue have been public charter schools, which give poor families the choice in their children’s education that more prosperous parents take for granted. That makes all the more distressing the bid by some Democrats to blame charter schools for all the ills of public education.”

Editorial Board
The Washington Post

11.25.19 | Education Post
I Spit Out My Coffee When I Read Cory Booker’s Op-Ed: Nine Theories That Explain His Change of Heart

“I gasped as I opened the op-ed section of the New York Times and read Senator Cory Booker’s column repudiating his regressive stance on public charter schools. Until he entered the Democratic presidential nominating contest, Booker was one of the nation’s most eloquent supporters for school choice, with his hometown of Newark the proofpoint for the impact of a high-quality charter sector on a struggling school system. But when he entered the primary he hopped on the Sanders/Warren anti-choice wagon, dissolving into a vegan mush of (un)progressive platitudes.”

Laura Waters, @njleftbehind
Writes about N.J., N.Y., and national education policy and politics. She is the mother of four and served 12 years on her local school board.

11.27.19 | NJ Left Behind
Top Democratic Candidates’ Disrespect for Parents of Color Has Me Wondering If I Fit Into This Party Anymore

“I’ll indulge myself further by hoping that our leading Democratic candidates (all white) will rethink their elitist, racist positions that betray families red-lined into long-failing districts in order to curry favor with fat-pocketed union leaders and status quo defenders.”

Laura Waters, @njleftbehind
Writes about N.J., N.Y., and national education policy and politics. She is the mother of four and served 12 years on her local school board.

Also quoted in above article… 

“I’ve been in this Black body for 48 years and have seen some things so it’s not surprising that our collective Blackness (and Brownness) has no value to the Dem party when we dare question the party line. The media, all too eager to push the narrative, discounted our voices, cheapened our agency, and disrespected the individual fight of each mother and grandmother in their respective communities.” 

Versia Wilson Hawkins
Parent, Blogger, Nashville TN

10.26.19 | Boston Herald
Warren’s education plan limits school choice

“Affluent parents have little doubt about which schools are best for their children, and they are willing to pay exorbitant home prices to ensure that their children can go to those schools. Increasing support for charter schools gives lower-income parents that same ability to choose.

Warren is right that all Americans should have access to “a great public education.” She doesn’t seem to understand that offering parents and students more choice is a good way to provide it.”

Karl W. Smith
Syndicated Columnist

12.8.19 | AZ Central
Sen. Elizabeth Warren asked black women to hold her accountable, so they did

“Desperate to reverse these numbers, Warren delivered a speech on the rights of black women, admitting her privilege and asking minority voters to hold her accountable.

"Within minutes, they held the Massachusetts senator accountable. A large group of African American women interrupted the event, condemning Warren’s hostile stance toward school choice.

"Despite being just 13% of the U.S. population, black Americans make up 26% of charter school enrollment. Another 33% of charter students are Hispanic. Compared to public schools as a whole, charters are simply more diverse.”

Jon Gabriel, @exjon
Undisputed king of stuff. Editor-in-chief, @Ricochet. Contributor, @azcentral. Swimming the Bosporus.

12.5.19 | US News
Elizabeth Warren: Parents Should Do More if They’re Unhappy With Their Kids’ Schools

"To me it's disrespectful and it's disgusting," said Keri Rodrigues, who is the founder and president of Masachusetts Parents United, a group that's pushed for the expansion of charter schools in the Bay State. "This is a woman who promotes herself to being so connected to the working class and so connected to the people. It's just such a blatant lack of understanding about the lives of real people."

Keri Rodrigues, @radiokeri
Matthew, Miles & David's Mom. AKA: EduMom, Mom-in-Chief @MassParents. Mother. Servant. Activist.

Lauren Camera, @laurenonthehill
Senior writer @usnews. EdWeek, Spencer Fellow, CQ Roll Call alum. Love that dirty water. Send me fun things and tips: lcamera@usnews.com