ABOUT EdReformU™
MAKE HISTORY; don’t repeat it.
That’s the goal of EdReformU™ – the nation’s first and only effort to create a higher education certificate program to inform, educate and arm the next generation of leaders to make real change happen in America’s schools!
The first of its kind higher education program in education reform history, EdReformU™ launched formally Spring Semester, 2015 with its first foundational course, Decline and Fall of the U.S. Education System (HistoryER-101). In Summer 2015, a new six-week course, History of Charter Schools (HistoryCS-201), kicked off for students wanting a deeper understanding of charter school policies.
WHY EDREFORMU™
The need for a real history lesson has been made clear time and time again. In fact, the single largest impediment to real, lasting structural educational improvement, even beyond the opponents of common sense standards, quality options, and accountability, is the lack of knowledge of the people, the ideas, their progress, the players, and more. To arm the next generation of reformers, we have to do more than wait for people to come to our offices, join our staffs, or run for office.
Thus the vision for EdReform University© was developed in 2010 as one of CER’s Big Ideas for the next decade. It started with the creation of a massive and unprecedented library of the movement, which contains 21 years of history and experience, over 15,000 resources, and most importantly, lessons from the front lines delivered from our nation’s leading education reform pioneers.
Today, thanks to our collaboration with Qualcomm’s QLearn™ Mobile Learning Platform and the commitment of their leadership, EdReformU™ is a formal certificate program of study available online, to anyone who is serious about getting education reform right.
EdReformU™ is for the EdReformers who are stuck on education reform for life, or those who want to be. Learn more and apply to EdReformU™ here!
COURSES
Decline and Fall of the U.S. Education System (HistoryER-101)
This course examines the history of K-12 education reform in the U.S. and explores the ideas behind various school reform practices and policies, seeking to develop an understanding of the environment and conditions that brought about the need for substantive change to the system and the contemporary education reform movement
What else to expect:
- Live lessons held regularly (attendance strongly encouraged);
- Cadre of adjunct professors share their experiences in the education reform movement;
- Unique readings and materials from CER’s library expand on the weekly live sessions; and
- Students collaborate and develop relationships with faculty, and these experiences and reflections will help fuel additional EdReformU courses.
What the First cohort is saying about EdReformU:
“I enjoyed this immensely. I would never have the class end. …I would keep having discussions every week about the challenges that we’re all working to overcome… …it’s been so helpful to hear everyone’s ideas and to feel so supported. Having this connection to people nationally gave me a little bit more energy in my day-to-day endeavors…”
“Hearing those different perspectives made me open my eyes. I really appreciate that a lot– that I was able to hear all those different viewpoints, and the history. We can say, ‘history informs us,’ but we definitely took it to a different level here.”
“For me, it was always the network—being able to have the conversation continue after class… that’s what is really useful.”
“As an advocate, this class was so beneficial. The history of the movement and hearings from those early leaders; it was amazing. To have that information when I went in with legislators was invaluable.”
“I felt like it really supported me and gave me a little bit more of the knowledge I needed… We have to move to a point of, ‘we’re all in this for the kids, and we may disagree about how to get there, but lets all sit down and hash this out.’ This really got me motivated to thinking about how we can…”
“I’ve learned so much about the movement and about the history. I’m a social studies major, so I love history, but its amazing—I’ve been a teacher in both public and charter schools, had children in both public and charter schools and have never really thought of choice as a movement. …Just a ton of information, and I really enjoyed the process of sifting through that information.”
“I have really enjoyed this course. I think it has been beneficial to me and I wish that I had had this info years ago because I think it would have given me more direction than what I have had. …Passing this collective memory onto us is vital; giving us a sense of where we’ve been so that we can keep going. I really appreciate this course and really appreciate what you’re doing.”
“… As an educator in this field working directly in a charter school, I have gained a lot of insight into what has brought us to the current state and where we go from here. It also allows me to help those who may have been misinformed about where charter schools came from and what were we’re doing and why we’re doing it. It provides me with a better answer for questions from parents and community leaders I work with.”
EdReformU™ is for the EdReformers who are stuck on education reform for life, or those who want to be.
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About The Center for Education Reform:
Founded in 1993, to bridge the gap between policy and practice, The Center for Education Reform is the pioneer and leading voice for substantive change that transforms learning opportunities and outcomes for America’s children. Additional information about CER and its activities can be found at www.staging.edreform.com.
About Qualcomm® QLearn™:
The About Qualcomm® QLearn™ Mobile Education Platform was designed to engage a generation of students raised on technology. To help educational institutions extend their reach, QLearn provides anytime, anywhere experiences that appeal to today’s students. Formerly, EmpoweredU, QLearn is the newest member of the Qualcomm Education family focused on developing education initiatives that engage and inspire.