Mission

Education Fifty is a project of The Center for Education Reform.

Voters say education is their most important issue in the voting booth, second only to national security. That’s why we need state leaders in every Governor’s mansion to embrace real education reform. But knowing the difference between real commitment and well-tested talking points is difficult for even the savviest voter. With 37 gubernatorial races taking place this year, we have an unprecedented opportunity to reset the course of American education for our children. Education fifty is dedicated to providing you, the voter, with the information that can best inform your vote, ensuring meaningful changes to our education system are realized.

Strong leaders know that education does well when power is restored to those closest to our children – parents and teachers. Strong charter school laws, meaningful school choices and performance pay for teachers are three of the most important things our states can do to empower our communities. Each of these reforms enjoys broad tri-partisan support and deserve high priority in the platforms of leading candidates for Governor. Education fifty compares the positions of all the candidates on these core issues to help you make informed decisions. We invite you to use the information here to applaud your candidates, or urge a change of position.

Why is this important to you today? In the absence of strong state leadership, Washington has increasingly inserted itself into the education affairs of states and local communities. With US schools failing record numbers of children and providing mediocre education in even some of our “better” school districts, we need state lawmakers who can take on the status quo and enact new laws that provide better educational opportunities for all children.

When Governors embrace education reform, great things happen. All governors, not just a few, must be dedicated to fundamentally reforming education.

Because education is only as strong as our weakest link.