Civil rights groups call on Duncan to dismantle key pieces of education agencda

Seven leading civil rights groups are urging U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to dismantle core pieces of his education plan, including Race to the Top. The groups including the NAACP and the National Urban League, called on Duncan July 26 to dismantle core pieces of his education agenda, arguing that his emphases on expanding charter schools, closing low-performing schools, and using competitive rather than formula funding are detrimental to low-income and minority children.

The groups released their own education policy framework and launched the National Opportunity to Learn campaign to advance their ideas and urged Duncan to make big changes to his draft proposal for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

In addition to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the supporting groups are: the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; the National Urban League; the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; the National Council on Educating Black Children; the Rainbow PUSH Coalition; and the Schott Foundation for Public Education. Read more about the announcement in EducationNews online or read the groups' framework on the National Opportunity to Learn website.