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John Boehner, Katherine Bradley, Kevin Chavous, John Fisher, Steve Klinsky, John Legend, Eva Moskowitz and Brian Williams to Be Honored for Achievements in Education Reform

"This group of accomplished honorees are as diverse as they are influential in bringing about much-needed change to America's schools," said Jeanne Allen, president of CER. "Collectively their unwavering support of expanding educational opportunities, accountability, teacher programs that work and parental choice is commendable. Individually their contributions to improving education reform through philanthropy, advocacy, media, entertainment and education are remarkable."

Every few years the Center for Education Reform celebrates distinguished leaders for their break through contributions to creating and expanding quality educational opportunities for children. The collective accomplishments of these six individuals span almost all states and represent several million new opportunities for children. The EdReformies will be awarded to:

    --  Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner, a politician
        who has never let political pressure get in the way of ensuring children
        access to a better education.
    --  As the nation's most well-respected and influential journalist, Brian
        Williams has thrust the need for education reform into the homes and
        minds of millions of Americans.
    --  Despite being one of the world's most talented and popular musicians,
        John Legend is publically engaged in school reform, which he says is the
        "civil rights issue of our time."
    --  For over two decades, Katherine Brittain Bradley has driven reform by
        strategically launching efforts that focus on community engagement and
        volunteerism. She has created and recruited top-flight organizations to
        the nation's capital and opened her home and heart to bolster education
        reform nationally.
    --  As a policymaker, parent, author and attorney, Kevin P. Chavous has
        spent his career securing the adoption of school reforms that serve
        America's children, through a passion and commitment and new alliances
        that prove that anything is possible when you put children first.
    --  Business leader John Fisher is committed to ensuring quality educational
        opportunities for children most in need. As chairman of KIPP and through
        his board leadership in numerous other national organizations that
        create new supplies of schools and human capital, John's passion has
        ignited thousands more to be intensively involved.
    --  Steve Klinsky, founder and CEO of New Mountain Capital, started highly
        successful organizations to provide safe, nurturing and academically
        excellent opportunities for low-income children in some of the Big
        Apple's most depressed neighborhoods and beyond.
    --  As New York City Councilwoman, Eva Moskowitz challenged the status quo
        to show results, or move out of the way. She went on to lead one of the
        nation's most successful charter networks, Success Charter Network, and
        in so doing, has continued to challenge the establishment and raised the
        public's awareness about the problems facing public education.

The Center for Education Reform (CER) is the pioneer and leading voice for lasting substantive and structural change in the United States. CER has, since 1993, generated and shared innovative and actionable ideas and information, stimulated major policy changes, supported and enabled grassroots activism and increased media coverage on behalf of the movement to genuinely reform and improve educational options and performance in the U.S. We're proud to say that today more than 2 million children are enjoying the freedom to choose quality schooling options that were not available just 18 short years ago.

SOURCE Center for Education Reform