Upon her arrival at Dickinson College in 1978, Jeanne Allen, an A student from the affluent suburb of Allendale, N.J., felt compelled to express her dissatisfaction with her education thus far. In a letter to her high school principal, she asserted that she felt unprepared compared to her classmates at the liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. Jeanne’s frustration with her subpar education has fueled her passion to advocate for alternatives to traditional public schools.
As the founder of the Center for Education Reform, which was established a decade ago, Jeanne Allen has become an outspoken champion for charter schools and vouchers, continuously challenging teachers’ unions, school boards, and others whom she collectively refers to as “the blob.” Through her consistent production of newsletters, op-ed articles, and testimony to lawmakers, Jeanne has become a prominent figure in the education reform movement. Her center’s website receives over 1 million hits annually. In addition, Jeanne played a significant role in forming the Education Leaders Council, a Washington group consisting mostly of conservative state education officials who support charter schools.
Throughout her work, Jeanne has garnered support from influential individuals in high positions. At a recent black-tie event celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Center for Education Reform, she received effusive praise from Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Wal-Mart heir John Walton, and Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, who chairs the Senate education committee. U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige even referred to her as an “American hero.”
However, not everyone shares the same admiration for Jeanne. Critics of her work take issue with her equation of “school reform” with school choice and her eagerness to attack anyone who expresses skepticism toward charters and vouchers. Gerald W. Bracey, an education researcher based in Alexandria, Va., who has been targeted on the center’s website, described her as lacking subtlety and going for the jugular. Some individuals within the charter movement even privately express concern that Jeanne’s confrontational style and conservative views hinder their efforts to build new alliances. She has opposed legislative deals made by local charter leaders on the grounds that they threaten the autonomy of charter schools. Recently, she withdrew from efforts to establish a national coalition of pro-charter-school organizations.
Despite the criticism, Jeanne shows no signs of backing down or softening her approach. She sees her cause in the most extreme terms, often drawing comparisons to the battle against racial segregation in the 1950s. Her determination to stir things up is evident in her office on K Street, N.W., in Washington, where student artwork decorates the walls, reflecting her dual roles as a policy wonk and an impassioned mother.
On a personal note, several photographs capture Jeanne Allen engaging in conversation with Governor Jeb Bush of Florida at a party in her honor.
Ms. Allen, who represents the center, not only advocates for school choice but actively promotes it. The center focuses not only on highlighting the flaws of public schools but also on selling the idea of charter schools and vouchers. Ms. Allen refers to this as “discontenting the contented” – essentially waking people up to the fact that public education, in her opinion, is not as good as it seems.
Despite having influential supporters, she claims to speak for ordinary people. Her argument is that public schools have neglected parents and prioritize those in charge rather than the students. Her message is that there is an alternative.
In easily understandable publications, she teaches parents how to lobby school boards and communicate with the press. She advises them that the best charter laws are those with fewer restrictions and that the best curricula emphasize traditional teaching methods. She provides sample letters to send to lawmakers and publishes the only national directory of charter schools. These schools, which now number 3,000 nationwide, are publicly funded but largely independent.
Her opponents argue that she is not a spokesperson for the average person. They point out that the center is not a membership organization and that Ms. Allen receives much of her funding from right-leaning foundations. “She has taken her words and ideology from the Heritage Foundation, put a positive spin on it, and presented it as what parents want,” said Kathleen Lyons, a spokesperson for the National Education Association.
However, her supporters, who are not all conservatives, believe that Ms. Allen does represent real people. While other Washington groups target policy journals, she focuses on publications like Good Housekeeping and Parent. When she strikes a chord with people, they write to her and their information is added to her database, which currently contains approximately 37,000 names, of which only around 4,000 are “policy people and pundits.” “Jeanne is one of the best grassroots organizers I have seen,” said Gary Larson, the director of media relations for the California Charter Schools Association. “I have witnessed her in action.”
Mr. Larson cites an example: In 2001, when he was just becoming involved in the charter movement and before his association was established, he reached out to the CER for guidance on opposing plans by the San Francisco school board to close a charter school there. Ms. Allen, from the other side of the country, provided him with a list of people, many from the Bay Area, who she knew would support the cause.
There are numerous other instances of her matchmaking skills. When Tennessee considered its first charter law last year, she brought a group of lawmakers from that state to Delaware to observe the charter schools in action.
In 1995, at a meeting organized by the CER, the idea for the Education Leaders Council was conceived. Initially, the council shared offices with Ms. Allen’s organization.
However, even some supporters of school choice find her divisive. Over the summer, she withdrew the CER from the Charter School Leadership Council, a group of organizations that support charter schools, including the Black Alliance for Educational Options, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, and the National Council of La Raza. The council, which is now defunct and attempting to regroup, aimed to present a unified voice on charter school issues at the national level. Ms. Allen’s primary concern was regarding its governance. Other members wanted to eliminate a rule that required unanimous consent from all groups before taking action, whereas Ms. Allen objected and preferred majority rule.
In a recent interview, she further questioned the purpose of such a council. “We don’t need to emulate the establishment,” she said. “We don’t have to have formal organizations that are democratically composed at the national level and represent everyone. There are enough people at the local and state levels.”
On occasion, she has also faced criticism from local charter supporters, including those in Illinois. Charter leaders in the state negotiated a deal in the legislature last year to increase the caps on the number of charter schools allowed in Chicago. Ms. Allen publicly objected to provisions in the deal that required educators in charter schools to possess state teaching licenses.
John Walton expressed that the individual in question is quite polarizing, yet it is not uncommon for highly influential individuals to evoke controversy. The Broad Foundation provides substantial backing for discussions on various aspects of leadership within the education sector, encompassing governance, management, and labor relations.