I know that there are more factors that shape a kid’s life than school. Family matters. Money matters. Race—still, much to our profound shame—matters. Privilege matters. 

But education should be the great equalizer, the “balance wheel of the social machinery,” as Horace Mann, the original “education reformer,” described it in 1848. It should open a world of opportunity and give the power to dream boundless dreams to every kid…

I’ve been lucky to get to know a lot of people in Chicago, Denver, and now in cities across the country who are focused intently and working feverishly to make sure it happens—to make sure that every kid, especially those in previously underserved neighborhoods, has access to schools filled with classrooms that scream out: We believe in you. 

These are fiercely dedicated champions of public education who are not looking to “privatize,” “corporatize,” or “charter-ize” anything. 

They are, simply, fighting to equalize.