Op-Eds

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in U.S. vs. Texas, which will decide the fate of the president's Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA+) programs. I joined thousands of demonstrators on the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington in support of these programs, which help keep families together, allow DREAMers and parents of American children to work legally, and would greatly contribute to our economy and national ... Read more

In 1986 the Internet was just an experimental form of communication between a handful of academics, and yet more than 30 years later, Americans’ online email privacy laws remain stuck in the pre-internet era. At this moment, law enforcement can access American citizens’ emails without a warrant, even though the exact same messages in paper form would require a warrant. Law-abiding Americans have a right to be frustrated and upset. While email has developed into one of the most common forms of co... Read more

Nearly six years ago, in May 2009, the Colorado state Legislature passed a bill that created rules for concurrent enrollment programs, which allow high school students to take courses for college credit. Last year, 94 percent of school districts in our state participated in this program, with roughly 20,000 Colorado high schoolers taking advantage of the opportunity to work towards a college degree, for free, while in high school. For many of these students, it means getting a head start on thei... Read more

While it appears increasingly likely that congressional Republicans will punt on much-needed comprehensive immigration reform, it is important for us to look at smaller, yet still useful, steps forward to chip away at this growing, but manufactured crisis. As an entrepreneur and business owner, I have seen firsthand how hard it is to raise funds for worthy projects and companies. Luckily, we have a program in place to help meet the needs of visionary entrepreneurs and developers: the EB-5 visa p... Read more

From coast to coast, courts are taking action to extend equal rights to LGBT Americans. Unfortunately, back in Washington, the Republican-controlled House has extended its historic streak of inaction by continuing to allow employees to be fired simply because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Today, despite unprecedented progress in the battle against discrimination, a majority of states still allow employers to fire an employee based on sexual orientation or gender identity. In o... Read more

As strong advocates for parental school choice, we were pleased that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was open to learning about the tremendous opportunities that charter schools can offer students and families. His decision to allow continued access to high-quality charter school options will ensure that the best curriculum, programs and school performance guide where parents enroll their children in school, not their ZIP code. Nationally, this debate is alive and well within and between our ... Read more

Regarding Peggy Noonan's "The Ideologue vs. the Children" (Declarations, March 8): We urge Mayor Bill de Blasio to reconsider his course of action to close and stop the expansion of high-performing charter schools in New York City. During his campaign, candidate de Blasio promised to work to reduce income inequality for New York City residents and we applaud his commitment on this critical issue. Too many of our low-income children have been sent to unsafe, under-achieving schools that do little... Read more

Your neighbors have lived in their home for years. Their kids grew up with your kids, you’ve shared barbecues and block parties and you see them in church every Sunday. And now Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles surround the house, sirens blaring, as your children watch out the windows, confused, frightened and concerned about what their friend’s dad did wrong. Unfortunately this scenario plays out all too often across our nation as innocent, hardworking de facto Americans fall victim ... Read more

Digital learning is no longer the future of education: It is happening right now in schools across our nation. Bringing broadband access to low-income schools and libraries nationwide is an issue that we both feel passionate about. It is an investment not only in the future of our students, but also in our economy and our global competitiveness. Interactive online learning offers an opportunity to provide every child with a highly personalized, equitable, and excellent education. But if we fail ... Read more

Every child has his or her own unique learning needs. While some students prefer to read books, others favor hands-on learning experiences or need help to learn English in addition to their first language. Moreover, school quality tends to vary by neighborhood, leaving too many low-income students without any high-quality school options. In Colorado, open enrollment within and across districts allows parents the opportunity to find a school that fits their child's learning style and their family... Read more