Education reformer, Scott adviser Michelle Rhee supports the DREAM Act

 Michelle Rhee former Washington, D.C., public school chancellor; supporter of the tough-on-teachers brand of school reform; founder and CEO of Students First; and informal adviser to Gov. Rick Scott   supports the DREAM Act. 

Rhee wrote this weekend:

One of the reasons I started StudentsFirst is because for too long our educational policies have focused on adults, not kids. We need to change that and prioritize the needs of children. We have an opportunity to do that with the DREAM Act, legislation that has been debated in Congress for years and which is gaining new momentum. It would allow people brought here as children to be eligible for in-state tuition and, after having gone to college or served in the military, would put them on a path to legal status.

Rhee appeared on this weekend’s edition of  ABC’s This Week, speaking about the “gap between the skills American schools are preparing students for and the skills needed to sustain a strong American economy.” 

The DREAM Act would grant people who entered the U.S. illegally before the age of 16 conditional permanent resident status for a period of six years, after which they would be eligible to become legal permanent residents if they obtain at least an associate-level college degree or serve in the military for two years.