Len Rieser says the state of public schools should matter to everyone, because every child has the potential to make the world a better place.
“It sounds cliche, but any child could be the person who comes up with the cure to a disease, or a new environmental approach, or a way to solve conflict and war,” says Rieser, executive director of the Education Law Center, which has offices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. “I just see it as human potential.”
That attitude explains why Rieser, who has been with the center since 1982, was chosen for the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Andrew Hamilton Award. Each year the award goes to a public-interest attorney or someone who provides legal services to people who can’t afford them.
The Education Law Center started in 1975 to help children facing legal hurdles to access public schools. The organization has evolved to also work as an advocate for improving public education. It was one force behind a new statewide funding formula adopted in 2008 to target state money toward the neediest school districts.
In the future, Rieser says the center plans to continue collaborating with other public-education advocates. “I think we want to keep our eye on what’s good for kids and families,” he says. “We basically believe that in every political climate, it’s possible to keep kids at the forefront of the discussion.”
Source: Len Rieser, Education Law Center
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen