Letter from Beth Sullivan, President, Education Voters of America

Education Voters of America is building a movement based on a simple premise: Every child has a right to an excellent education. We appreciate your interest in this mission and your concern about improving public education in America. You are not alone.

The American people understand that children need an education in order to succeed and for our country to flourish. They know it is the role of government to provide that education. Unfortunately, very few candidates offer a bold vision or real solutions for education, or even know such solutions exist. Certainly, our political imagination and hopes have been dimmed and distracted by the persistent Right Wing attack on all public institutions – with public schools beaten and battered for decades on the front lines of the conservative cultural wars – from racial integration to the teaching of evolution. Nonetheless, the vast majority of voters support public education, and simply lack good information about real solutions and results for improving student achievement. And they don’t know which candidates are ‘all talk’, and which ones ‘walk the walk’.

Education Voters is attempting to bridge that gap of information for voters. Our purpose is to give them a voice and the power to demand real leadership and action in implementing sound solutions for public education in America. Polls consistently show that equitable and excellent education is among the top five values for voters. Polls also show that voters recognize that the most important thing they can do to improve education is replace public officials who are not delivering on the promise of better schools. But all candidates claim to be pro-education. Our job is to help voters cut through the noise, distinguish between the rhetoric and the reality of candidates’ positions, and highlight commitment to innovation and investment in public education.

Eventually, Education Voters will work “up and down the ballot,” from the School Board to the White House, to hold public officials accountable for creating and strengthening public schools. We hope you will join us and support Education Voters. Together, we can transform public education for the benefit of all children and the future of America.

Sincerely,

Beth Sullivan