A Message from Education Voters President Beth Sullivan
With help from the tens of thousands of members of the Ed Voters network, now is the time to make real progress on fixing our public schools. Our nation has a president who knows first-hand the value of a quality education. The Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association worked together to develop a set of common core standards that set learning objectives for students. And the U.S. Congress is working on a new federal law to replace “No Child Left Behind.”
We believe that a community-oriented approach offers the best chance at the education reforms our children need, As Congress moves forward with its deliberations on how to replace “No Child Left Behind,” we think they need to hear about the experiences of parents, teachers, students, administrators, and concerned citizens.
In our affiliate states, Education Voters has been holding community forums to hear the concerns of the people who see first-hand the good, the bad, and the ugly in our public education system. At these forums, we find that parents and community activists have real ideas about how to make schools work better for our kids. Often, using different words, they are coming up with exactly the kinds of reforms that the experts are recommending:
A child-centered learning environment
Strong preparation, mentoring, and support for teachers so that they can be highly effective
Learning that takes place both in and out of the classroom
Innovative uses of time, even when that means longer days and longer years
Common core standards to avoid the “soft bigotry of low expectations”
Meaningful assessments that measure skills and mastery of content using a combination of demonstration and traditional testing
High school graduation requirements that reflect a student’s readiness for career or college
Data-driven evaluation of student, teacher, school, and district performance
Accountability for the adults from the school house to City Hall, to the governor’s mansion to the White House
We’re working to show our elected leaders that they can learn a lot from listening to the real stakeholders. Everyone from classroom teachers to the Secretary of Education could benefit from this kind of civic engagement.
Perhaps one of the most important pieces of research I have seen lately is the comparative success of transforming failing schools in communities where the citizens are engaged, versus those where they are not engaged. So our job is to engage citizens and give them an opportunity to be heard. We believe that if we add their voices to the general dialogue, we will get a better result.
So I am urging you today to join with the tens of thousands of Education Voters who are helping our elected leaders by recommending the policies that really work in classrooms and school districts all across the nation. Your expertise is valuable, and your voice must be heard.
Click here to join Education Voters, and stay up-to-date on ways you can share your experiences with your elected leaders, and show them how seriously all Americans are about providing a quality education for our kids.
With help from the tens of thousands of members of the Ed Voters network, now is the time to make real progress on fixing our public schools. Our nation has a president who knows first-hand the value of a quality education. The Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association worked together to develop a set of common core standards that set learning objectives for students. And the U.S. Congress is working on a new federal law to replace “No Child Left Behind.”
We believe that a community-oriented approach offers the best chance at the education reforms our children need, As Congress moves forward with its deliberations on how to replace “No Child Left Behind,” we think they need to hear about the experiences of parents, teachers, students, administrators, and concerned citizens.
In our affiliate states, Education Voters has been holding community forums to hear the concerns of the people who see first-hand the good, the bad, and the ugly in our public education system. At these forums, we find that parents and community activists have real ideas about how to make schools work better for our kids. Often, using different words, they are coming up with exactly the kinds of reforms that the experts are recommending:
We’re working to show our elected leaders that they can learn a lot from listening to the real stakeholders. Everyone from classroom teachers to the Secretary of Education could benefit from this kind of civic engagement.
Perhaps one of the most important pieces of research I have seen lately is the comparative success of transforming failing schools in communities where the citizens are engaged, versus those where they are not engaged. So our job is to engage citizens and give them an opportunity to be heard. We believe that if we add their voices to the general dialogue, we will get a better result.
So I am urging you today to join with the tens of thousands of Education Voters who are helping our elected leaders by recommending the policies that really work in classrooms and school districts all across the nation. Your expertise is valuable, and your voice must be heard.
Click here to join Education Voters, and stay up-to-date on ways you can share your experiences with your elected leaders, and show them how seriously all Americans are about providing a quality education for our kids.
And click here to make a financial contribution to Education Voters of America. Your support helps us engage more citizens, reach more elected leaders, and hear more ideas from the experts, the students, the teachers, the parents, and the citizens who have a real stake in education reform.
Sincerely,
Beth Sullivan