Results for America in Education

Who are we?
Results for America is a project initiated by the Civil Society Institute, a non-profit, independent organization dedicated to supporting and encouraging the involvement of community level groups and individuals in the public life of the country.

Results for America includes parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, school teachers and administrators, childcare providers, learning specialists, religious, cultural, business and community leaders. We are civil society—the people who make our communities work. And now it is time for us to speak out together. Join us.

Results for America calls on politicians and candidates from all parties to discover America and listen to the voices of experience and wisdom on the challenges we face together as a nation.

Why have we come together?
For too long, the national conversation about our schools has been dominated by those who advocate a narrow view of learning. It has placed too much emphasis on testing as the only way to ensure high standards and accountability.

It is time for new voices to join the debate and support ideas that will really work to improve public education for all children.

We are asking tough questions.
Finding the right answers means asking the right questions.

Look over the following questions. Add some of your own. Share what is on your mind with your family, friends, neighbors and colleagues.

Even better, ask candidates, policymakers and the media these same questions—and make it clear that you want straight answers.

Ask:

• What skills, knowledge and attitudes do our children need to be leaders in our community?
• Do schools welcome parents and community members who want to be engaged?
• Do they have the tools they need to be involved?
• What kinds of tests really work to help kids learn, as well as meet standards?
• What are the standards now and what evidence do we have that current standardized tests measure our children's ability to meet them?
• Should local schools close or lose their funding based on high-stakes testing?
• What concrete changes could we make to improve education for all children?
• How do we ensure that new voices influence the decisions made at the local, state and national levels?
• What is the role of the federal government in state and local education policy?

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We are supporting ideas that work.
Our collective experience both inside and outside the classroom, as well as mountains of independent research, has shown us what works when it comes to children and learning:

• High quality early learning for children from birth to five.
• Small classes and small schools.
• Multiple tools to test for success.
• Multiple ways to learn through academics, arts, experience and service.
• Encouraging parents as partners in the learning process.
• Creating learning opportunities throughout the community.
• Encouraging teacher quality and creativity.
• High quality after school care.
• Providing adequate funding and other resources to match demand.
• Fair and equitable sharing of available resources.
• Closing the “achievement gap” one child at a time.

We are creating a new dialogue about learning and public education.
It is time to put learning back into public education for all our children.

So we are creating new opportunities for the discussion of these issues and developing forums where our voices will be heard by policymakers. Throughout the next year and beyond, we will be finding new ways to put learning back in the discussion on education and this vision of education and learning high on everyone's agenda.

Be sure to share your concerns, ideas and dreams for how to improve education. You can write to local, state or national elected officials or people running for local, state or national office. Tell them what is working in your community and what needs improvement.

We cannot afford to let public education be less than one of our nation's highest priorities. Every candidate needs to know that we expect real leadership on education.

How can you do more?
Download your Results for America education toolkit.

In your toolkit, you will find everything you need to help make education a vital issue in 2004 and beyond. You will discover ways to connect with others in your community and nationwide who share your hopes and concerns. Download eye-opening articles, suggested talking points and postcards. You can even send personalized emails to your friends and neighbors to encourage them to get involved.

We invite you to join us in getting Results for America in education.

Our kids are counting on us.

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What is the problem?
In a well-intended push to improve public education all across the country, federal lawmakers adopted sweeping legislation that holds all schools in every community in all 50 states to a common set of standards.

It now appears that this over-reliance on high-stakes testing may be undermining our children's ability to learn and our teachers' ability to teach—hurting kids, schools, parents and communities. For example, schools in Texas, under intense pressure to raise test scores, are pushing struggling students out at alarming rates—increasing the number of kids who never finish high school and dramatically widening the achievement gap.

Washington has not provided sufficient funding for “failing” schools to make necessary improvements and has threatened to close “failing” schools if they do not make progress. Finally, current policy actually diminishes the power of parents to help their kids succeed in school, because the only option it gives is for parents to move their children to another school.