Develop an educational model of excellence – based on domestic and international best practices – that addresses every aspect of the school experience, from the material taught in the classroom to what is served in the cafeteria.
All academic and non-academic areas are clearly defined – curriculum, standards, assessment, accountability, expectations, governance, budgets, school culture, teacher quality and training, technology, counseling and guidance, length of the school day, nutrition, class size, discipline, community involvement, child safety, and parent, student, and teacher partnerships. Read more here.
At high school graduation, ensure every student can tackle higher education or graduate with a marketable skill and/or industry credential that can earn money that very day.
Shift our focus from one-for-all education to a more personalized approach and redefine what “intelligence” means.
Support charter schools and replicate innovative concepts in other charter schools as well as traditional public schools.
Fight hard to reverse the national school voucher plan the Republicans passed as part of the One Big Beautiful Act. A voucher program is not “school choice,” as many politicians like to say. Private schools can deny admission to any child for any reason; they do not have to provide services like transportation; and they do not have to provide special education. Worse, most rural counties in America don’t even have private schools, and most vouchers don’t cover the entire cost of the school anyway – which makes these programs a massive transfer of wealth from the lower classes to the upper classes.
That said, the basic structure behind the Republicans’ initiative, the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), makes sense. Essentially, it’s a federal tax credit scholarship program that allows taxpayers to claim a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit for donations to scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs). We support this if it’s used for things like technology, tutoring, transportation, and special-education services – just not for tuition for private schools.
Stop allowing educators and administrators to use issues like race, class, and the dysfunctional home life of the child as an excuse for failing to properly educate them.
Stop using medication as a substitute for doing the hard work of properly raising and educating our children.
Rethink outdated discipline techniques and champion ideas that focus on self-regulation, reflection, connection, and the child’s outlook.
At Robert W. Coleman Elementary in Baltimore, detention was replaced with a “Mindful Moment Room,” a room filled with soft lighting and plush pillows where students can go to breathe and meditate as an alternative to traditional punishment. Coleman’s students can engage in yoga, mindfulness, gardening, environmental cleanup, and even leadership roles as co-teachers. The school has had zero suspensions in the ten years since the program was implemented.
Relentlessly urge educators and administrators to limit – or ban altogether – artificial intelligence tools, which threaten the cognitive competence of our kids by diminishing their capacity to think, eliminating human expression, and preventing the development of cognitive understanding and powers of thought.
Treat broadband as essential infrastructure. Make sure every family has a reliable Internet connection.
