IN NEW NATIONAL CAMPAIGN, FORUM URGES OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AND THE PUBLIC TO IMPROVE PUBLIC EDUCATION
January 6, 2009 (Washington, DC) — Just days before President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office, The Forum for Education & Democracy is launching a national web-based campaign that challenges all Americans to transform the optimism of the election season into the promise of collective action to improve public education.
"Our goal is to build on the "Yes We Can" hopefulness of the Obama campaign, address the shared anxiety about our uncertain future, and channel both sets of feelings into actions that will help support our nation’s schools,” said Sam Chaltain, National Director of The Forum.
A short web film, an homage to the "Yes We Can" will.i.am-produced video that has been viewed nearly 15 million times on YouTube, sets in motion a national petition drive, available at www.willwereally.com, in which all signers commit to work with President Obama to honor four promises that must be fulfilled if we are serious about supporting young people and public schools:
1. Every child deserves a 21st Century education.
To honor America's ongoing commitment to a democratic way of life, we must provide all young people with a high-quality, free education in schools that are designed to help students develop the skills and abilities they need to exercise a powerful voice in shaping their own lives — and our nation's future.
2. Every community deserves an equal chance.
To honor America's founding promise of "liberty and justice for all," we must provide equal access to a high-quality education to all young people, regardless of their family’s money, race or power.
3. Every child deserves a well-supported teacher.
To honor America's commitment to its public schools, we must ensure that all young people have the same opportunity to learn from well-prepared, well-supported teachers, who are in turn empowered to exercise their professional judgment, and not just follow a script, when it comes to helping students learn.
4. Every child deserves high-quality health care.
To honor America's responsibility to take care of its youngest citizens — and to acknowledge the myriad out-of-school forces that impact a child's capacity to learn — we must ensure that all young people are free from want, and have access to high-quality health care.
To encourage action on the local level, the Forum provides a list of easy steps people can undertake individually and at the community level in support of each promise.
"We want to create a groundswell of support behind these basic ideas that are fundamental to helping kids achieve their potential in a democracy," said George Wood, the Forum’s co-founder and one of its fourteen Conveners, all national leaders in school reform and educational policy. "As a high school principal, I know that if these obligations were met – and if communities nationwide demanded them — more kids would have the foundation they needed to succeed in college, their careers, communities and adult lives."
The video, directed by LA-based filmmaker Brian Knappenberger, features short clips of Obama speaking about the needs of America’s children and schools, as well as young people and educators offering their own opinions about what it will take to help ensure that all children receive access to a high-quality public education.
To watch the video, sign the petition, and help spread the word, visit www.willwereally.com.