Report Calls for Increased Civic Investment in America's Public Schools

Report Commission Releases National Standards and Principles for Growing Number of Public Education Funds

WASHINGTON - May 26, 2011 - A national commission comprised of top education and philanthropic leaders is calling with new urgency for an increase in the nation's commitment to and civic investment in public education. An Appeal to All Americans, released today, also represents the first national and independently authored report to outline standards of practice for public and local education funds.

As federal and state governments make dramatic cuts to public education funding, the independent National Commission on Civic Investment in Public Education urges the public to redouble its efforts to ensure that the nation's public schools provide a high-quality education for all young people.

"At a time when our school budgets are being cut to the bone, we have to go beyond philanthropy and boosterism to invest effectively in our schools," said Richard W. Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education and the co-chairman of the National Commission on Civic Investment in Public Education. "We are calling on Americans from all walks of life-with and without school-aged children of their own-to hold political leaders and school officials at all levels accountable for ensuring equal opportunity and outcomes for all children in our nation's public schools."

The Commission, created by Public Education Network (PEN), was charged with making a renewed case for civic investment, highlighting the work of organizations that can build and channel that investment, and developing standards for the rapidly-rising number of citizendriven, local public education assistance organizations – local education funds (LEFs), school foundations, etc. – working throughout our nation to improve public schools.

The National Commission's report, An Appeal to All Americans, focuses on these groups, which constitute an increasingly recognized team of significant players on the national education scene. These public education assistance groups provide a wide range of supports to their local public schools and districts, including engaging communities and the public to become more vigilant in the improvement of their local public schools.

The National Commission asked the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at The Urban Institute to conduct a study of the structures, focus and impact of these organizations. The Urban Institute's study, "Who Helps Public Schools?," found there were more than 19,000 such nonprofit education assistance organizations (booster clubs, parent-teacher groups, public and local education funds, scholarship funds and high school alumni associations). These groups, which play key policy and advocacy roles in many communities, spent more than $4.3 billion in 2007 alone to support public education. The Urban Institute's study helped inform the recommendations of the National Commission.

To support their growth and impact, the National Commission makes an unprecedented call upon these organizations to adopt operating standards that are consistent with the highest levels of nonprofit practices and accountability to the public. While education support organizations have a wide diversity of purposes and circumstances, these standards are intended to be applicable to all public and local education funds.

The National Commission's recommendations, based on the standards for nonprofit organizations developed by the Independent Sector, demonstrate how these groups can operate in both a transparent and ethical manner, and describe what school districts, prospective donors and the public can expect from these organizations.

The National Commission's report also presents case-study examples from Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland and Washington that show encouraging practices.

"In the current fiscal climate, when public schools are financially stretched to meet even basic needs, the role of these private resources becomes even more prominent, and thus these recommendations are very timely," said Wendy D. Puriefoy, president of Public Education Network. "In order to keep faith with the community they represent and from which their support derives, LEFs must demonstrate that they meet clear, high standards."

The National Commission, co-chaired by Riley and Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University, includes a broad cross-section of top leaders in education policy, civic engagement and philanthropy. The National Commission has called on organizations, such as PEN and the National School Foundation Association (NSFA)-whose leaders served on the Commission-to require its members to adopt these standards.

"In this era of heightened scrutiny of nonprofit organizations, the Commission is to be commended for developing proactively these standards as a guiding framework for groups in the education sector," said Diana Aviv, President and CEO of the Washington-based Independent Sector and a National Commission member.

The report provides guidelines for education funds in their mission, programming, and allocation of resources and funding support to local schools and districts. The report also provides recommendations for standards associated with evaluation and transparency, legal compliance, personal and professional integrity and responsible stewardship.

An Appeal to All Americans also urges that education membership organizations of all types, including PEN:

1. Adopt and adhere to the Standards as a requirement for membership – Association and membership groups can set mandates for Standards of Practice. This may be the most that some associations can reasonably expect. Other organizations, in particular those that provide financial support and a broader array of services to their members, may be able to require evidence that members and their boards are effectively instituting and monitoring compliance with the Standards.

2. Regularly provide or refer members to "best practices" information – Public and local education funds should receive training and technical assistance, including the conduct, response to and reporting of periodic ethical audits.

3. Continue to document best practices adopted by organizations – These organizational groups should disseminate information to their core constituencies, including other members, funders, donors, the public schools supported by them and the public in general; and use this information to build, update or acquire relevant training materials.

4. Develop and implement ways to recognize exemplary organizations – publicly – perhaps through awards and/or stamps of approval that demonstrate that they have met or are continuing to meet the Standards.

PEN will launch an effort this summer to promote adoption of the Commission's standards among its membership.

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Public Education Network (PEN) is a national association of local education funds and individuals working to advance public school reform in low-income communities across our country. PEN believes an active, vocal constituency is the key to ensuring that every child, in every community, benefits from a quality public education. PEN and its members are building public demand and mobilizing resources for quality public education on behalf of 8 million children in 34 states, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. PEN has expanded its work internationally to include members in Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, and Tanzania.

The National Commission on Civic Investment in Public Education is comprised of corporate executives, philanthropic leaders, educators, researchers, public officials and public education assistance organization leaders from around the country who share a keen interest in expanding civic knowledge and support of public education through community engagement and citizen involvement.

The deliberations of the National Commission were conducted throughout 2009 and 2010 and facilitated and executed by Lance C. Buhl, Center for Leadership & Public Values at Duke University and Amanda R. Broun, Senior Vice President at Public Education Network. The work of the National Commission was supported by the following foundations and corporations: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Prudential and Wells Fargo Foundations.

Members of the National Commission on Civic Investment in Public Education
Diana Aviv, President and CEO, Independent Sector
Barbara Bartle, President, Lincoln Community Foundation
Susan Berresford, Former President, The Ford Foundation
James Collogan, Executive Director, National School Foundation Association
Linda Darling-Hammond, (co-chair) Charles E. Ducommun Professor, Stanford University School of Education Virginia Esposito, President, National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP)
Charles E.M. Kolb, President, Committee for Economic Development
Michael Lipsky, Senior Program Director, Demos
Jack Murrah, Former President, Lyndhurst Foundation
Wendy D. Puriefoy, President, Public Education Network
Lata Reddy, Philanthropic Consultant
Robert Reich, Associate Professor of Political Science, Stanford University
S. Paul Reville, Secretary of Education, Commonwealth of Massachussetts Executive Office of Education
Hon. Richard W. Riley, (co-chair) Former U.S. Secretary of Education; Senior Partner, EducationCounsel LLC
Eduardo Roberto Rodriguez, Of Counsel, Rodriguez and Nicolas LLP
Warren Simmons, Executive Director, Annenberg Institute for School Reform
Richard Tagle, Chief Executive Officer, Higher Achievement
Luz Vega-Marquis, President and CEO, Marguerite Casey Foundation
Chad Wick, Chief Executive Officer, KnowledgeWorks Foundation

For more information, contact
Kari Hudnell 202-955-9450 x318, khudnell@communicationworks.com
Dakarai Aarons, 202-955-9450 x319, daarons@communicationworks.com