Citizen Tribune August 31, 2006

HEADLINE: Making schools 'Excell'ent HC*EXCELL to partner with national campaign

BY BOBBIE YOUNG Tribune Staff Writer

HC*EXCELL, Hamblen County's local education foundation, will participate this fall in a new national public education campaign that aims to guarantee a quality public education for every child in the nation.

Through its membership in Public Education Network, HC*EXCELL will support Give Kids Good Schools, a campaign that seeks to provide Americans with the information and resources they need to take action in their communities and improve their public schools.

By providing online resources and local activities, Give Kids Good Schools will encourage individuals to learn, vote and act in pursuit of quality public education.

The campaign will help the public learn the facts about quality public education, stay informed about issues that impact public schools, and take action in their communities.

Give Kids Good Schools Week will be held Oct. 16-22. During this week, HC*EXCELL will provide local activities for the citizens of Hamblen County to learn more about the state of public education and what they can do to help make it better.

"We are excited to participate in this national campaign to inspire the American public to act in support of public schools," said Andy Smith, president of HC*EXCELL. "In Hamblen County we have worked to insure that the voice of the public is heard in discussions about our public schools. We hope with this campaign that more of our community members will get involved."

Give Kids Good Schools was featured in Sunday's PARADE magazine in the Citizen Tribune. The story highlights how public involvement can make the difference in local public schools.

Give Kids Good Schools is a multi-year campaign designed to build a constituency of Americans who will use their voices and votes to achieve the goal of quality public education for all children. A new Web site, GiveKidsGoodSchools.org, will help the public stay informed about issues affecting public schools and provide ideas for taking action to improve public schools in the community.

The Web site will be a central resource for information, facts and materials about public schools and will provide easy to use materials such as:

• Answers to commonly asked questions about public schools in the U.S.

• How is My School Doing? A partnership with SchoolMatters.com will allow individuals to find information about their local school districts.

• Tips to Start Public School Conversations: Questions to ask school boards, principals, teachers and students.

Public Education Network (www.PublicEducation.org) is a national constituency of local education foundations and individuals working to improve public schools and build public support for quality public education for poor and disadvantaged children in low-income communities across the nation.

PEN and its 88 LEF members work in 34 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico on behalf of 11.5 million children in more than 16,000 schools, seeking to bring the community voice into the debate on quality public education in the firm belief that an active, vocal constituency will ensure every child, in every community, a quality public education.