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Schools reflect their communities—healthy communities
have good public schools and take responsibility for
the quality of education these schools provide. The public
must take responsibility for determining policies for
its schools and communities must make sure that leaders
appropriately apply those policies.
To help communities achieve good schools, Public Education Network has developed a “theory of action” for community engagement and public school success centered on the following elements:
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Three audiences: the general
public, stakeholders, and policymakers
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Three strategies: community organizing,
community-wide strategic planning, and advocacy
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Three school-reform issues: standards
and accountability, schools and community, and
teacher quality
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National initiatives build demand for quality public schools
PEN has launched three national
initiatives to test its theory of action. The initiatives,
centered on organizing strategies that engage broad
audiences in school reform, are grounded in real practice
in real communities.
Local education funds (LEFs)—independent
community-based school reform advocates—are pioneering
the theory of action in communities across the country,
helping these communities develop the power and the constituencies
to transform public schools.
At the end of the four-year initiatives, PEN envisions
robust communities able to continuously produce new leaders
and sustain public involvement, with accountability systems
that place shared responsibility for success with everyone
in the community. Implementation of policies that positively
affect public schools is the desired result. As the initiatives
progress, communities will also see a stronger civic
infrastructure, greater economic stability, a better
ability to solve problems, and more citizen participation. |
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