Editor's Note: The following letter from U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley urges all concerned citizens to get involved with improving their local schools. The Secretary's America Goes Back To School: Get Involved! program is supported by the more than 700 family, education, business, religious, and community groups in the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education. The national cochairs of America Goes Back To School are Joan Dykstra, National PTA President; Tipper Gore, wife of the Vice President and a lifelong child advocate; Bo Jackson, actor/businessman and Heisman Trophy winner; and Ted Sanders, President of Southern Illinois University.If you're at all like me, you were both heartened and dismayed by results of some national surveys conducted earlier this year confirming that Americans believe our number one priority should be educating our nation's children. I was heartened to know that people are finally putting education at the top of their priority lists; dismayed that some think our public schools are not up to the challenge.
With your involvement and leadership, we are up to the challenge. I would suggest that there is no better time than the beginning of this new school year for family and community members to step forward and volunteer to work with administrators and teachers to improve learning for our communities' children.
This month, every school in America will receive a packet of information about a nationwide initiative called America Goes Back To School: Get Involved! which encourages schools, families and community members to work together to make education better in their communities. In its second year, America Goes Back To School gives people the opportunity to get involved at the beginning of the school year and continue with a year-long commitment.
Thirty years of research shows that when family and community members are directly involved in education, children achieve better grades and higher test scores, have much higher reading comprehension, graduate at higher rates, are more likely to enroll in higher education, and are better behaved.
America Goes Back To School: Get Involved! encourages parents, grandparents, community leaders, employers and employees, members of the arts and scientific communities, students, religious leaders, lay people, and every caring citizen to work together with schools and colleges to make education better and support learning in- and outside the schools. Participants are asked to support activities that meet the "Challenges to American Education" that I identified in my third annual "State of American Education" address: 1) Make schools safe and disciplined, a precondition for learning; 2) Encourage parent and family involvement; 3) Make America a reading, literate society; 4) Reach for new levels of excellence: achieve high standards and real accountability; 5) Make computers available so all students will succeed in the 21st century; 6) Prepare young people for careers: a strong transition from school to work; and 7) Make college more accessible: keep the promise of the American dream.
Last year, parents, celebrities, elected officials, athletes, artists, teachers, CEOs, authors, musicians, and astronauts went back to school to share their knowledge and skills and emphasize how important a good education was to their success.
As a new school year begins, I encourage you to volunteer and help organize the many resources in your community to make learning the number one priority. Rally around your schools and colleges and support their endeavors to prepare America's students for the 21st century. Not only will our young people win, but so will your community.
For more information about America Goes Back To School: Get Involved, see the insert page. To receive a free activity kit, call 1-800-USA-LEARN.
President Clinton's 1997 budget request responds to this record- setting enrollment with increased investment in education within the framework of a plan to balance the federal budget. The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to cut President Clinton's 1997 budget request for education by $2.8 billion.
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley urged Congress to reconsider its proposal. "Our students deserve to benefit from safe, drug-free, and disciplined classrooms; extra help to learn the basics; higher academic standards; well-prepared teachers; and access to modern technology. These would be threatened by the House cuts."
The chart below shows projected student enrollment increases for each state and the net loss in funding that each state would incur if education programs are funded at the levels proposed by the U.S. House of Representatives instead of the levels proposed by President Clinton.
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| Enrollment | || | Enrollment |
State | Increase, | Loss of Funds || State | Increase, | Loss of Funds
| 1995-97 | (in millions) || | 1995-97 | (in millions)
------|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
AL | 19,000 | 47 || MT | 1,000 | 11
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AK | 7,000 | 9 || NE | 4,000 | 14
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AZ | 43,000 | 45 || NV | 19,000 | 10
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AR | 5,000 | 28 || NH | 4,000 | 10
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
CA | 350,000 | 328 || NM | 14,000 | 23
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
CO | 28,000 | 31 || NY | 78,000 | 251
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
CT | 13,000 | 21 || NJ | 56,000 | 56
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
DE | 9,000 | 9 || ND | -1,000 | 11
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
DC | -3,000 | 9 || NC | 48,000 | 53
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
FL | 106,000 | 111 || OH | 25,000 | 112
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
GA | 50,000 | 64 || OK | 7,000 | 35
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HI | 9,000 | 9 || OR | 20,000 | 26
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
ID | 5,000 | 12 || PA | 39,000 | 110
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
IL | 52,000 | 126 || RI | 4,000 | 11
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
IN | 19,000 | 44 || SD | 3,000 | 11
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
IA | 3,000 | 23 || SC | 18,000 | 35
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KS | 7,000 | 22 || TN | 24,000 | 46
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KY | 4,000 | 44 || TX | 114,000 | 220
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
LA | 0 | 71 || UT | 7,000 | 19
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ME | -1,000 | 10 || VT | 1,000 | 9
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
MD | 41,000 | 38 || VA | 49,000 | 47
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
MA | 28,000 | 48 || WA | 51,000 | 42
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
MI | 29,000 | 106 || WV | -2,000 | 22
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
MN | 13,000 | 36 || WI | 17,000 | 44
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
MS | 2,000 | 46 || WY | 0 | 9
-----|-------------|---------------||--------|-------------|--------------
MO | 11,000 | 47 || | |
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America Goes Back To School: Get Involved! encourages parents, grandparents, community leaders, employers and employees, members of the arts community, religious leaders, and every caring adult to play a more active role in improving education in their communities.
Specifically, it will focus on the following issues, which the American people have said their schools should address:
Back-to-school materials are available and will be mailed to every principal in the country. To receive your own copy, call 1-800-USA-LEARN. These materials contain numerous suggested activities for families, schools, colleges, businesses, religious and community groups, as well as a colorful collage poster featuring children's artwork that has won awards in National PTA competitions.
Last year, thousands of individuals went back to school across the country. This year, we want to encourage even more Americans to join us and GET INVOLVED! in their local schools.
America Goes Back To School: Get Involved! is endorsed by the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Council for American Private Education, the American Association of School Administrators, the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education, the National PTA, the National Coalition of Title I/Chapter 1 Parents, the National Education Association, the National School Boards Association, and the American Federation of Teachers.
Come on, America...let's go BACK TO SCHOOL!
| If you already have an America Goes Back to School event planned, contact us so we can tell others about your activities. Send your name, or the name of your school, organization or employer, an address and contact name, phone and fax numbers, e- mail address, and a description of your event or activity. Be sure to include the date(s), location and list of participants. Send the information to: Jennifer Ballen, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Ave. S.W., Room 2200, Washington, D.C., 20202. Fax events to (202) 401-3130 or E-mail: agbts@ed.gov. |
In a taped opening message to the program, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton said, "...It is incumbent upon us to provide all our children -- boys and girls -- with the knowledge and skills they need to lead our country into the 21st century." U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley echoed this theme, "We're entering a new economic age, a high-tech age with intense global competition, and we don't have a person to waste."
The important role that the business community can play in strengthening educational opportunities for children was recognized by several panelists. "There are many ways that the corporate sector can be involved in supporting programs -- not just in funding them directly, but providing meeting space and having employee volunteers attend your schools and give presentations on the huge range of jobs in any company," said Gloria De Necochea, Manager of the Mattel Foundation.
To reinforce students' belief in themselves, the role of parents and caring adults was discussed as critical. "The input of parents cannot be underestimated," said Wendy Hilliard, President of the Women's Sports Foundation, "and having that belief of the important teacher, coach, or administrator to keep you going."
Other guest panelists included Melanie DewBerry, Director of Programs for Girls Incorporated in San Leandro, Calif.; Skip Fennel, a professor of mathematics at Western Maryland College in Westminster, Md.; and Judy Horan, Assistant Principal at Norco Intermediate School in Corona, Calif.
In her closing remarks, Deputy Secretary Kunin, who has been appointed as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland, reflected on her service as Deputy Secretary. She related the excitement she has felt when visiting schools where the belief that all children can learn has helped students overcome barriers such as poverty and excel in learning. "Our greatest challenge is to make sure that every teacher and parent in this country gives children that kind of encouragement so that we can have excellence of opportunity for all of our children," Deputy Secretary Kunin said.
The Education Department has a packet of materials with useful tips for enhancing educational opportunities for girls, as well as information on other resources to support these efforts. To request the materials, call 1-800-USA-LEARN.
"Terrel Bell's boldness and leadership inspired millions of Americans in thousands of communities to take part in a great national movement to make their schools better and provide a quality education to every child."
U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley"He is one of our nation's greatest examples in the course of the past four decades of striving to put support for education on everyone's agenda -- on a bipartisan agenda."
Gordon Ambach, Executive Director,
Council for Chief State School Officers"...A committed educator, who no matter what his status or responsibility, saw his ultimate purpose as the improvement of education for all of America's children."
Milt Goldberg, Senior Vice President of Education,
National Alliance of Business
The Feinstein Foundation, headquartered in Cranston, R.I., provides a wealth of opportunities for students from elementary school through the university level to get involved in community service. Developed by business leader and philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein, the programs reach students throughout Rhode Island and nationwide.
More than 70,000 elementary school students in Rhode Island participate in the "I Can Make A Difference" program. Students are provided with activity journals where they explore the theme of helping others and record their good deeds. The program is reinforced in each school through children's theater productions, performances by folk singers, instructional guides, and videos. The "I Can Make A Difference" program is being disseminated nationally at the fifth grade level.
The Youth Hunger Brigade Project for junior high students has also been disseminated nationally and has been implemented at 68 public and private middle schools in Rhode Island. Students research the causes of hunger and take action to address the problem in their own communities. A curriculum guide, developed at the Feinstein World Hunger Program at Brown University, is provided to all participating schools, and grants are awarded for outstanding community projects.
Opportunities for high school students include the Louis Feinstein-Horatio Alger Association Humanitarian Award. In each state and the District of Columbia, one outstanding high school junior is recognized for exemplary community service and awarded a $5000 savings bond. The Louis Feinstein Memorial Scholarship Fund provides scholarships of $10,000 to high school students who have demonstrated high scholastic achievement and a commitment to community service. At a school-wide level, 43 public and private high schools in Rhode Island have received grants of between $20,000 and $25,000 to establish community service learning programs as part of the curriculum. Eighteen of these schools were awarded additional $25,000 grants to set up a student-run philanthropy program where students review requests from community agencies and award grants.
At the college level, an innovative bachelor's degree program in public/community service studies was established at Providence College through a $5 million grant from the Feinstein Foundation. The Enriching America Program has awarded grants of $1 million each to four Rhode Island postsecondary institutions: Johnson and Wales, the New England Institute of Technology, Salve Regina, and the University of Rhode Island. At these schools, students are required to complete a course in community service in order to graduate.
For more information about the community service programs of the Feinstein Foundation, write: The Feinstein Foundation, 37 Alhambra Circle, Cranston, R.I., 02905.
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