A Citizen's Guide to Restoring Academic Excellence

Citizens ask, "What can we do? We don't like what we are seeing happening in our schools, in our society — what can we do about it, we are just one person?"

There is a great deal citizens can do.

1) Educate yourself on the issue by reading source documents, meaning local, state and federal documents. Do not base your information on conservative think tanks and talk show hosts. While these are good to reinforce what you know, for credibility you need to be able to quote source documents. Just as you shouldn't rely on conservative think tanks, likewise do not rely on major media – newspapers, radio, or television.

2) Get involved. One person plus one person makes two people; two plus two equals four (yes, right answers still are important!)

3) Network with others locally and across the nation.

a) The situation in our nation is very critical. People opposing the restructuring of our nation are coming under immense pressure to keep quiet and go along. The camaraderie of people working to save our nation is especially important when the going gets rough and it often does.

b) You have the opportunity to share important information and to learn what is happening in other schools districts and states.

4) Learn the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of your elected officials, local, state and federal; also who the education officer is within your state and the telephone number to reach your state department of education and the various departments under the supervision of your state department of education.

5) Obtain a copy of your state's education reform law. Read it carefully.

6) Obtain a copy of Goals 2000, the Improving America's Schools Act, and the School to Work Opportunities Act from your Congressman (federal).

7) Call 1-800-USA-LEARN (yes, it is too many digits but it really does ring through) and ask to be put on the list to receive the Community Update from the U.S. Department of Education. Read it each month. Order items provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

8) Obtain, as money allows, copies of the national education standards for the various disciplines (history, mathematics, science, social studies, geography, civics, English/language arts, etc)

9) Obtain from your school district

a) a copy of your school district's annual budget — both the projected and the final.

b) all grants for which your school district or individual schools have applied.

c) a copy of the exit outcomes (also called student learning goals, student goals, student outcomes, performance outcomes or just plain "goals.")

d) a copy of your school district's strategic plan

e) a list of your school district's restructuring teams and who is on them

f) a copy of your school district's collective bargaining agreement (union agreement)

g) any contracts held with a regional laboratory. There are ten regional labs. The regional lab for Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska is Northwest Regional Educational Laboratories, 101 SW Main Street, Suite 500, Portland, Oregon; Telephone (503) 275-9500; FAX (503) 275-9489. Regional labs are primarily supported by contracts from the U.S. Department of Education.

10) Call your state office of education. Ask for

a) publications put out by your state office of education pertaining to education reform, school to work and workforce training; ask to be put on the list for monthly publications.

b) any grants received from the federal government.

c) statewide test scores on standardized tests. These are usually published two to three months after the tests are given to the children at the 4th, 8th, and 11th grade level (grade levels may vary). Some states give them more often. As important as the test scores is the "percent tested." While this says "percent tested" what it really means is "percent validated" or the actual percentage of tests included in the score recorded. Under the new education reform rules, many states are allowing districts to invalidate tests to bring scores up to a level that will not draw the attention of citizens.

11) Some states put out a manual that contains only those laws pertaining to education. If your state does this, these manuals can be very beneficial to you in monitoring what your district can and cannot do legally. Many state laws are also on the internet.

12) Find out what your state laws are pertaining to open public meetings, public disclosure, and copying.

13) Familiarize yourself with your states law-making process and how to obtain copies of impending legislation. Keep hot line numbers and bill room numbers handy.

14) It is helpful to form a legislative committee to follow laws and give input during a legislative session. Find out what your state's lobbying laws are to make sure that when talking with your legislators, you are not violating lobbying laws. Those laws can usually be obtained from your state Public Disclosure Commission.

15) At the classroom level

a) talk with your child about his/her day at school.

b) ask about what happened in the classroom, in the halls, in the lunchroom, on the playground.

c) check your child's school books. Are they accurate or are they politically correct? Do they tend to vilify national heroes, leaders, and capitalism while exploiting the plight of the common man?

d) ask to see all worksheets, tests and supplemental teaching material given to your child or to which your child will be exposed. The reason for this is that the majority of objectionable material is introduced in supplemental teaching material. Watch closely the books your child is reading or that are read to your child in the classroom.

e) listen very closely to what your child tells you and quietly check out anything that sounds odd to you. Do not pass off as your child's "wild imagination" any story he/she tells you that sounds to you as though it is just a little hard to believe. Check it out before you dismiss it as the product of an overactive imagination.

16) Citizens come into the arena of education reform at a decided disadvantage. They are playing in the educators court — someplace they are not used to being. There are some things citizens should and should not do. If your district is beginning the process of education reform and you are concerned

a) approach your school board cautiously; some school board members are educatable; others are not. It is a good idea to know where you stand as far as being able to educate them before you try to do so. Do not, however, immediately label them as one way or the other. Many school board members honestly believe that this is a grassroots movement, local in flavor; they don't know the larger picture. Some school board members are in the position for political purposes. They are sometimes reachable but often times their ego and political bent outweigh their will to do what is right for children. Some school board members believe that they were elected to represent the school and do so with a vengeance. They tend to try to alienate and neutralize anyone who they perceive a threat to the agenda of education reform.

b) parents are often times very upset when they discover that their children are to become "human capital" for the benefit of the state. Their anger tends to spill when addressing board members. Try to keep this under control as much as possible. Remember that some board members are reachable but they may not understand or may feel that they are being attacked by an angry parent.

c) work to organize a broad base of support to oppose education reform. Do this quietly and as quickly as possible. Home meetings work well for this — several people together for coffee, discussing the issues. Be ready to supply documentation. It is good if you can get local ministers and prominent business people involved. Remember, this is what advocates of education reform will do. While the tactic will be the same, their purpose is to pursue the restructuring agenda and alienate anyone who gets in their way; your purpose should be the good of children and the continued freedom of our nation. Once the broad base of support is built, you are ready to face the issue with a unified front. Remember, however, that advocates are well versed in how to create dissension in the ranks. Remember also that children in classrooms with teachers who advocate education reform and children of other parents who also advocate education reform can be subject to harassment and coercion.

d) follow the money trail. Education reform is pushing states to the brink of bankruptcy; property taxes are skyrocketing as school taxes are increasing substantially to pay for education reform. Keep your legislators apprised of what education reform is costing in real dollars. Remember that grants – state and federal – are taxpayer dollars. While many elected officials see a few thousand here, a few thousand there, its a whole different story when they see the sum total.

e) remember that it is easier to keep education reform out than it is to get it out once it's in. Citizens are at a decided disadvantage here because education reform is being brought in and implemented at the outset in pieces and parts — a little here, a little there. Citizens are not told up front and honestly what it is or what the intent is. As such, the program is usually well under way before citizens discover what is going on. At this point, they are already behind the eight ball.

f) insist that all meetings be open public forum meetings run by Roberts rules of Order rather than consensus.

These are some of the things that citizens can do in the interests of children and of our nation. Fighting education reform is a learning process. Hopefully the experiences of those who go before can benefit newcomers. If the restructuring of America is to be defeated, it will be the people who defeat it — each one making many.

National Freedom of Information Coalition

© April 1996; Lynn M Stuter

╪