Improve and Transform Schools – Schools are microcosms of society. While schools can’t be all things to all people, we can continue to rethink the way that schools educate, support and respond to the needs of students, families, and communities. With your help, we can:

• Continue innovations in addressing the academic and social-emotional learning needs of students wherever they are performing
• Provide more targeted support to struggling and underperforming schools
• Strategically target funding to rural schools and schools that are persistently impacted by race and poverty
• Enhance school safety

Serve the Needs of Every Student – The needs of students are more diverse now than ever. Personalized learning is critical to the success of every student. A whole-child approach should part of our core business. To meet these needs, we must:

• Re-focus on the academic and instructional needs of every student, both high-needs learners and high-performing learners
• Develop and implement trauma-responsive practices to address the adverse childhood experiences of students
• Improve teacher diversity through an enhanced focus on teacher recruitment and retention
• Provide equity of opportunity to students in rural schools

Invest in Professional Educators – Teachers, principals, and other education professionals are key to the success and well-being of students.  Support for the profession begins with competitive compensation and includes innovations to educator preparation and professional development. For the betterment of our schools and the lives of tomorrow’s leaders, it is imperative that we:

• Continue efforts to improve teacher and principal compensation
• Raise the wages for other support personnel to a minimum of $15/hr
• Improve partnerships between PK-12 and educator preparation programs
• Create more opportunities to support and connect teachers and principals in rural schools