New Website Offers a Fresh Vision for America's Public Schools

Contact: Claus von Zastrow, Learning First Alliance, 202 296-5520 x115

PUBLICSCHOOLINSIGHTS.ORG Spotlights What Is Working at the Local Level; Offers Real Examples, Ideas for Improving Student Learning

Washington, DC – February 26, 2008 – All across America, front-line educators are working with their communities to shape a fresh vision for the future of public schools. A new website shows how teachers, administrators, parents and others are finding common ground and crafting innovative, 21st-century solutions to the challenge of helping all students succeed.

Publicschoolinsights.org, launched today by the Learning First Alliance, is a resource for educators, communities and policymakers seeking accessible information about replicable strategies for strengthening student learning. The website includes real stories showing how Americans who work in and for the nation's public schools are advancing new ideas and testing new approaches that are delivering real gains in student achievement. The stories reveal an emerging vision for public schools.

"These stories illustrate how keen insight and well-designed efforts are transforming our public schools. There is more to be done, and more schools and students need support, but these stories demonstrate that we have the inspiration, will and energy to make our public schools great," said John Wilson, board chair of the Learning First Alliance and executive director of the National Education Association.

Publicschoolinsights.org features a wide variety of short "success stories" about U.S. schools and school districts that have adopted successful strategies for addressing key challenges in education today -- from giving students the personal attention they need to reaching for high standards to creating safe places to learn. Visitors can search for schools and districts that resemble their own, or submit their own stories about their districts or schools.

In addition to success stories, the website features an array of tools that educators and communities can use to make the case for improvements that advance student performance and learning. Exclusive interviews with education leaders and authors, a blog, and other interactive features round out the menu of online offerings. The ultimate goal: to build a sense of community among those who are working at the local level to strengthen their public schools, while showcasing strategies that work.

"There is a quiet revolution under way in public education today," said Claus von Zastrow, executive director of the Learning First Alliance. "Across the country, people in communities are implementing new and imaginative approaches to engaging students and parents, adopting standards that matter, and giving educators the tools they need. Put it all together, and you start to see an exciting direction for the future of our public schools."

About the Learning First Alliance: The Learning First Alliance is a permanent partnership of 18 leading education associations with more than 10 million members dedicated to improving student learning in America's public schools. We share examples of success, encourage collaboration at every level, and work toward the continual and long-term improvement of public education based on solid research.