Power Beyond the Classroom

It's clear from Inservice coverage of the vice presidential debate and the three presidential debates that education hasn't been a top issue during this election season. In fact, the country's economic meltdown has dominated political conversations of late, and the candidates' substantive conversations on education can probably be counted on one hand. But in his latest "Is It Good for the Kids?" column, ASCD Executive Director Gene Carter asserts,

Moving forward, the new president, his administration, and the new Congress must refocus their attention on education because it's the single most important factor shaping our country's future. If we don't educate our children well, they won't be able to lead our country and solve its problems years from now.

Carter describes how educators hold a unique power and responsibility when it comes to influencing policymakers and shaping education policy because "they offer elected officials a direct line to students." He describes how ASCD is committed to helping educators exercise their voices beyond their classrooms, schools, and districts so that education policy is developed and implemented with student interests in mind.

Here at Inservice, we want to know how you've exercised your voice beyond the classroom to influence education policy. Do you feel prepared to talk with lawmakers about improving education? Have you encountered barriers to sharing your expertise with legislators?

Comments

[Christine Ohtani-Chang]

Unfortunately, many of us forget to recognize our actions, our vote, our intent affect generation(s). We forget to take the blinders off and look with tunnel vision. due to this we have destroyed lives, families, jobs, economy, administrations, communities with no regret as to where we aare today. How we get to educational goalsk may differ; whether it be through technology, differentiation, integration, inclusion, the language is limitless but we get no where if we don;t have a common goal.
You speak of diversity, that doesn't have a place on the agenda anymore, its expected.