On Dec. 9, in dozens of cities from coast to coast, parents, educators and more than 100 community groups are coming together for a National Day of Action to Reclaim the Promise of Public Education: Our Schools, Our Solutions. These events mark the beginning of an important movement taking hold in neighborhoods across the United States.
Despite the challenges posed by childhood poverty, budget cuts, larger class sizes and excessive standardized testing, to name a few, we are coming together to create great, joyful, engaging environments for all of our students. We can do that by focusing on what we know works: early childhood education, project-based learning, wraparound services, teacher autonomy, professional development, parent voice, fair funding formulas and more.
Here's how you can help reclaim the promise of public education and make the Day of Action a success:
- Sign this petition calling for a new direction for our public schools.
- Join this Thunderclap before Dec. 9, which will send all of our tweets and Facebook posts at the same time on the Day of Action.
- Change your cover photo on Facebook on Dec. 9. Get the image here.
- Use Twitter on Dec. 9 to tell your followers about the Day of Action. Here are some sample tweets:
- Today is the National Day of Action to #reclaimpubliced. Join us! reclaimpublicednow.org
- 100+ community groups & unions signed on to "The Principles that Unite Us." Ask more for 12/9 Day of Action. #reclaimpubliced
- Austerity, privatization and overtesting are failing our schools and our kids. Let's #reclaimpubliced!
- The Day of Action is the springboard for us to begin working together in a more deliberate way. #reclaimpubliced
This National Day of Action is only a start, and we still have mountains we're determined to climb. For our students, our teachers, our parents and our communities, we've got to keep climbing. Join us in the movement to reclaim the promise of public education.
In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President