pic by robin hutton

All in the Interpretation!  When it comes to deciding how to support education it is easy to notice that school materials are in a short supply or restricted for students in the public education system.  Nonprofits can make access to school materials a problem of the past if the local school district is willing to work with the nonprofit community.  Each District school should just make sure it sets the standard for what it needs.  Otherwise, the school will get the interpretation of what others call quality and quantity. 

pic by Robin Hutton

Stop thinking so hard on how to have a philanthropy inititive in tune with your business.  There is a great example. 

Stop thinking so hard on how as a nonprofit your organization can participate in education.  There is a great example.

Check out the Simon Youth Foundation as an educational alternative solution for Districts whom do not want the Charter school choice.

It is just one way for nonprofits and businesses to learn how to change their design and focus to join the education effort. 

Pic by Robin Hutton

Passing laws for the purpose of educational reform will not result in an improved educational system.  It takes change by individuals in Public Education schools to bring about dramatic improvement in students that are not achieving.  Lowering standards to allow students to graduate does no one any good if the result is a student whom is ill prepared for the work force or college. 

Educating students is not suppose to be easy under the current time limits.   It is easy to sit still and have time pass without the student participating.  It is easy to blame someone else for the failure of the education system.  It is easy to talk about change but takes time and energy to produce successful outcomes. 

So stop sitting back and get involved in changing education. the tools are there but it needs your effort to implement the change in your community.

pic by robin hutton

It is time to bring technology to the forefront in education to provide students the skills to be prepared for participating in the 21st century.  Nonprofits should help bring the Ebook solution to education and to its employees.  Taking advantage of these learning tools are effective for staff training and are sensitive to time constraints. 

pic from magnusmangosmangos

Nonprofits, charter schools, foundations and businesses are being created to save the education system from itself.  The national security of the United States is at risk unless the economic foundation of the nation is solid. 

The education system needs dramatic improvement and can not be left to where one might live or what resources are available.  The education system has to produce for all  students the opportunity to be employees in the 21st century.  This means most jobs require a work force that is based in technology and science.  This means a work force that is able to work in a global economy. 

The Race to the TOP is not only about states competing for creating the best educational outcomes, it is also about the United States racing to the top of the global economy.

Together the US can reach that goal.   

pic from Graela

When letting a student know that they need to do something, you just might want to make sure you specify how the task is to be conducted. 

Should the task be meant to be a punishment or an opportunity to learn?  I would urge one to turn it into an opportunity to learn not only a lesson but facts that are important towards their educational goal. 

It is the students education that needs to be the focus not an adult’s opportunity to show the student who is in charge. 

pic from Graela

There are plenty examples of public schools either as District or Charter schools who have created exciting curriculum in which students are on wait lists to entry.  The results at these schools in comparison to schools that do not have waiting lists seems to suggest a simple fact.  The engagement of the student is fundamental to achieving positive outcomes. 

If homework is always viewed as a task in misery then the motivation to learn will decrease until there is no motivation.  Make things challenging and engaging and watch the results improve. 

Pic from wvdirtboy 

Let’s not fool ourselves about the GED education as an alternative.  It has not shown to help the student get a job, in fact it seems to to hurt.  The perception is that the individual could not make it in school and gave it up for something easier.

GED is not the quality an employer wants to see in a candidate looking for a job.  Let’s stop fooling the students and make it a high school diploma process for all students. 

The GED label hurts in applying for a job, so let’s stop trying to fool youth of its worth and move the dollars to getting a high school diploma as the outcome. 

Education is not just by a few administrators, it is by the whole community.  It is time for choices that provide more opportunity, not less.  Education is not meeting the mandate of classroom instruction for 6 hours.  Education is not passing the student with a D. 

Education is about creating a youth who is prepared to work and learn in the 21st century.  The fact that a large number of youth graduating from high school are ill prepared to work in the 21st century and ill prepared to learn to achieve an associate’s degree says a lot about the public primary and secondary education system.

The fastest way to achieve better outcomes is through choice and competition.  Charter schools, which are a segment of the public school system, are the right receipt to do this.