Preface
The National Coalition of Educational Equity Advocates seeks to assure that all children are participants and beneficiaries of the highest quality educational programming. Our concern for both quality and equity requires that we demand that all sutdents have access to high quality educational programs that have been designed by teams of culturally diverse individuals meeting the needs of a diverse student population and society. The National Coalition of Educational Equity Advocates measures equity by resources, quality of educational programs and processes, teachers' readiness to teach, students' readiness to learn, and student results. Working under the assumption that all children can learn, the success of schools, not simply the success of students, should be measured by student results, with all groups of students reaching the highest possible achievement levels.
Responding to the growing concern about the quality and nature of public eduction in the United States, the National Coalition of Educational Equity Advocates (NCEEA) seeks to:
- Influence federal, state and local educational reform legislation and programs to assure that equity concerns are reflected;
- Work toward the alignment of all components of systemic reform at the local, state and federal levels;
- Assis state education agencies to develop their capacities to carry out equitable reform efforts;
- Influence eductional equity advocates (including parents, community members, and individuals and organizations that are concerned woth special populations) on the need for and ways to expand their emphasis to include collaboration on issues of systemic educational reform.
The NCEEA members, reflecting a range of educational equity issues, are determined that the vital goal of achieving eductional equity issues, are determined that the vital goal of achieving eductional equity for all is not obscured in the current debate about national eductional reform. Although differences of opinion and of priority can arise from our individual commitments to specific equity goals, we share a conviction that reform is only real when it is real for all.
Educate America addresses broad structural issues that, if resolved, we see as the foundation for communites and schools to rebuild education free of inequity and committed to excellence for all children. A full representation of the inequities faced by any individual or group is beyond Educate America's scope, as are detailed proposed solutions to population-specific needs (e.g., Latino, Asian/Pacific American, limited English proficient, female, Native American, students with disabilities, or African American).
Educate America argues the need for local, state and federal governments and agencies to create an integrated system of supports. These supports will empower schools and communities to meet the needs of all who are denied eductional benefits by the barriers of inequity. It also calls for national, state and local recognition that equity is inseparable from quality in the measure of educational excellence.
Educate America presents a comprehensive view of systemic change well beyond the content and performance standards presently being advocated as sufficient to achieve "world class" education for our nation. Critical components of systemic reform that are examined include a vision of the schools we want, Opportunity to Learn Standards, school finance issues, family empowerment issues, teacher preparation and staff development, and testing and assessment issues. As advocates of educational excellence for all, we offer Educate America to national, state, and local policy-making bodies, organizations and administrative agencies to encourage their systemic approach to educational reform. The success of reform will lie in its implementation at state and local levels; it will depend to a very large degree on the abilities of state and local educators to provide an understanding of equity in ways that translate into improved instructional programs, support services and learning opportunities form all students.
WHY - Educate America?
- The experts is systemic reform most involved in defining the nature of that reform are not working from an equity perspective. The regulate equity to the status of an access issue that can be addressed after exvellence is achieved.
- Federal leadership has defined systemic reform essentially in terms of content and performance standards, leaving out components that are critica for reforn success.
- Equity specialists have concentrated on speical issues and programs (e.g., sexual harassment or "compensatory" programs for children of the poor) and have not adequately worked together to influence the mainstream of eductional reform.
HOW - Is Educate America different?
- Educate America explores the reasons why, given the reality of our "new mainstream," schools cannot be significantly improved except by reforming them on the principles of equity. The very nature of our schools, their management systems, policies, programs, curriculum and instruction must be redesigned to meet the needs of all of our students.
- Educate America expands the narrow federal definition of systemic reform to address critical issues from an equity perspective, including:
- Educate America discusses and demonstrates the importance of aligning federal, state and local efforts to achieve school reform.
WHAT - Is Educate America meant to accomplish?
- The uniting of equity organizations to influence the mainstream of education reform at the federal, state and local levels.
- Action by federal and state legislatures, educators, parent and community groups to make equity a defining characteristic of systemic educational reform.
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