What you can do
What you can do
You don't have to be a school superintendent or member of Congress to help the six million students most at risk of failing to graduate from high school. This page outlines a few steps that every individual can take to help to reform America's high schools.
Join the Alliance's mailing list: Sign up for Straight A’s: Public Education Policy and Progress, the Alliance’s biweekly newsletter. In about the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee, you will read about some of the most important news and learn of key events in education policy and practice. The newsletter focuses on happenings in Washington, DC and around the country, and is presented in an accessible format for everyone from elected officials and policymakers to parents and community leaders.
Fill out this form to add your name to the Alliance's mailing list and receive Straight A's. There is no cost and the Alliance will not share or sell your email address to anyone else. First name, last name, home mailing address, and email address is required. If you have any problems, email Jason Amos at jamos@all4ed.org.
Notify the news media : Send an op-ed, letter to the editor, or feature article to a newspaper. Publication in a newspaper provides instant visibility for your ideas among educators and policymakers, opinion leaders, and the public. But the competition for space and editorial requirements demand that pieces are well targeted to the requirements of each publication, meet a high threshold of news value, speak directly to the audience, and present provocative new ideas in compelling ways. The Alliance has developed an op-ed guide and a sample op-ed to help guide you through the process.
Learn the elements of a successful high school : Drawing from the work of leading researchers and educators from around the country, the Alliance for Excellent Education has identified ten key elements that every high school should have in place to ensure that all its students are successful. The list includes challenging classes, a safe learning environment, and skilled teachers. Whether you are a parent seeking a stronger education for your child, a business owner in need of a well-trained workforce, or a concerned citizen joining with others to improve schools, this checklist can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your community schools and guide you in determining the actions you can take to help improve them.
Learn more about education and the status of high schools in your state: Nationwide, only about 70 percent of all high school students graduate on time, and graduation rates for poor and minority students are even lower. The failure to graduate every child prepared for the twenty-first century has serious consequences for individual students and their parents, but it also has major repercussions for American society at every level. In an effort to provide more information about how high school students fare in a particular state, the
Donate to the Alliance for Excellent Education : With your financial support and commitment, the Alliance for Excellent Education will continue to work to ensure that all students have access to an excellent education and that every child graduates from high school prepared for college, the modern workplace, and success in life.