U.S. Department 

of Education

How YOU can help 

create a culture 

of success in 

your community

community 

students

parents

educators

leaders
This document contains contact addresses and websites for information created and 

maintained by other public and private organizations, and it is provided for the reader’s 

convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the 

accuracy, relevancy, timeliness or completeness of this outside information. The 

inclusion of information, addresses or websites for particular items does not reflect their 

importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed or products or services 

offered.

U.S. Department of Education

Arne Duncan

Secretary of Education

Office of Communications and Outreach

Massie Ritsch

Acting Assistant Secretary

September 2014

This publication is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in 

part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation 

should be: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Communications and Outreach, 

Partners in Progress, Washington, D.C., 2014.

To order copies of this publication:

Write to EDPubs, Education Publications Center, U.S. Department of Education, P.O. 

Box 22207, Alexandria, VA 22304.

Or fax your request to 703-605-6794.

Or e-mail your request to edpubs@edpubs.ed.gov.

Or call in your request toll free to 1-877-433-7827 (1-877-4-ED-PUBS). Those who 

use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a teletypewriter (TTY) should 

call 1-877-576-7734. If 877 service is not available in your area, call 1-800-872-5327 

(1-800-USA-LEARN) or 1-800-437-0833 (TTY). Para espanol, llame al 1-877-433-7827.

Or order online at http://edpubs.gov.

This publication is available on the Department’s website at

ed.gov/progress.

On request, this publication is available in alternate formats, such as Braille, large print or 

compact disc. For more information, please contact the Department’s Alternate Format 

Center at 202-260-0852 or at 202-260-0818.

Notice to Limited English Proficient Individuals: If you have difficulty understanding 

English, you may request language assistance services free of charge for Department 

of Education information that is available to the public. For information on translation 

services call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327) and for TTY call 1-800-437-0833. 

You may also email us at ed.language.assistance@ed.gov.

 ̃
1

There is simply no more important work in our society 

than education. The president understands that, parents 

understand that, America understands that. Now we—all 

of us together—must act on that understanding and move 

forward. 

—U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan 

You may ask... 

Can I really help? 

Do you believe education is important?

Do you believe every child deserves a quality 

education?

Do you have ideas on how to improve the education 

experience? 

Have you ever wondered, “What can I do?”

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, why not 

step up to make a difference? This pamphlet contains 

ideas on how you can help and stories of others who have 

led the way.
2

Partners in Progress: GED Prep Classes

With a keen awareness of the high dropout 

rate in Baltimore, Md., and the increasing 

number of residents without a high school 

diploma, Mark Atkinson presented a plan to 

teach community GED prep classes at no cost. 

Because of Mark’s dedication, he has changed the 

lives of many families. 

Ask 

The first step in helping 

support public education is 

to ask the right questions. 

How are education decisions 

made? Education decisions are made on three 

different levels—federal, state, and local. Education 

is primarily a state and local responsibility. School 

boards, administrators, teachers, and elected 

officials make most decisions. Understand where 

they stand on key topics. 

 

What is the state of education in 

your community? Every community is 

different. Contact your local school or community 

center, and talk to your friends and neighbors 

to determine your community’s strengths and 

weaknesses. 
3

What are students’ rights? Students 

have the right to receive an education free from 

discrimination. Learn about these rights by reaching 

out to your state department of education, or visit 

the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil 

Rights’ website at www.ED.gov/OCR. 

What resources are available to 

keep you updated on the latest 

education news? Stay current through social 

media, newspapers, magazines, and websites. The 

U.S. Department of Education, for example, offers 

news and resources by email at 

www.ED.gov/emailupdates, free publications 

at www.edpubs.ed.gov, and live help by phone 

in English and Spanish at 1-800-USA-LEARN 

(1-800-872-5327).

 

What are challenges that youths in 

your neighborhood face? It is especially 

important to understand the situations of at-risk 

students. Visit FindYouthInfo.gov. 

Remember the ABCs — 

Attendance, Behavior, Course Performance, 

and College Access. Those factors are clearly 

linked to student success, they are easily 

measurable, and community service activities 

can positively affect them. 
4

Join the Conversation

Plan a discussion. Invite neighbors, 

friends, and colleagues to gather for a discussion to 

help solve a school-based problem. 

Connect with education groups.. Reach out to groups that focus on education. Find out 

when the school board, school or district advisory 

boards, and chamber of commerce meet. Other 

organizations that may have local chapters near you 

include parent associations, civil rights advocates and 

mayors’ youth councils. 

Speak up. Your voice can be a powerful tool for 

making changes in your community. If you feel comfortable writing, express your opinions and concerns 

through articles, blogs, and tweets, or speak up at a 

community, town, or school board meeting. Voting is 

another way to express yourself.
5

Partners in Progress: School Makeover

Deirdre Pierce, a DeKalb County, Ga., PTA mom, 

noticed how neglected her local high school had 

become. She succeeded in assembling dedicated 

and fearless parents, and others, who advocated 

for a total upgrade of the building. She formed 

partnerships with local community and faith groups, 

and a member of the local school board. The effort 

took time and sweat equity but it happened, and the 

students saw adults committing to their education. 
6

Support Students

Help with FAFSA. Completing the Free 

Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the 

first step toward getting federal aid for college, 

career training, or graduate school. The U.S. 

Department of Education provides more than 

$150 billion in grants, loans, and work-study funds 

each year, but students must fill out the FAFSA to 

determine their eligibility. Visit StudentAid.ed.gov/

FAFSA. 

Focus on attendance. Chronic absenteeism 

in school — 10 percent or more of the school year 

— can significantly affect a student’s future. Find 

ways to play a role in promoting good attendance 

in your community. AttendanceWorks.org is one of 

several resources for ideas.

Partners in Progress: 

Tutoring and Extra Help

Nestor Pimienta, a student at Loyola 

Marymount University in Los Angeles, found 

himself building relationships with facilities 

management and food service workers on 

campus who asked him if he could tutor their 

children. Growing up in a working-class 

neighborhood, Nestor understood it was 

difficult finding extra help. That’s when he 

decided to found Tutoring Tomorrow Today, a 

student-run program to provide subject-based 

tutoring and mentoring for the families of the 

campus workers who inspired the idea. 
7

Keep schools safe. Students who don’t 

feel safe have a hard time learning. There are plenty 

of resources online that cover safety-in-school 

resources and school violence prevention. 

Help academically. Students need to work 

on academic performance throughout the year, 

including the summer months. In order to be 

aligned with what is going on throughout the school 

day, seek out tutoring opportunities within a school. 

Mentor. Address the social needs of children by 

mentoring them through school-based programs 

and activities. 

Research higher education options. 

When helping someone you know make a decision 

about postsecondary education — technical 

programs, community colleges, four-year colleges, 

and universities — consider the academic programs, 

classroom environment, costs, and federal student 

aid options. Visit StudentAid.ed.gov. 
8

Support Schools

Volunteer. Volunteers are always needed to 

help with day-to-day tasks or to help execute special 

projects. Reach out to your school principal, teacher, 

or community center, or visit Serve.gov, an online 

resource where you can find volunteer opportunities 

and recruit volunteers. 

Plan an event. Events can help meet needs and 

raise awareness. Organize drives for food, clothing, 

books, or school supplies, as well as fundraisers and 

family nights. 

Adopt a school. Adopting a school can 

take on a variety of forms, including remodeling and 

renovating a school, creating an after-school program, 

and making over a library, music room, or parent 

center. 
9

Contribute financially. Schools are 

frequently in need of extra financial support. There are 

several tools to help you donate to a classroom in need 

such as AdoptAClassroom.org and DonorsChoose.org.

They allow individuals to fund classroom projects 

designed by teachers in high-need schools. Local public 

education funds also raise money to support schools. 

Challenge your community. Join with 

schools, national service programs, higher education 

institutions, and 

community-based 

organizations to 

improve our lowestperforming schools 

by participating 

in the U.S. 

Department of 

Education’s Together 

for Tomorrow 

Challenge at

http://tft.

challengepost.com. 

Offer Opportunities. At your place of 

business, consider offering discounts or incentives 

for students, teachers, or school staff, or internships 

for teachers and students to educate them about your 

industry; help school districts align their programs 

with your industry’s needs; or provide career 

shadowing to students to help connect their education 

to potential careers.

Don’t forget to celebrate! 

It is important to celebrate student 

achievement. Build an environment 

where everyone recognizes they 

have an important role to play in 

creating a community culture of 

education success.
10

 Focus on Priority Schools

The school closest to you may not be the 

one that needs the most attention. Focus on 

improving Priority Schools and their feeder 

schools. Priority Schools are the lowestachieving schools in a state. Talk to the school’s 

administration or go online and visit district 

websites or websites such as GreatSchools.org or 

LocalSchoolDirectory.com for information on 

school performance. 
11

Partners in Progress: Education Seminars

Understanding the confusion that new immigrants 

face about how best to enter the mainstream 

U.S. economy, Liberty Tax Service created the 

Una Familia Sin Fronteras Foundation to offer 

financial and fiscal education seminars free of 

charge throughout the year. Through Spanish radio 

programs and partnerships with more than 450 

nonprofits, school districts, churches, libraries, GED 

programs, schools for English language learners, 

universities, Hispanic consulates, and governmental 

institutions, more than 1,000 Liberty offices have, 

together, assisted hundreds of thousands of Latinos.
12

Partners in Progress: 

Fundraising for Classroom Projects

Debby Guardino, a Virginia special education teacher, 

wanted to do something to help Joplin, Mo., teachers 

whose classroom resources were completely destroyed by 

the devastating tornado that hit the area in 2011. She 

single-handedly raised more than $400,000 in classroom 

supplies before traveling to Missouri. Over 12 days, 

Debby instructed teachers on how to raise money for 

their classroom projects using DonorsChoose.org. By the 

time of her departure from Joplin, she had overseen the 

distribution of all donated supplies and conducted more 

than 20 computer classes. Under her guidance, teachers 

posted more than 200 projects. Within a month, 800 

teachers’ projects were posted on DonorsChoose.org. To 

date, more than 5,200 members have raised over $584,000 

in donations reaching some 98,000 Joplin students.
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For more information on the Obama administration’s 

theory of action for education reform and 

improvement, go to www.ed.gov/progress.
The Department of Education’s mission is to promote student 

achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by 

fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.

www.ed.gov