An Initiative of the Partnership for

Family Involvement in Education and the U.S. Department of Education

Partners' Activity Kit 1996-97

GOES BACK

 TO SCHOOL

GOES BACK

 TO SCHOOL

PARTNERS

for

Family

Involvem

•Schools and Families•Community

Groups•

E

m

p l o y ers• R el i g i o u s G r o u p s
“Better Education Is 

Everybody’s Business.”

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley

Better education is everybody’s business. That is why we invite you to get involved and join the second annual national

back-to-school campaign to help students in your community learn. The U.S. Secretary of Education, with the 

sponsorship of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, will launch America Goes Back to School: Get Involved!

in August. The goal is to let the students of America know that their entire community cares about their 

education and wants to make it better.

It is well known that when families, educators, and communities work together, schools get better and students get the

high quality education they need to lead productive lives. Over 700 family, school, community, religious, and business

organizations have come together, through the Partnership’s leadership, to improve schools and colleges and support

family involvement in learning. 

Education is about discovering the special skills and talents of students and guiding their learning according to high 

standards. Education is also about teaching our children and young people basic American values and uncorking that

world-renowned American ingenuity that has characterized our country. For America to move forward and continue as a

world leader, and for all of our communities to become prosperous and strong, more individuals need to become

involved in improving our schools and colleges.

America Goes Back to School encourages everyone--families, schools, colleges, community and religious groups,

concerned adults, and employers--to make a commitment to make education better in their community.

This publication provides information about how everyone can get involved in vitally important areas of education and

let their community know how to get involved too. There are plenty of activities in which you can participate to make a

difference in students’ learning. Everyone has a role, and a stake, in improving education. When families, communities

and schools work together--for students kindergarten through college--schools work better and students learn more.

Involvement is simple--volunteer to do what you know.

Come on, AMERICA . . . let’s go BACK TO SCHOOL!

Richard W. Riley

U.S. Secretary of Education

Tipper Gore Bo Jackson Ted Sanders Joan Dykstra 

Family/Child Actor/Businessman President, Southern President, National PTA

Advocate Heisman Trophy Illinois University 

Winner, 1985

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

GET INVOLVED!
GETTING STARTED

This kit is designed to help you

raise public awareness about what

students in your school and 

community need to help them

reach their maximum potential.

The American public has identified

seven important actions to improve

education. These are:

• Making schools safe, disciplined and 

drug-free: A precondition for learning

• Encouraging parent and family 

involvement

• Helping America become a reading, 

literate society

• Reaching for new levels of excellence: 

Achieve high standards and real 

accountability

• Making technology available so all 

children will succeed in the 21st 

century

• Preparing young people for careers: 

A strong transition from school to 

work

• Making college more accessible: Keep 

the promise of the American dream

Activities for Improving Education

What follows are ideas for getting

involved in each of these seven action

areas for parents, schools, community

members, and employers. Included

with the activities are real-life examples

of how each of these groups work to

improve learning. The guide is divided

into sections depicted by the hands and

colors on the right. You can flip to 

the section that most represents you by

following the color chart.

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business 1

“If we are going to seize the

promise of our times and educate

our children so they can keep

their dreams alive, we must all

work together. Not government

alone, not individuals alone, but

as parents and children, as

employers and employees, 

teachers and students, community

leaders and community members,

as government and citizens. We

must renew our schools so every

American child has the 

opportunity to get the best 

possible education for the twentyfirst century.”

President Bill Clinton

Parents and Families: 

Community Groups:

Schools: 

Employers: 

“The World Needs a Hug”

Lauren Elizabeth Gregory, Oak Ridge, TN
2

In the pocket of this kit are an America Goes Back to School poster listing the

Partnership for Family Involvement in Education members as of 

May 23, 1996, a bookmark, and other materials for your local use.

Planning a Back-to-School Event

The activities are followed by some examples from last year’s America Goes Back to

School initiative. You will also find samples of official proclamations for your use. 

Selected Resources

Resources have been included in the back of the book to help you gather more

information on each of the seven action areas.

Becoming a Partner

The Partnership for Family Involvement in Education encourages you to sign up

your school, college, community organization, business, or place of worship as a

member of the Partnership. Pledge sheets are included in this kit--just fill out the

appropriate sheet for your group and mail or fax it in!

For more information about the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education,

or to obtain print and video materials on family and community involvement, 

call 1-800-USA-LEARN, your one-stop shop at the U.S. Department of

Education.

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

“Open Your Eyes and See the Setting Sun”

Taylor Marie Fidel, Murray, UT
3

GET INVOLVED IN. . . 

MAKING OUR SCHOOLS SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE

In order for students to learn well at school, they must be disciplined and safe.

While most schools are already safe and drug-free, a growing number of schools in

all types of communities--urban, suburban, and rural--are experiencing problems

with violence and with alcohol and drug use. With creative solutions, from school

uniforms to strict discipline codes, from training teachers to deal with violence to

after-school programs that keep kids productive and safe, schools, parents, and

communities are providing children the safe, disciplined and drug-free conditions

they need and should expect to find in school.

SUPPORTING PARENT AND FAMILY INVOLVEMENT SUPPORTING PARENT AND FAMILY INVOLVEMENT 

Any effort to improve education should focus especially on increased family

involvement; 30 years of research clearly shows that family involvement is 

critical for children’s success in school and in the rest of their life. However, 

families in which both parents work and those which are headed by single parents

often face a time crunch that can affect their ability to develop strong relationships

with their children’s teachers. Help will need to come from everyone within local

communities, schools, employers, community organizations and religious groups

to ensure that our society is family friendly for children’s learning.

BECOMING A READING, LITERATE SOCIETY

Reading is the key that unlocks learning in all subjects. While schools must take

the lead in making literacy and the basics a top priority, reading reinforcement

must be provided outside of school as well. If students do not read over the 

summer, for example, they can lose three to four months of the reading gains they

made the previous school year. If families, schools, community groups, employers

and religious groups make improving the reading skills of children and adults a

top priority, then America can attain the goal of being a reading, literate society.

REACHING FOR NEW LEVELS OF EXCELLENCE WITH HIGH

STANDARDS AND REAL ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARDS AND REAL ACCOUNTABILITY 

High expectations and high standards bring out the best in students and schools.

Although progress is being made, academic standards are often too low and many

students still suffer from the tyranny of low expectations. The 1996 National

Education Summit of business leaders, governors, and President Clinton 

reinforced the need for high standards and better accountability. “We are 

compelled,” they said, “by the urgent need for schools to improve and for student academic

performance to rise.” The commitment of these leaders to educational excellence is

very important, but a first step; turning the promise of higher standards into better

teaching and learning will take our sustained efforts, school by school and

community by community, with parent, educator, business and college 

involvement.

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

“All across America there are

communities which are pulling

together to strengthen education. 

Parents, teachers, community

leaders, business leaders, and

educators in every part of our

country are starting to work

together to improve teaching and

learning and to improve student

achievement.” 

Richard W. Riley

U.S. Secretary of Education 

(Family-Work-School Conference, 

Columbia University, April, 1996)

“I’d Give the World Another Picasso”

Jenny Dumproff, Germantown, WI
4 Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

MAKING TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE SO ALL CHILDREN WILL

SUCCEED IN THE 21st CENTURY SUCCEED IN THE 21st CENTURY 

Computers help students learn at their own pace, provide unlimited sources of

information, offer access to other learners and mentors, and help develop 

workplace skills. Computers can also open up a whole new world to children with

disabilities. But access is critical. Working together, we need to ensure that all

teachers have the training and support they need to help students learn through

computers; effective and engaging software is developed and made an integral part

of the curriculum; all teachers and students have access to modern computers; and

every school and classroom in America is connected to the growing international

network of information.

PREPARING YOUNG PEOPLE FOR CAREERS PREPARING YOUNG PEOPLE FOR CAREERS 

When challenging academics are combined with practical on-the-job experience,

students get hands-on, rigorous preparation for careers and college. Some 

businesses, cultural and community organizations are joining forces with schools to

offer worksite learning experiences, mentors, and exposure to careers. In some

high schools, school-to-work programs are organized around broad career themes,

with links to business and postsecondary training after high school. However,

these and other exciting school-to-career initiatives are still not available to all 

students. Expanding these opportunities is fundamental to preparing young 

people for careers and the future. 

MAKING COLLEGE MORE ACCESSIBLE MAKING COLLEGE MORE ACCESSIBLE 

Higher education in America is the jewel of education worldwide and one of our

richest resources. Education beyond high school is also becoming more of a 

necessity to make a living and ensure our well being in a highly technological 

society. Workers with bachelor’s degrees earn, on average, almost $15,000 more a

year than workers with high school diplomas. Graduates of community colleges

with a two-year associate degree earn almost $12,000 more per year than high

school dropouts. We must make it a national priority to open the doors to college

to all deserving and qualified students. With adequate academic and financial

preparation, more students can have the opportunity to attend technical, 

community, or four-year colleges and universities.

“Dare to Discover Your Imagination”

Zachary Schelp, Kansas City, MO
Families across America are pitching in to make their schools better

and help students achieve high standards. In their own way, they

are facing the various issues that concern Americans about their

schools. What follows are some ways families are tackling the seven

important issues.

MAKE SCHOOLS SAFE, DISCI PLI NED AND DRUG-FREE:

A PRECONDITION FOR LEARNI NG

• Talk to children about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and drug use. These 

conversations could literally save their lives.

• Join the PTA and work to form a community association, such as “parent patrols,”

that will work in and around schools to discourage alcohol and drug abuse and 

ward off unwanted intruders. Build partnerships with local law enforcement.

Security Dads, Beech Grove City, Indiana

Fathers at Beech Grove City Schools in Indiana provide a visible male parental

presence at school-sponsored sporting events, dances, skating parties, and other

student-based activities. The “Security Dads” ensure proper behavior, evict 

troublemakers when necessary, and generally keep the peace. Fathers were

recruited through a variety of means including requests made at parent meetings,

student referrals, and home visits. As a result of this effort, parental involvement

in school and children’s activities has increased and student behavior at events 

has improved.

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business 5

WAYS FOR FAMILIES 

TO GET INVOLVED 

IN CHILDREN’S 

LEARNING

“Give your community and its

children a valuable gift — your

time and talents. By supporting

your schools through the gift of

yourself and your resources, you

strengthen your community, lead

by example and send a strong

message to children that their

educational success is 

important.” 

Tipper Gore

Family/Child Advocate
Mount Vernon High School PTA

Reinvents Itself, Alexandria,

Virginia

When Coleman Harris became 

president of the Mount Vernon

High School PTA in 1994, the same

8 to 20 people attended the monthly

meetings. To increase interest in

children’s learning at the school,

Harris worked with the school

administration and the community.

They developed mission statements

both for the school and the 

Parent-Teacher-Student Association

(PTSA). And the PTSA succeeded

in enlisting 100 percent of the 

teachers, who then brought students

and parents on board.

Perhaps the most effective action for

increasing involvement at the school

was to change the structure of the

PTSA itself. “Parents want to be

involved in the area of the school where

their son or daughter is most active or

directly involved...so we reorganized to

establish one Parent Council for each

grade. We also organized Community

Resource Teams, composed of parents and

non-parent citizens, to support all 

academic programs at the school.” With

so many community supporters, the

PTSA now sends its newsletter to

local community members as well 

as to parents.

To keep the community aware of 

the importance of educational

accomplishments, the local

McDonald’s, in partnership with the

school, exhibits photos of the

school’s honor roll students, varsity

team athletes and successful

graduates in display cases in the

restaurant.

ENCOURAGE PARENT AND FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

• Get involved with your child’s school and teachers. Find out whether the 

school is setting high enough academic standards for your child, and whether 

the school is offering your child the educational opportunities he or she needs

to meet the highest standards available in other schools and states. Get 

together with other families, teachers, community groups, school district staff, 

and the school’s principal to begin to make improvements in your child’s 

school.

• Studies show that academic achievement drops sharply for children who watch

more than two hours of TV a day. Help children select the right program for 

their age. Contact your TV manufacturer to determine the availability of a 

V-chip which can block out certain programming.

Television Guide for Parents, Michigan

Parents in Michigan are encouraged to monitor their children’s TV 

viewing thanks to Continental Cablevision’s “Better Viewing,” a 

family guide to television. The guide provides entertaining activities 

and informative articles on how to use TV to stimulate learning. It also 

recommends shows to record on VCRs so parents may develop a 

home library of good programs. 

HELP AMERICA BECOME A READING, LITERATE SOCIETY

• Set 30 minutes aside every night to read to or with children. Read with 

children or grandchildren in a way that actively involves them. Be sure your

children or grandchildren see you read and write. Dads and granddads can be

especially important reading role models for their boys.

• Take children to the library to get a library card. Visit the library at least once 

a week and allow children time to select their own books. Share a good book 

with a teenager.

• Begin reading to your child early. Not only can you help establish the reading 

habit, but research shows early reading helps reduce the negative effects of 

learning disabilities. 

6 Better Education Is Everybody’s Business
REACH FOR NEW LEVELS OF EXCELLENCE: ACHIEVE HIGH

STANDARDS AND REAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Student Assignment Book

To support students in their learning outside of school, the National Catholic

Educational Association developed a student assignment book with helpful hints

on how to study and do homework. Parents check and sign their child’s 

homework each day and keep a record of it in the book. Another feature of this

book is space for a weekly written dialogue between the parent and teacher about

the child’s progress. 

Teachers and principals encourage the parents to use this space as soon as they

have any question about their child’s work or anticipate a potential difficulty that

impedes learning. Most often, these written dialogues lead to three-way 

conferences among parents, student and teachers to help the child. In the 

1995-96 school year, 30,000 students and parents nationwide used the book. 

• Make sure your children enroll in challenging courses. Encourage high school

students to take advanced placement courses or advanced technology and 

tech-prep courses. Be as involved as you can in your children’s education 

each and every day.

• Set high standards for your children’s course work; encourage them to study 

hard and participate in enrichment activities beyond the regular school day.

MAKE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE SO ALL CHILDREN WILL

SUCCEED IN THE 21st CENTURY

• Explore options for the use of technology in the schools and in the

home, such as take-home personal computers from schools and libraries.

Encourage your school to provide access to the computer lab after school 

and on weekends.

• Develop a technology plan for your school that explores how technology can 

support students, teachers, and administrators. Talk with local cable, 

telecommunications, and wireless companies about ways to improve technical 

facilities at your local school, including telephones in the classrooms, e-mail 

linkages across the building, and free or low cost modem access between 

school and home.

PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR CAREERS: A STRONG PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR CAREERS: A STRONG 

TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO WORK

• Encourage your child to explore potential career fields, and learn about the 

skills and education needed to enter those fields. Expose your children to 

a wide variety of career possibilities through contacts with teachers, friends, 

employers, and career counselors. Take your children to work. Participate 

in your child’s learning and urge them to take advantage of school-to-work 

opportunities in your area.

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business 7

“A Clean up Club”

Katherine Leila Norton, Rochester, MN
8 Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

Oakland Health and Bioscience Academy Magnet School

Parents and students participate in decision making at the Oakland Health and

Bioscience Academy where the emerging needs of health- and science-related

industries and current local job market trends structure the curriculum. The

Academy is a school-within-a-school magnet program that is open to all 

students in the district. During their intensive three or four years of study,

Academy students spend up to 80 percent of their day in integrated academic

and lab classes. In related worksite learning experiences, they volunteer and do

job shadowing, career exploration, clinical rotations, summer and senior year

internships, and career portfolios. Recent evaluations showed that the Academy

students achieve substantially higher grade point averages and rates of 

graduation, attendance, and college admission than other students at Oakland

high schools. Business partners of the Academy, which also collaborate with

teachers on the curriculum, include Kaiser Permanente, all the local hospitals,

Johnson and Johnson, IBM, and the Berkeley Repertory. 

MAKE COLLEGE MORE

ACCESSIBLE: KEEP THE

PROMISE OF THE AMERICAN

DREAM

• Find out whether the high schools 

in your district offer challenging 

classes that are recommended for 

college-bound students and 

tech-prep or school-to-work

programs. If the schools do not 

offer challenging courses in all 

core subject areas and critical 

occupational areas or advanced 

placement courses, contact the 

school board and ask for such 

courses. 

• Think ahead about preparing your 

children and grandchildren for 

college academically and financially. 

Work with colleges and universities 

to run family and school workshops 

on topics such as the courses 

recommended for college-bound 

students and new financial aid 

proposals to make college more 

accessible.

A RESOURCE FOR PARENTS

TO PLAN FOR COLLEGE

The U.S. Department of

Education recently released

the 1996-97 edition of

Preparing Your Child for

College: A Resource Book for

Parents. This edition of the

workbook provides up-to-date

information on college costs

and student financial aid, as

well as expanded sections on

the academic preparation 

recommended for collegebound students, strategies for

keeping college costs down,

and information on other

sources of college planning

information. It is especially

suited for parents and 

grandparents with children in

middle and high school, and

even in the late elementary

grades. Free copies can be

requested by calling 

1-800-USA-LEARN.

“Everyone Could Have the Freedom

to be Themselves”

Unique R. Dancy, Akron, OH
Better Education Is Everybody’s Business 9

WAYS FOR SCHOOLS 

TO INVOLVE 

FAMILIES AND THE 

COMMUNITY IN 

CHILDREN’S 

LEARNING

Schools in community after community are aggressively working to

meet the challenges in and around them. They are reaching out to

families, businesses, colleges and the community and using 

effective innovations to meet these challenges. Listed below are

examples of how schools can and are addressing the seven action

areas Americans have defined as important.

MAKE SCHOOLS SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE: A MAKE SCHOOLS SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE: A 

PRECONDITION FOR LEARNING

• Work with families, community members, and law enforcement to take 

aggressive actions, when necessary, to ensure an orderly and safe environment.

Some schools are adopting the use of uniforms to encourage school spirit and 

stem assaults over expensive clothing or gang apparel. Others are training 

their staff to prevent violence through family and community engagement 

and conflict resolution. Still others are bringing diverse student populations 

together through participation in the arts and teaching character education 

and citizenship.

• Set standards of behavior and clear expectations for children and students. 

Talk about how school rules support the rights of all students to attend schools 

that are free of violence and substance abuse. Respond clearly and consistently 

to people who are intoxicated, abusive, aggressive, or hostile. Develop an 

honor code for behavior in school. Make sure all families have a copy of the 

school’s discipline code and urge them to read it.

• Help plan and participate in school and community alcohol-and drug-free 

activities, including weekend dances and social events, holiday celebrations, 

proms, and graduation parties. Work with community organizations and youth

groups to sponsor after-school and summer learning activities, sports and 

cultural events.

“Parents are partners in their

children’s success at school and

in life. Children with concerned

parents learn more quickly, enjoy

school more and achieve more

than children who lack that 

support and care.” 

Joan Dykstra

President, National PTA
School Uniform Policy, Long Beach, California

In 1994, the Long Beach, California, School District implemented a 

mandatory school uniform policy for nearly 60,000 elementary and middle

school students. District officials found that in the year following 

implementation of the policy, overall crime decreased 36 percent, fights

decreased 51 percent, sex offenses decreased 74 percent, weapons offenses

decreased 50 percent, assault and battery offenses decreased 34 percent, 

and vandalism decreased 18 percent.

10 Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

ENCOURAGE PARENT AND FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

• Be family-friendly! Review school policies, newsletters, and correspondence 

for education jargon that parents might not readily understand. Open 

your doors to parents, community members and businesses as part of 

America Goes Back To School: Get Involved!

• Reach out to families and talk regularly before any problems happen. Use 

newsletters, voice mail, cable TV, home visits, and new technologies to 

keep parents and teachers informed of school activities of mutual interest.

• Encourage family involvement in teaching and learning the basics and raising 

standards. Let families know what they can do at home to help. Use 

interesting, real-life, community settings to stimulate learning. 

Travis Middle School, McAllen, Texas

Travis Middle School, a Texas and National Blue Ribbon school and a

Working Mothers Magazine 1996 Golden Apple Award winner, is a

predominantly low-income and Mexican-American community, with more

than half of the students considered limited English proficient. Thanks to a

group of dedicated teachers and parents and a lot of help from the

community, such as a grant from Southwestern Bell, Travis has made great

strides in improving parental involvement in the school. The Texas

Education Agency for Campus Deregulation and Restructuring has helped

train teachers and parents on ways they can work better with each other.

Along with three elementary schools that feed into Travis, the school has

formed an Alliance School Network with Valley Interfaith and St. Joseph’s

Catholic Church. This alliance helps schools and parents communicate

better, has coordinated curriculum and helps make the transition from

elementary to middle school easier for students.

“Kid Peace”

Justin Taylor, Parkersburgh, PA. 

“Harmony”

Mary-Hall H. Dale, Columbus, MS
Better Education Is Everybody’s Business 11

Camp LeJeune Marine Base

Elementary Turns Off the TV, 

Turns On to Reading

The teachers and principal of

Berkeley Manor Elementary School

at the Camp LeJeune Marine Corps

Base mail families a letter each year

to encourage them to unplug the TV

and turn on to family literacy:

Dear Parents,

Please help us celebrate Berkeley

Unplugged for National Family Reading

Week. Instead of watching reruns on

television or playing Nintendo, let’s pull

the plug and sit down and read together!

In honor of National Family Reading

Week there will be a display featuring our

students’ favorite books outside the library.

In addition, Dr. Brooks and Ms. Ellen

will have a list of recommended titles and

authors available for interested parents.

Please remember that parents may borrow

books from the Berkeley Manor library

throughout the school year.

We also invite you to come to school to

share the joy of reading with your child.

Bring an old favorite or surprise us with

something new and settle down to end the

school week by reading together. If you

can participate, please sign the slip below

and return it to your child’s classroom

teacher. 

HELP AMERICA BECOME A READING, LITERATE SOCIETY

• Rigorously teach reading and writing skills and the core academic subjects. 

Compare your reading curriculum and materials to those of the most 

successful schools and best state standards. Give families ideas of things they 

can do at home to help children become better readers.

• Encourage educators to work together to teach reading and writing across all 

the subjects, teach new vocabulary words and use technology to engage students 

in challenging reading and writing activities. Offer extended learning-time 

opportunities for students after school and in the summer to learn reading and 

other basic skills.

• Recruit and organize reading tutors from community groups. Offer a 

reading challenge to students to read at least 30 minutes each day or a 

specific number of books in one month. Sponsor a sign-up day for public 

library cards at the school. Join the READ*WRITE*NOW! campaign—call 

1-800-USA-LEARN.

REACH FOR NEW LEVELS OF EXCELLENCE: ACHIEVE HIGH

STANDARDS AND REAL ACCOUNTABILITY

• Work with parents, teachers, businesses and local colleges to identify the types

of skills and knowledge needed by your students. Compare your standards 

against the best schools, your state’s standards and voluntary national 

standards. Involve the whole community in the attempt to raise standards 

of promotion, graduation, and improved content in core subjects. Report 

on progress to the parents and community.

• Bring in employers and college personnel to give students a first hand 

understanding of the high-level skills and work habits needed and take small 

groups of students to work sites and colleges.

“Helping Hands”

Darren Hauck, Wauwatosa, WI
12 Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

Developing Local Standards In Windsor, Colorado

As part of its local reform plan, Windsor, Colorado, is using a Goals 2000 grant to develop standards and assessments

with maximum community involvement so that teachers, administrators, parents and community members will

understand and be able to implement new academic standards. In order to ensure that parents and community 

members were as involved in the development of academic standards as educators, the community created a standards

development committee made up of parents and community representatives who worked independently to develop a

set of priorities for academic standards. Teachers were then able to draw upon the work of parents and community

members throughout their entire standards and implementation process. All of the district’s staff and 100 community

members (of this town of 6,000) participated in developing final academic standards in language arts, math, science and

social studies.

MAKE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE SO ALL CHILDREN WILL

SUCCEED IN THE 21st CENTURY

Lynndale Elementary Links School, Families, and the Community, 

Seattle, Washington

Lynndale Elementary School takes advantage of technology to link the school to

families and the community. Each staff member has an individual voice mail

number. Parents may call a teacher’s voice mail to learn about homework

assignments and classroom events, or to leave a message for the teacher. A

Parent/Staff Technology Planning Team generates ideas for networking, fund

raising, software and equipment purchases, and possible home-school

connections. Family Computer Lab invites parents and students to explore

computers together during late afternoon or evening hours. This lab is designed

to provide opportunities to families of Title I funded students or students who do

not have computers at home. Volunteers assist students in developing

presentations and in producing student-designed books and videos using

computers, CD-ROM, and video cameras. 

• Allow time for technology-literate teachers to help colleagues. Invite families to

visit classrooms while students are using the computers. Offer Saturday family 

and senior citizen computer classes taught by students and teachers.

• Set up a school-based communications network to share information about 

useful software for teachers, and send home ideas for family-student learning 

through school-to-home modem access. Set up a computer lending library so 

families can borrow computers and software. Ask parents who are 

computer literate to work with families and students who want to learn more 

about technology. 

• Get your school, district, or state involved in NetDay96, a nationwide effort to 

connect all classrooms to the Internet. Modeled on the successful California 

NetDay, during every weekend in October volunteers from the community will 

help hard-wire classrooms around the country. You can become a part of this 

effort by contacting the following address: 2601 Mariposa St., San Francisco, 

CA 94110-1400, (415) 553-2311, netday@kqed.org, http://www.netday96.com/

• Build bridges with State Public Utility Commissioners to make sure schools and 

libraries have free access to telecommunications.

“I Would Give the World Fresh Air,

Puppies and Love”

Mikey Stevens, Germantown, TN
Better Education Is Everybody’s Business 13

Technology Unlocks the

World of Learning in West

Virginia

Michael Smith is a first grader

at T.A. Lowery Elementary

School in Charles Town, West

Virginia. Due to oxygen 

deprivation at birth, Michael is

unable to sit, stand, or walk.

However, with the help of 

assistive technology, Michael is

the first child with multiple 

disabilities to be fully included

in a regular first grade 

classroom in his school system.

He participates with his peers 

in class by using an “Intellikeys”

keyboard to access a personal

computer, and uses an adapted

chair to sit with his classmates

at the reading table. According

to Michael’s mother, “Assistive

technology has unlocked my son’s

intellect. It has allowed him to

express himself—not only to me, 

but to the rest of the world. I can

only imagine the possibilities for 

his future.”

PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR CAREERS: A STRONG PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR CAREERS: A STRONG 

TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO WORK

• Integrate hands-on learning with rigorous academics. Join forces with 

employers and cultural and community organizations and discover how you can 

work together. Encourage teachers to do an internship with a business during 

the summer. Relate what you are teaching to today’s and tomorrow’s world of 

work.

• Develop and maintain ways to keep students informed about a wide range of 

career and educational opportunities. Link with employers and community 

colleges to provide student work-study opportunities and apprenticeships tied 

to rigorous academic and occupational skills. Assist students, including students 

with disabilities, in developing personalized plans to reach their goals.

MAKE COLLEGE MORE ACCESSIBLE: KEEP THE PROMISE OF

THE AMERICAN DREAM

• Offer college-prep, technical classes, and challenging course work to all 

students. Be sure all students and their families know about these courses in 

time to plan their academic programs, and build local partnerships with 

colleges, community colleges, universities, and businesses.

• Provide new opportunities for students and families, starting in middle school, 

to learn about the connection between taking rigorous academic, advanced 

placement and Tech Prep courses with college acceptance and career options.

“Harmony”

Daniel Brouillette, Sioux City, IA
WAYS FOR COMMUNITY 

AND CULTURAL 

GROUPS, COLLEGES, 

LIBRARIES, 

THE ARMED FORCES, 

AND RELIGIOUS 

ORGANIZATIONS 

TO GET INVOLVED

Community, cultural, and religious groups, libraries, members of

law enforcement and the armed services, and colleges and 

universities offer a wealth of talent and support for better schools.

These community assets can be instrumental in addressing issues

facing educators. On the following pages are some ideas of how

groups can solve the seven issues most troublesome to our 

education system.

14 Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

“If schools are operating at 

maximum efficiency, they are

responsible for about 40 to 50

percent of what a child learns.

The other 50 to 60 percent of

learning comes from the family

and the community. Without

close articulation of and 

involvement with the family 

and larger community, schools

will ultimately fail.” 

Ted Sanders

President, Southern Illinois University

“ Just Open Your Eyes And See

that People are Like Flowers.

They Are all Different and They

are all Beautiful”

Kestral Leigh Grapes Michaud,

Irwin, PA.
MAKE SCHOOLS SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE: A MAKE SCHOOLS SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE: A 

PRECONDITION FOR LEARNING

TWO COMMUNITIES FIGHT VIOLENCE

Squash It! Campaign Targets Youth Violence in Kansas City

The Squash It! Campaign is focused on decreasing youth violence by 

promoting a social norm that says “it’s cool and smart to walk away” from

potentially violent confrontations. Part of a larger national movement, 

the Kansas City campaign uses a combination of approaches to address

this goal: public awareness, youth ownership, and positive alternatives. 

Public awareness of this anti-violence campaign develops through 

visibility: Billboards, newspaper boxes, media, youth-generated public

service announcements, presentations, bus signs, and posters are all used

to get the message out. Local youth also become familiar with the Squash

It! message through their favorite television programs such as Beverly

Hills 90210, Family Matters, ER, MTV, and others, where the national

campaign focuses its outreach efforts.

To develop youth ownership for Squash It!, local youth tailor the message

and deliver it to their peers at a Squash It! dance, a one-week roll-out of

the message at schools, and at a citywide anti-violence march. Youth have

also gained a voice in the adult community through a citywide music 

contest, essay contest, and summer celebration. 

Squash It! brings to Kansas City a tool that enables youth to become 

stakeholders in the solutions to youth violence. To be effective, the 

campaign must work in conjunction with other efforts, for example, 

creating safe places to go, involving caring adults in the lives of youth, 

and making employment opportunities more accessible to youth. This is 

a whole community effort. 

Los Cenzontles, San Pablo, CA

Los Cenzontles, a vibrant teen folk chorus in San Pablo, CA was formed

in response to the rape and stabbing of a 15-year-old girl who was taking a

shortcut home through a schoolyard. The tragedy spurred two 

community members, Eugene Rodriguez and Alicia Marines, to establish

an arts community center and performing group to “give teenagers 

alternative activities and to create a safe environment in the heart of the

community.” Los Cenzontles, a group of 12- to 19-year-old musicians

have released their first solo CD following on the heels of a 1996 Grammy

nomination for a children’s music recording the group made with the rock

group Los Lobos. 

Los Cenzontles chorus is just one of the activities at the arts center, which

opened as an after-school program in the San Pablo Civic Center.

Operating costs are covered largely by proceeds from benefits, 

performances and small grants. Some 230 students now take classes in

Mexican music, dance, cooking and painting. The community recognizes

that in an environment permeated by gangs, you just can’t tell a young

person, “Don’t join a gang.” You have to create an attractive 

alternative.

• Conduct conflict resolution 

workshops that teach children how to 

respond without violence when 

someone is bothering them. Work 

with students on an anti-violence 

campaign.

• Help create safe corridors for 

children on their way to and from 

school by extending your place of 

business beyond your doors. The 

police can work with businesses, 

community organizations, cultural 

institutions, parents, and schools to 

design and implement patrols that 

bring trained safety officers into and 

around schools when necessary and 

create safe spaces.

• Encourage your local paper to cover 

positive stories about youth activities 

and accomplishments. Highlight 

youth, school, and community efforts 

that have taken on violence, drug, 

alcohol, and gang issues. Create 

alternative activities to gangs such as

performing arts opportunities in 

music, dance and theater, and sports 

and community service 

opportunities.

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business 15
16 Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

School-Family-Community

Partnership Takes the Army’s Lead

The Killeen, Texas, Independent

School District, in partnership with the

local Chamber of Commerce and the

U.S. Army, offers regularly scheduled

parent/teacher conferences. Local

employers, including commanders at

Ft. Hood and the school district itself,

give parents leave time to visit their

child’s school and meet with their

child’s teacher. 

Initially, Ft. Hood and the Killeen

District piloted a parent involvement

program in one school on the military

post. The Post Commander considered

it a soldier’s duty to attend a

parent/teacher conference twice 

every six weeks. In the Commanding

General’s directive he noted, “Parental

involvement does make a difference in

a child’s education and has lasting

effects on his or her future.” Parents

learn about their child’s progress, share

concerns with their child’s teacher, and

hear positive comments about their

child during these 20-30 minute 

conferences.

Data from the 1994 pilot year indicated

great gains in student achievement. 

As a result, the local Chamber of

Commerce endorsed the plan to

expand the program beyond Army

families. Today, the program is 

districtwide, benefiting both military

and non-military families.

ENCOURAGE PARENT AND FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

• Sponsor “Family Math” or “Family Science” programs or events where 

community members and business people talk about math and science in their 

careers and lead hands-on activities. 

• Provide tutors or mentors for students during the school day and after school. 

Start or expand adult literacy training in core subjects. Donate telephones, 

voice-mail systems, and personnel to begin a community homework hotline to 

keep parents informed and help children with homework. 

• Offer leave time to employees to volunteer in schools, encourage parents

to participate in parent-teacher conferences, join the PTA, and provide 

parent resource centers. 

HELP AMERICA BECOME A READING, LITERATE SOCIETY

• Help set a summer reading and literacy goal for your community — to read and 

write 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Reward participants for meeting 

reading goals with special books from the library, a favorite kid’s magazine, 

or a paperback book for work well done.

• Start community READ*WRITE*NOW! programs. Obtain volunteers who 

can meet with children at least once a week for one-half hour to read and write 

together. Provide tutors or mentors for students during the school day and after 

school. Start or expand adult literacy training and family literacy programs. 

Parent Reading Program, Houston Public Library, Texas

The Parent Reading Program of the Houston Public Library is a 

community-based family literacy program which was developed and refined

by the Houston Public Library with federal library and Title I grant monies.

The program is an eight week course for parents and preschool children.

Classes meet twice a week, for one hour at a time. Adults meet in one class

with the teachers, while children meet in a story hour with children’s 

librarians. Presently supported by the Houston Area Booksellers Association

and the Houston Chronicle, the Parent Reading Program changes families’

attitudes about libraries. 

REACH FOR NEW LEVELS OF EXCELLENCE: ACHIEVE HIGH

STANDARDS AND REAL ACCOUNTABILITY

• Sponsor community discussion groups to talk about high standards for student

achievement to enter college and be employed in today’s and tomorrow’s jobs. 

Work with schools to develop clear, high standards of achievement for all 

students — those going directly to college and those in occupational or 

tech-prep courses preparing for careers. Make sure students have access to 

high-level instruction in all the core subjects — English, math, science, the arts, 

civics, geography, history, economics, and foreign languages — and in key 

occupational areas.
Better Education Is Everybody’s Business 17

• Convene an assembly, discussion group or after school program to tell personal 

stories to students about how “Going the Extra Mile Made a Difference in My Life.” 

These stories should reinforce the real benefits of having high standards that 

require discipline, extra effort, dedicated study, and persistence.

Academic Boosters, Fredericksburg, Texas

The Fredericksburg Academic Boosters grew out of a Goals 2000 town 

meeting where the community discussed ways to improve education. The

Boosters, mostly parents and community members, hold monthly meetings to

discuss ways to motivate students toward academic excellence. Some 

members assist in classrooms, and some help with special activities such as a

history display, an art show, geography and spelling bees, math contests, 

writers’ contests, citizenship of the month, scholarships and mentoring for 

students at risk. The Boosters also work with the Chamber of Commerce 

and other community groups. 

MAKE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE SO ALL CHILDREN MAKE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE SO ALL CHILDREN 

WILL SUCCEED IN THE 21st CENTURY

• Establish computer labs in neighborhood centers. Work with local community 

colleges or technical schools to offer professional development opportunities for

teachers using online materials and online discussions. Offer family classes on 

computing. Encourage students, families and teachers to access the World 

Wide Web through the local library or via online services at home, and build 

relationships with pen pals in other communities or countries.

• Explore ways that technology can be used to enhance learning for students with

disabilities, limited English proficiency, and other special needs.

The Arts On-Line with ArtsEdge, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 

ArtsEdge is the national arts information network. This site (http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org) set up by the

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the nation’s capital with support from the U.S. Department of Education

and the National Endowment for the Arts, provides teachers throughout the nation with a broad base of tools and

resources that help them ensure that the arts are central to every child’s education. ArtsEdge provides primary source

materials to students and teachers who otherwise would have limited access to the performing arts. The network

provides a communications hub for educators to share information on teaching the arts, as well as ways to use art as

an enhancement in presenting other subjects. 

Art for Science’s Sake,

Fairbanks, Alaska

Denali Elementary School in

Fairbanks, Alaska, is involved in a

unique collaboration where the arts

and science merge to enhance

learning. With support from the

Alaska State Council for the Arts,

the Fairbanks Arts Association, the

Fairbanks School District, and the

Parent Teacher Association, Ellen

Harney and Vivian Ursula--artists

from Visual Enterprises--work with

teachers to support Denali’s scienceoriented curriculum in the third and

fifth grades. The artists and school

staff design an arts project that

enhances the curriculum currently

planned for students. One year,

when the curriculum was devoted

to dinosaurs, the artists helped

students create a dinosaur sculpture

that the students could test over

time for its ability to withstand the

effects of harsh weather. Students

are now documenting the

structure’s integrity to identify the

strengths and weaknesses of the

design.
18 Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR CAREERS: A STRONG PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR CAREERS: A STRONG 

TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO WORK

• Organize a wide range of work-study, internship and apprenticeship 

opportunities available to high school and college students in your community. 

Offer a career resource directory of extracurricular programs, internships, and 

activities available for youth and college students.

• Inform high school students about the wide range of occupational and technical 

programs that are available in your community’s schools and colleges. 

Establish programs in which work-based learning and service learning counts 

as credits for graduation.

• Inform middle- and high-school students, teachers, and parents which 

courses are needed to get into college and which are needed for the various

associate degrees and four-year college majors. Be sure all students, including 

those with disabilities, realize college is an attainable goal. Help parents and 

grandparents learn about financial aid and show them how they can save 

for college.

• Share with teachers, parents, and students the types of skills and work habits 

needed to be successful in college. Explain how taking advanced placement 

courses and/or tech-prep in high school is a great advantage when entering 

college.

• Sponsor college visits for students and their families. Many students and 

parents have never been exposed to the academic side of a college campus and 

are not familiar with college programs.

• Volunteer to help local high school students learn about different college

programs and the college application process; help them to fill out applications 

and financial aid forms. Counselors in many high schools do not have the time 

to provide one-on-one college counseling and guidance to each student.

The Community Club,

Washington, D.C.

To help students graduate

from high school, The

Community Club, an 

all-volunteer program housed 

at the New York Avenue

Presbyterian Church in

Washington, D.C., offers a

weekly, one-hour 

individualized study hall.

Students are matched with

volunteer tutors who help

with homework, remedial

education work, and college

preparation work. The

Community Club sponsors

workshops on the college

application process, including

the financial aid application

process. In addition, high

school students who maintain

a 2.5 grade point average and

who attend 80 percent of the

study hall sessions, are eligible

for the Stay-in-School

Scholarship, a small stipend 

to help with current expenses.

The scholarship was 

established so that students

could make their studies a

high priority instead of taking

part-time jobs after school.

When students graduate from

the Community Club they

receive a small scholarship 

for each year they attend 

college.

MAKE COLLEGE MORE ACCESSIBLE: KEEP THE PROMISE OF

THE AMERICAN DREAM

Learn and Serve America, Harcum College, Pennsylvania

Learn and Serve America, a grants program administered by the Corporation for

National Service, supports school- and community-based service-learning

programs. One grant has gone to Harcum College to train inner-city parents to be

volunteer tutors in their children’s classrooms. These nontraditional students

matriculate into Harcum College’s Early Childhood Education Program and

receive 12 college credits in exchange for volunteering. The tutors have already

provided 480 at-risk children with more than 6,000 hours of individual tutoring,

with a primary focus on improving children’s reading skills. 
Better Education Is Everybody’s Business 19

WAYS FOR EMPLOYERS 

TO GET INVOLVED 

IN CHILDREN’S 

LEARNING

Business involvement in improving education at all levels is very 

important. As current employers of parents and community members, as

a future source of employment for current students, and as good corporate

citizens in their community, businesses can help make education better.

The following are examples of how employers can work on the seven

issues cited as concerns of the American public.

MAKE SCHOOLS SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE: MAKE SCHOOLS SAFE, DISCIPLINED AND DRUG-FREE: 

A PRECONDITION FOR LEARNING

• Support performing arts, athletics, academic clubs, museum outings and other 

positive activities for children both in and beyond the traditional school day. 

Ensure that children with disabilities, limited English proficiency and other 

special needs can access your programs.

• Share team building, negotiation and communication strategies that deal with 

conflict resolution.

John Hancock Financial Services Sponsors Kids-to-Go, Boston,

Massachusetts

What happens to children when school is closed but the workplace isn’t? Since

1990, John Hancock’s Kids-to-Go program has provided day-long supervised

activities for employees’ school-aged children (6-14) during school holidays. The

daily cost per child is $20, although scholarships of $10 per day are available to

employees’ whose income does not exceed $30,000. Children bring their lunch.

With enrollment based on a first come, first served basis, as many as 50 children

can participate each day. The children’s activities are staffed by child care

professionals, and vary by season and by the ages of the children. Activities have

included roller skating and bowling, harbor cruises, visits to local museums and

zoos, Red Sox games, and movies and shows. Children who participate in the

program are covered under the company’s umbrella insurance policy.

“Children are our future and to

assure a solid future for them it 

is imperative that we, as parents

and members of our respective

communities, become actively

involved in our children’s 

education. By doing this, we 

will prepare the children of

America to be successful and 

competitive in a growing 

international marketplace.” 

Bo Jackson

Actor/Businessman/

Heisman Trophy Winner 1985
20 Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

ENCOURAGE PARENT AND FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

Southern California Edison Helps East Los Angeles Parents

Southern California Edison (SCE) is making an investment in its local 

community. SCE understands that children’s first teachers are their 

parents. And if they reach into the family with help and support, they

will help to increase student success in school. The company supports

the Parent Institute for Quality Education, which has helped to train

more than 7500 parents from the East Los Angeles community to 

participate actively in their children’s education.

• Sign the Employers’ Promise for Learning. Small and large employers are 

pledging to help improve education and be family-friendly for learning. 

Call 1-800-USA-LEARN for more information. Businesses are offering leave 

and/or flex time for employees and family members to volunteer in school or 

participate in school activities.

• Help a school establish a parent resource center or provide information 

through the workplace.

• Support programs in the community that help educate parents and other caring

adults on how they can participate in helping children learn. The 1996 National 

Education Summit policy statement crafted by CEOs and governors pledges the 

support of employers to “adopt policies to support parental involvement in their 

children’s education and in improving their schools.”

Parents, Industry, Educators

Cooperating for Educational

Success in Catawba County,

North Carolina

Helping parents meet their 

children’s education needs has been

the business of Project PIECES

“Parents, Industry, Educators

Cooperating for Educational

Success” since 1987. This 

innovative program takes school

counselors to the worksite where

parents can review report cards,

teachers’ comments, and learn about

financial planning for college and

tech prep. 

Albert Gaither, president of

Ridgeview, Inc. which runs the 

project, observed that the program 

is good business for his company:

“Happier parents make better

employees.” One counselor

observed, “Fathers love it!

Participation among fathers has

soared! For divorced fathers who

don’t have custody, these counseling

visits might be the first time the

father has seen a child’s report

card.” Another result of the 

parent/counselor relationships is the

disappearance of truancy among

those students whose parents 

participate.

Ridgeview, Inc., and Neuville

Industries won the 1996 Working

Mothers Magazine Golden Apple

Award for employer practices that

enhance family involvement in 

children’s learning.

“Just Open Your Eyes and See . . . Through an Ant’s Eyes”

Sloan Schmidtke, Birmingham, AL
Better Education Is Everybody’s Business 21

REACH FOR NEW LEVELS OF EXCELLENCE: ACHIEVE HIGH

STANDARDS AND REAL ACCOUNTABILITY

• Assist in school improvement efforts. Provide apprenticeship and internship 

opportunities for students geared to high academic and occupational standards. 

• Encourage part-time student employees to attend school every day and to study 

hard. Ask to see transcripts and diplomas when high school graduates apply for

jobs, and call teachers or principals to get job references. This will send 

students the message that achievement in school counts in the working world.

• Work with other employers and local schools and parents to help define what 

skills, knowledge, and work habits are needed and help schools and parents 

make the needed changes in their schools to keep up to date with changing 

education and workforce demands.

READ*WRITE*NOW! in Fox Cities, Wisconsin

Children read all summer long and beyond thanks to the Fox Cities

Alliance for Education, an initiative of the Fox Cities Chamber of

Commerce and Industry located in Appleton, Wisconsin. Local employers

rallied around local schools to promote READ*WRITE*NOW!, a reading

and writing program of the Partnership for Family Involvement in

Education. Fox Cities employers and employees developed a plan for

partners to read to students during the summer and to extend the program

into the school year. Employers also donated paper and supplies and

reproduced the printed materials for the program at no cost. 

More than 1500 reading kits were distributed to students in the Fox Cities

area last summer. Fox Cities is participating in READ*WRITE*NOW!

again in summer 1996. This year they plan to undertake an evaluation of

the effects of the program on children’s reading. 

“I support the United States

Department of Education’s

efforts, America Goes Back to

School. I encourage all parents

to get involved with their 

children’s education.”

Cal Ripkin, Jr., 1995 

Baltimore Orioles

American League

OMAHA 2000, Nebraska

OMAHA 2000 is a local voluntary

organization established in 1991

whose mission is to serve as a catalyst

to facilitate the changes necessary to

meet the national education goals in 

a planned and purposeful way with

measured results. Each December,

OMAHA 2000 issues a Community

Progress Report. Each of the goal

areas is evaluated and assigned a

grade based on the progress or lack 

of progress in that area. The entire

report is printed in a full page ad in

the Omaha World-Herald and 

distributed to over 225,000 

households. According to John

Gottschalk, chairman of OMAHA

2000 and publisher of the Omaha

World-Herald, “the Progress

Report...gives the community the

opportunity to reflect on the progress

and on the work yet to be done.”

HELP AMERICA BECOME A READING, LITERATE SOCIETY

• Encourage your employees to read and write with their children and 

grandchildren every night or volunteer to be a tutor. Provide copies of 

READ*WRITE*NOW! kits for employees, by obtaining them from the U.S. 

Department of Education at 1-800-USA-LEARN or co-publishing them with 

your business’s logo on them. The READ*WRITE*NOW! program enhances 

children’s basic skills as well as their enjoyment of reading by encouraging 

children to read daily and providing activities that can be completed with an 

older reading partner.

• Identify schools and community organizations that can provide extra help 

before and after school in reading for employees’ children and grandchildren, 

and for adults to learn to read and write better. Help promote adult and family 

literacy.
22

• Establish computer donation and computer upgrading programs for schools 

and families. Assist schools directly by supplying used, no-cost, or low-cost 

computers and software, modems, and training and support to help teachers 

use technology in the classroom.

• Act as an on-line mentor to students, parents, teachers, and community 

members who are exploring the best ways to use new technology for learning. 

If you use the Internet, help teachers learn how they and their students can 

also use it. Contact the National Tech Corps for volunteers in your community

who are working with schools.

• Assist your school in becoming wired for the 21st century.

The Department of Defense Helps Give Schools a Free Ride on the Information Highway

Department of Defense agencies may donate excess computer hardware and software to state-accredited public and

private elementary and secondary schools. These kinds of gifts make principals very happy. “We’re very excited about it

because our goal is to make our students computer literate,” exclaimed Principal Brenda Bowden of Fort Belvoir’s

Cheney Elementary School. A donation of more than a dozen used computers from the Virginia-based Defense Mapping

School and Defense System Management College helped put at least one computer in every classroom at Cheney. 

The U.S. Army Center for Public Works, a partner with Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria, Virginia, also

transferred almost 25 pallets of computer equipment, including printers. “This equipment allows us to work toward

meeting our goal of giving students daily access to technology,” noted Robert Sanders, technology coordinator at Mount

Vernon. 

Schools interested in finding out what equipment is available should start with the Property Book Officer (PBO) of a

military installation in the same state as the school.

MAKE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE SO ALL CHILDREN WILL MAKE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE SO ALL CHILDREN WILL 

SUCCEED IN THE 21st CENTURY

Launching into Cyberspace: NetDay96

Everybody from construction workers to President Clinton and Vice President

Gore drilled holes and pulled cables to launch California schools into cyberspace.

Over 17,000 volunteers turned out for NetDay96, a grass-roots technology effort

to link a minimum of five classrooms to the Internet. Juan Herrera, an engineer at

San Diego-based Qualcomm Incorporated, found out about NetDay through an 

e-mail. Herrera focused his company’s efforts on National City Middle School, an

inner city school in San Diego County. Many of the parents of the children who

attend the school cannot afford computers at home, and the students depend on

schools to learn the new technology that will give their futures a boost. Herrera

was able to convince Qualcomm management that they should wire not 5 

classrooms but 50 classrooms, effectively wiring the entire school. Qualcomm

supplied fiber optic cable, engineers and technical know-how in the preparation of

wiring schematics. President Clinton described NetDay “a modern version of an

old-fashioned barn raising” because of the event’s many volunteers. “All of us are

here today because we know, purely and simply, that every single child must have

access to a computer, must understand it, must have access to good software and

good teachers and, yes, to the Internet,” Clinton told a cheering crowd of students,

teachers and NetDay volunteers in Northern California.

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

“Sharing a Book”

Jamie King, Meridian, MS
23

PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR CAREERS: A STRONG PREPARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR CAREERS: A STRONG 

TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO WORK

• Share with the school and community the skills that are needed for today's 

and tomorrow's jobs, and work with schools to help students learn those skills.

Offer work-study opportunities for students and summer internship 

opportunities for teachers.

• Contact the high schools in your area to see if there is a school-to-work or tech 

prep program available. If a program exists, offer to participate by providing 

work-based learning experiences, apprenticeships, internships, work study, 

training and mentoring for students. If no program exists, start one by working 

with other employers, high schools, and community colleges. 

• Encourage your employees to volunteer at school to demonstrate what they do. 

Set up a program where students can shadow employees to learn about their 

jobs. Employees can help teachers through guest lectures and interesting 

classroom activities.

MAKE COLLEGE MORE ACCESSIBLE: KEEP THE PROMISE OF

THE AMERICAN DREAM

• Volunteer to visit a school and talk to students about the importance of 

life-long learning. Discuss the connection between the skills and 

knowledge you gained in high school and college, and the skills and knowledge 

that you use each day at work. Sponsor shadowing programs, internships, and 

apprenticeships in your businesses for middle school, high school, and college 

students so they can learn about careers firsthand.

• If you have expertise in financial planning and are familiar with the ways that 

families can save money for college, volunteer to talk about various savings 

strategies to students and parents at an elementary school or middle school in 

your area. Businesses can help sponsor scholarships for those most in need.

GTE Corporation Helps

Families Plan for College

Communications giant GTE

Corporation admits to 

keeping its workers busy.

That is why the company

held a teleconference

recently to teach employees

and their children the

ABC's of college planning.

The college planning

seminar gives working

parents the information

they might not have the

time or resources to

research on their own.

Asking everything from

how to pay for college to

where to send applications,

1400 employees and their

children attended the 

college planning seminar.

GTE originated the 

interactive teleconference

from four major plants and

broadcast it live to 18 of the

company's buildings across

the country. The day-long

seminar featured panels and

experts who answered 

questions and gave 

presentations on college

admissions, financial aid,

and student life. Selecting

a college will be easier for

many families because the

seminar walked them 

step-by-step through the

process.

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

“Now, more than ever, is the time for companies to make

investments supporting the development of an educated 

workforce. Finances alone will not get the job done. We need

to work side by side with local community organizations to

provide hands-on tutoring and mentoring, which are key to a

child’s learning process .”

Kent C. “Oz” Nelson

UPS Chairman and CEO
24

You will want to bring recognition to your local community for your America

Goes Back to School: Get Involved! event. Last year many well-known 

participants were involved: 

• Both President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore traveled to classrooms 

and college campuses across America.

• Sesame Street's Celina and the Cookie Monster visited P.S. 166 in Queens, 

New York where they told stories and held a dance/movement session.

• R.L. Stine, author of the "Goose Bumps Mysteries" series, participated in 

an on-line event.

• Astronaut Charles Bolden, a brigadier general in the Marine Corps, went back 

to school with U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley in Greenville, South 

Carolina. Other astronauts who participated in the back-to-school effort 

included Vance Brand, Blane Hammond, Gregory Harbraugh, Jim Lovell, 

and Carl Meade.

• Actor Edward James Olmos visited Claremont College in California, and actress

Barbara Bain read to children with U.S. Chief Economic Advisor Joe Stiglitz at 

Grape Elementary in Watts.

• Spiderman, his creator Stan Lee, and artist John Romita visited an elementary

school in Encinitas, California to encourage students to read more.

• The National Reclaim Our Youth Crusade, an initiative of the Rev. Jesse L. 

Jackson, encouraged parents in 50 cities nationwide to sign a pledge promising 

to support their children's efforts to learn.

• Sports greats Cal Ripken, Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles, Keith Alias of the New 

York Giants, Olympic medalists Jeff Blatnick and Anita DeFrance, and Billy 

Ray Hobley of the Harlem Globetrotters supported America Goes Back to 

School.

INNOVATIVE ACTIVITIES

FROM AMERICA 

GOES BACK TO 

SCHOOL 1995

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

“As Secretary of the Navy, I

have made education--and 

programs for expanded family

participation in education--one

of my top priorities. One of my

favorite programs is ‘America

Goes Back to School: Get

Involved!’ I’ve participated in

this wonderful program, and I

think it’s a great opportunity

for Navy leaders to get 

personally involved in our

schools. The Back To School

initiative provides a chance for

all of us to give an important

contribution to the system that

America counts on for our

future leaders.”

John H. Dalton 

Secretary of the Navy
25

Last year's effort also included many effective grassroots efforts:

• Proclamations by mayors in Birmingham, Alabama; Anchorage, Alaska; Tempe, 

Arizona; Los Angeles, California; Washington, D.C.; Buffalo, New York; Boise, 

Idaho; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Akron, Ohio; Portland, 

Oregon; Portsmouth, Virginia; Detroit, Michigan; and Seattle, Washington 

designating America Goes Back to School: A Place for Families and the 

Community Week in their cities.

• An ice cream social thank you party for community volunteers in Terre 

Haute, Indiana.

• A parade, picnic, and "back to school" night at the ballpark in New Orleans.

• Performances and workshops with the Texas Institute for Arts in Education, a 

collaborative representing Houston's Ballet, Symphony, Grand Opera, Theater 

Under the Stars, Alley Theater, and International Festival.

• Governors, mayors, and other elected officials around the country signed

resolutions and proclamations in support of America Goes Back to School.

State Resolutions 

Ask your state superintendent, state legislature, or governor to encourage family

and community involvement in America Goes Back to School: Get Involved! events by

issuing a resolution and, thereby, recognizing the importance of families, schools,

communities, and employers developing partnerships to help children learn.

Local Proclamations

Ask a local official to issue a proclamation declaring an America Goes Back to School

month in your city or community. A sample proclamation from last year’s

campaign follows, as well as a school board resolution. By displaying your

proclamation at America Goes Back to School events, you’ll encourage other

community members to get involved.

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

“Autumn Rain”

Katherine Mertens, Cranford, NJ
26

P R O C L A M A T I O N

TO THE PEOPLE OF AKRON:

Whereas: September 11, 1995, will kick off America Goes Back to School: A 

Place for Families and the Community. This effort is to encourage all Americans 

to support family and community involvement in learning; and

Whereas: America Goes Back to School, is sponsored by The [Partnership for 

Family Involvement in Education], a coalition of more than [700] family, 

community, religious and education organizations dedicated to improving children's 

learning through the development of family-school-community partnerships, in 

conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education; and

Whereas: Designed to foster grassroots support for schools by inviting 

individuals parents, grandparents, community leaders, professionals, people skilled

in vocational trades, members of the arts community, religious leaders...all

Americans--to rally around their local schools and make a commitment to

support education improvement throughout the year; and

Whereas: I urge the citizens of Akron to use this week as a beginning in supporting

children's learning, which can make a positive difference: a win/win situation for 

families, schools and communities across the nation.

Now, Therefore: I, Donald L. Plusquellic, Mayor of the City of Akron, Ohio, do 

hereby proclaim the week of September 11, 1995, as:

“AMERICA GOES BACK TO SCHOOL

A PLACE FOR FAMILIES AND THE COMMUNITY WEEK"

In the City of Akron.

IN WITNESS WHERE OF:

I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the City of Akron, Ohio, to be affixed

hereto this 10th day of August, 1995. 

Mayor, City of Akron

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

C i t y o f A k r o n , O h i o

S e a l
27

Sample Resolution for a Local Board of Education

WHEREAS, 

The board of education of the __________________________ school district, for its own part, rededicates itself

to the engagement of families and the community in the life of our schools to enhance children’s learning and

positively influence each child.

Involving families and communities directly results in better student achievement and lower levels of safety

and discipline infractions;

Involving families and schools in children’s learning includes a broad range of activities and concerns to be

addressed; and

Involving families and schools can enhance the morale and quality of the school environment; and it is the

stated objective of the public school to prepare children for a productive role in our society; and

America Goes Back to School focuses on the theme Get Involved!; now,

be it resolved, that the board of education of _________________________ endorses the observance of America

Goes Back to School Month as an opportunity to support the purposes and practices of family and community

involvement in children’s learning and encourages parents, students, teachers, employers, and all citizens to

participate.

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

untitled

Alison R. Trump, Pittsburgh, PA
28 Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

SELECTED RESOURCES

“America Goes Back to School is

designed to foster grassroots 

support for schools by inviting

individuals, parents, 

grandparents, community 

leaders, professionals, people

skilled in vocational trades,

artists, religious leaders, and all

Americans to rally around their

local schools and create a

win/win situation for families,

schools and communities across

the nation.” 

H. Brent Coles 

Mayor, Boise ID

Last year’s Partners’ Activity Guide, “America Goes Back to School: A Place for

Families and the Community,” includes many innovative ideas in addition to

those presented here. Call 1-800-USA-LEARN for free copies.

1. Help Make Schools Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free: You can seek help 

from local sources such as your local PTA, school board, community 

agencies, and police department. The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 

Communities Act provides funding through the U.S. Department of 

Education to help schools build local partnerships to reduce violence and 

drug use, install metal detectors and hire security guards, and train teachers 

to prevent problems. The Act offers school districts the flexibility to design 

their own comprehensive school safety programs and coordinate them with 

community agencies. For information, call 202-260-3954. The following 

organizations also provide assistance and information:

Partnership for a Drug Free America 

405 Lexington Ave. 

New York, NY 10174

212-922-1560

1-800-624-0100

National Clearinghouse on Alcohol 

and Drug Information 

P.O. Box 2345 

Rockville, MD 20852

1-800-SAY-NO-TO

Office of National Drug Control Policy

Executive Office of the President

Washington, DC 20500

202-467-9800

The following are available free of charge from the U.S. Department of 

Education by calling 1-800-624-0100:

• “Creating Safe Schools: A Resource Collection for Planning and Action”

• “Manual on School Uniforms”

• “Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent’s Guide to Prevention”

• “READY SET GO”

• “School Administrators’ Violence Prevention Resource Anthology”

• “Success Stories ’94: A Guide to Safe, Disciplined, & Drug-Free Schools”

• “Art of Prevention: A Drug Prevention Resource for All Teachers”

• “Murals Reflecting Prevention”
Better Education Is Everybody’s Business 29

2. Help Support Parent and Family Involvement: You can go to your local 

school, PTA, community group, or house of worship for more help. In addition, 

28 Parental Information and Resource Centers have been funded through the 

Goals 2000: Educate America Act. For more information on these parent 

centers, call 202-401-0039. Title I of the Improving America’s Schools Act, 

which provides resources to schools needing extra help to strengthen programs 

in the basics and core academics, encourages the creation of school-parent 

compacts in half of the nation’s schools. For more information on school-parent 

compacts, call 202-260-0965. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 

funds 70 Parent Training and Information Projects across the 50 states to help 

parents of children with disabilities. To get a copy of “A Directory of Parent 

Training and Information Projects” and for more information call the National 

Information Center for Children & Youth with Disabilities at 1-800-695-0285. 

The U.S. Department of Education supplies two-thirds of all student financial aid 

for college (loans and grants). Call 1-800-4-FED-AID for more information on 

student aid. The following national organizations can also provide you with more 

information.

Partnership for Family Involvement 

in Education

600 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20202-8173

1-800-USA-LEARN

The National Coalition for Parent

Involvement in Education

Institute for Educational Leadership

1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 310

Washington, DC 20036

202-822-8405

For additional information and

a free catalog of parent and 

family involvement resources 

for parents and educators, 

contact:

The National PTA

135 South La Salle

Department 1860

Chicago, IL 60674-1860

312-549-3253

312-477-5818 fax

To order: “Catch the Spirit: A 

Student’s Guide to Community 

Service” write to:

The Consumer Information 

Center

Department 593C

Pueblo, CO 81009

Parents as Teachers

9374 Olive Boulevard

St. Louis, MO 63132

314-432-4330

HIPPY USA

Teachers College

Box 113

525 West 10th St.

New York, NY 10027

212-678-3500

“To increase the commitment

to and involvement in our 

children’s learning experiences

makes a significant difference

in the prosperity and future of

our city as well as other 

communities across the 

country.”

Anthony Masiello

Mayor, Buffalo, NY

The following publications can be ordered free of charge from the U.S.

Department of Education by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN.

• “Strong Families, Strong Schools: Building Community Partnerships for 

Learning”

• “America Goes Back to School Partners’ Activity Guide”

• “Reaching All Families and Creating Family Friendly Schools”

• “Employers, Families and Education: Promoting Family Involvement in 

Learning”

• “Get Involved! How Parents and Families Can Help Their Children Do 

Better In School”

• “Team up for Kids! How Schools Can Support Family Involvement in 

Education”

• “Be Family-Friendly: It’s Good Business!”

• “Join Together for Kids! How Communities Can Support Family 

Involvement in Education”

• “Summer Home Learning Recipes”

• Helping Your Child Learn Series (Reading, Math and others) 
30 Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

3. Selected Resources To Help America Become a Reading, Literate Society: 

Tutors and reading partners can be obtained by asking your local school, PTA, 

library, community group, or house of worship for help. Many Girl Scout 

cadette troops, Boys and Girls Clubs, AmeriCorps volunteers, retired teachers, 

librarians, and college sororities and fraternities have tutor volunteers.

READ*WRITE*NOW! kits, developed by reading and writing specialists to 

help children increase their reading and writing skills, can be obtained through 

local libraries, the U. S. Department of Education's toll-free number 

1-800-USA-LEARN, the U. S. Department of Education's homepage on the 

World-Wide Web, and through the ERIC documentation system at your local 

library. Schools can use funds from the U.S. Department of Education's Title 

I-basic skills program to extend learning time after school and in the summer for 

children, and to redesign the reading and basic skills programs to be 

more effective in order to reach for higher standards. 

Organizations that can immediately get you started to help children read and 

work for a more literate America include:

American Library Association

50 East Huron Street

Chicago, IL 60611

312-944-6780

Learning Disabilities Association 

of America

4156 Library Road

Pittsburgh, PA 15234

412-341-1515

National Center for Family Literacy

Waterfront Plaza, Suite 200

325 W. Main Street

Louisville, KY 40202-4251

502-584-1133

AmeriCorps

1201 New York Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20525

Reading Is Fundamental

600 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20024

National Institute for Literacy

800 Connecticut Ave., Suite 200

Washington, DC 20006

202-632-1500

The following publications are available from the National Library of 

Education, U.S. Department of Education, by calling 1-800-424-1616: 

• “State of the Art: Transforming Ideas for Teaching and Learning to Read”

• “Helping Your Child Learn to Read”

• “Helping Your Child Learn to Use the Library”

Pizza Hut's Book It! Program

9111 East Douglas

Wichita, KS 67201

Books and Beyond

309 North Rios

Solano Beach, CA 92075

619-755-3823

International Reading Association

800 Barksdale Road, P.O. Box 8139

Newark, DE 19714-8139

302-731-1600 ext. 220

Extra help in the basics -- Title I

Contact your State Department 

of Education or the

U.S. Department of Education at 

202-260-0826

Extra help for students with disabilities

- Special Education 

Contact your State Department of

Education or the

Office of Special Education at the U.S.

Department of Education at 

202-205-5507

“If I Could Give the World a Gift”

Adrienne Shoen, Georgetown, KY

“Wild Thing”

Kevin Perine, Jr., Akron, OH
Better Education Is Everybody’s Business 31

4. Selected Resources To Reach New Levels of Excellence with High 

Standards and Real Accountability: Contact your local school district or 

state department of education to find out what’s going on in your community 

and state to develop and set higher educational and occupational standards. 

The Goals 2000: Educate America Act provides funding to help schools raise 

standards and improve their accountability. It encourages communities to 

create their own locally developed school improvement plans. For 

information, call your state education department or call 202-401-0039.

The following are other sources of information on standards.

Council of Chief State School Officers

One Massachusetts Avenue, NW/Suite 700

Washington, DC 20001-1431

202-408-5505

Council for Basic Education

1319 F Street, NW

Washington, DC 20004

202-347-4171

National Alliance of Business

1201 New York Avenue, NW

Suite 700

Washington, DC 20005

202-289-2800

The Business Roundtable

1615 L Street, NW

Suite 1100

Washington, DC 20036

(202) 872-1260

The following publications can be ordered free of charge from the U.S. 

Department of Education by calling 1-800-USA-LEARN.

• “An Invitation to Your Community: Building Community Partnerships 

for Learning”

• “Moving America to the Head of the Class”

• “Teachers and GOALS 2000: Leading the Journey Toward High 

Standards for All Students”

• “State Content Standards Directory of state projects funded by the U.S. 

Department of Education”

• “Eloquent Evidence: Arts at the Core of Learning”

“Dare to Discover the Glow of a Book”

Chris Mills, Montgomery, AL
32 Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

5. Selected Resources To Make Technology Available So All Children Will 

Succeed in the 21st Century: Check with the technology coordinator in 

your local school district or state education agency, your local library, and 

local Computer Users Groups for further help. Check your local telephone 

directory for the number of the Computer Users Groups. At the U.S. 

Department of Education, Challenge Grants for Technology in Education 

provide funding to school consortia to support the development and 

innovative use of technology to enhance learning. Challenge grants help 

communities turn their schools into information age learning centers. 

President Clinton recently proposed a $2 billion initiative to build and support 

state and local partnerships promoting technological literacy for all students. 

For information, call 202-708-6001. 

In addition, there are national organizations such as:

Educational Resources 

Information Clearinghouses 

(ERIC)

ACCESS ERIC

1600 Research Blvd.

Rockville, MD 20850-3172

1-800-LET-ERIC

AskERIC (askeric@ericir.syr.edu)

KickStart Initiative: Connecting 

America’s Communities to the 

Information Highway National 

Information Infrastructure 

Advisory Council

NTIA Openness Center

Department of Commerce, 

Room 1609

Washington, DC 20230

202-482-3999

http://www.benton.org/kickstart/

kick.home.html

Telephone Pioneers of 

America

P.O. Box 13888

Denver, CO 80201-3888

1-800-872-5995

The National Parent

Information Network ERIC

Clearinghouse on Elementary

and Early Childhood

Education

University of Illinois

805 W. Pennsylvania Ave.

Urbana, IL 61801-4897

1-800-583-4135 or 217-333-1386

National Tech Corps

P.O. Box 65332

Washington, DC 20035

508-620-7749

http://www.ustc.org

NetDay96

2601 Mariposa St.

San Francisco, CA 94110-1400

415-553-2311 netday@kqed.org

http://www.netday96.com/

“Just Open Your Eyes and See . . .

The Light”

Leandra Hicks, Evansville, IN
If you have access to any online service or to the Internet, you can reach our

World Wide Web site at http://www.ed.gov; our gopher server is at

gopher.ed.gov (or select North America—>USA—>General—>U.S.

Department of Education from the All/Other Gophers menu on your

system.) FTP users can ftp to ftp.ed.gov and log on as anonymous. E-mail

users can get our catalog and instructions on how to use our mail server by

sending e-mail to almanac@inet.ed.gov; in the body of the message, type

send catalog. You may also contact your Regional Technology Consortium:

Northwest Regional Technology

Consortium

505-275-9624

North Central Regional Technology

Consortium

708-218-1272

NetTech-Northeast Regional 

Technology Consortium 

212-541-0972

Better Education Is Everybody’s Business 33

South Central Regional Technology 

Consortium

913-864-4954

Southeast & Islands Regional

Technology Consortium

910-334-3211

Southwest & Pacific Regional

Technology Consortium 

310-985-1570

6. Selected Resources To Prepare Young People for Careers: Funds are 

available from the U.S. Department of Education to underwrite the initial 

costs of planning and establishing school-to-career systems at the state and 

local level. For more information on funding and development assistance, 

contact your state department of education or the School-to-Work 

Opportunities Learning & Information Center at 1-800-251-7236.

The National School-to-Work Learning & Information Center provides 

information, assistance and training to build school-to-work opportunities 

throughout the country. The Center uses the latest information technology to

help increase the capacity of professionals and to develop and implement 

School-to-Work systems across the nation. Its services are available to state 

and local school-to-work offices, employers, schools, labor, parents, students, 

and the general public.

The Center, jointly operated by the U.S. Department of Education and the 

U.S. Department of Labor, offers access through six distinct services:

• The 800-number “Answer Line” (1-800-251-7236)

• Internet Home Page/Information Network (http://www.stw.ed.gov)

• Relevant publications

• A resource bank of selected technical assistance providers

• Databases on key School-to-Work contacts, organizations, and practices

• Meetings, conferences, and training sessions 

Service learning opportunities can also be important to help prepare youth 

for a career. For information about the AmeriCorps program and service 

learning, call 1-800-ACORPS. 

“AMERICA GOES BACK TO

SCHOOL is sponsored by the

Partnership for Family

Involvement in Education, a

coalition of family, 

community, religious and 

education organizations 

dedicated to improving 

children’s learning through 

the development of 

family-school-community 

partnerships. I urge all 

residents to use this as a 

beginning in supporting 

children’s learning, which 

can make a positive difference

in their lives and future.”

Richard Riordan

Mayor, Los Angeles, California
34

• “The College Guide for Parents,” Third Edition, 

Charles Shields. The College Board, 1994.

• “The Multicultural Student’s Guide to the Colleges,”

Robert Mitchell. Noonday Press, 1996.

For a free copy of the following publications, call the U.S. Department of

Education at 1-800-USA-LEARN:

• “Preparing Your Child for College: A Resource Book for Parents”

• “America Goes Back to School: How Colleges Can Get Involved!”

For a free copy of the following publication, call the U.S. Department of

Education at 1-800-4-FED-AID:

• “The Student Guide: Financial Aid from the U.S. Department of 

Education”

The ACT and the National Career

Development Association have 

developed a career exploration

and guidance kit called, “Realizing

the Dream.” Ask your child’s

guidance counselor if Realizing

the Dream is being used in your

child’s school or district. To find

out more about the kit, you can

call 319-337-1379 or write to the

following address:

Heidi Hallberg, Program 

Coordinator—ACT

2201 North Dodge St.

P.O. Box 168

Iowa City, IA 52243-0168

The U.S. Department of Education

offers a free PC-based software package

that helps young people choose a

college and learn about student 

financial aid. The package is called,

the “AWARE Early Awareness

Software.” You can obtain a copy by

calling 1-800-4FED-AID, or by writing

to the following address: 

Federal Student Aid Information

Center

P.O. Box 84

Washington, DC 20044

7. Selected Resources To Make College More Accessible: Preparing your 

child for college includes both academic and financial preparation. You can 

seek information from your local school guidance counselor, local community

college or university, and some community and service organizations. You 

can also obtain financial aid information from the U.S. Department of 

Education. The Department supplies 70 percent of the financial aid to 

college students in the United States. For the facts about financial aid, 

including the Direct Loan Program, call 1-800-4-FED-AID. Here are some 

other resources that you can use to find out more about planning for careers 

and college:

“eye opener”

Colin Nagel, Hope, RI
35

America Goes Back to School: Get Involved! 

The National PTA Reflections Program

The National PTA Reflections Program is an arts recognition and achievement program for

students in preschool through grade 12, in the areas of literature, musical composition,

photography and visual arts. Each year more than 600,000 students participate in the

Reflections Program through local PTA units around the country. We would like to

acknowledge the following students who provided artwork and photography for the

America Goes Back to School poster, bookmark, guide and folder:

1993-94 “If I Could Give the World a Gift . . .”

Daniel Brouillette, Sioux City, IA, “Harmony”

Mary-Hall H. Dale, Columbus, MS, “Harmony”

Unique R. Dancy, Akron, OH, “Everyone Could Have the Freedom to be Themselves”

Jenny Dumproff, Germantown, WI, “I’d Give the World Another Picasso”

Lauren Elizabeth Gregory, Oak Ridge, TN, “The World Needs a Hug”

Darren Hauck, Wauwatosa, WI, “Helping Hands”

Katherine Leila Norton, Rochester, MN, “A Clean up Club”

Adrienne Shoen, Georgetown, KY, “If I Could Give the World a Gift”

Mikey Stevens, Germantown, TN, “I Would Give the World Fresh Air, Puppies and Love”

1994-95 “Dare to Discover . . .”

Jamie King, Meridian, MS, “Sharing a Book”

Katherine Mertens, Cranford, NJ, “Autumn Rain”

Chris Mills, Montgomery, AL, “ . . . the Glow of a Book”

Kevin Perine, Jr., Akron, OH, “Wild Thing”

Zachary Schelp, Kansas City, MO, “ . . . Your Imagination”

1995-96 “Just Open Your Eyes and See . . .”

Taylor Marie Fidel, Murray, UT, “ . . . the Setting Sun”

Leandra Hicks, Evansville, IN, “ . . . The Light”

Kestral Leigh Grapes Michaud, Irwin, PA, “ . . . People are Like Flowers. They are all 

Different and They are All Beautiful”

Colin Nagel, Hope, RI, “eye opener”

Sloan Schmidtke, Birmingham, AL, “ . . . Through an Ant’s Eyes”

Eddie Smith III, Montgomery, AL, “ . . . We Can All Live in Unity”

Alison R. Trump, Pittsburgh, PA, untitled

Justin Taylor, Parkersburg, WV, “Kid Peace”

Andy Zabko, Novato, CA, “ . . . Reflections Upside Down or Are They”

Thanks also to Martha Waterson of the National PTA who coordinated with the 

U.S. Department of Education to provide the artwork.

The design work for the kit was created and produced by ZGS Communications, Inc., in

Arlington, VA (Project Manager: Jacqueline M. Burns and Designers: Patricia Rivera and

Koranjali Alfonseca).

“Just Open Your Eyes and See, We Can

All Live in Unity”

Eddie Smith III, Montgomery, AL
Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

AMERICA GOES BACK TO SCHOOL: GET INVOLVED!

is published by the U.S. Department of Education

as an initiative of The Partnership for Family Involvement in Education

Richard W. Riley

U.S. Secretary of Education

Marshall Smith

U.S. Under Secretary of Education

Terry Peterson

Counselor to the Secretary

Alan Ginsburg

Director of the Planning and Evaluation Service

Sonja Atkinson

Effie Ayers

Jennifer Ballen

Anne Barrett

Don Barrett

Gale Belton

Joy Belin

John Bertak

Beverly Blondell

Margarita Colmenares

Joan Cooper

Michelle David

Adriana de Kanter

Paulette Dent

Joann DiCarlo

David Downey

Michelle Doyle

Fritz Edelstein

Rosemary Fennell

Terri Ferinde

Scott Fleming

David Frank

Robert Glenn

Billy Gioia

Wilson Goode

Pat Gore

Kelley Hart

Menahem Herman

Susan Thompson-Hoffman

Sarah Howes

Jeanne Jehl

Diane Jones

Julie Kaminkow

Jim Kohlmoos

Catherine Lippert

Brenda Long

Lisa Lowe

Kenneth Luttrell

Tom Lyon

John McGrath

Paul McKnight

Rick Miller

Marion Millhouse

Mario Moreno

Dan Morrissey

Linda Mount

Ann Nawaz

Calvin Nophlin

Angela Parker

Barbara Patterson

Terry Peterson

Christian Pinto

Valena Plisko

Linda Roberts

Paula Roberts

Kim Ross

George Samuelson

Azalea Saunders

Anya Smith

Paul Smolarcik

Donna Taylor

Traki Taylor

Monique Waddell

Michelle Walther

Adrian Walls

Frances Watson

Gregg Wiggins

Terry Peterson, Nancy Ozeas, Diane Jones, Margarita Colmenares and Adriana de Kanter were leaders in

developing the conceptual framework for America Goes Back to School: Get Involved!

Adriana de Kanter wrote the “1996-97 Partners’ Activity Kit.”

Jacquelyn Zimmermann and Jennifer Ballen edited the kit. 

Terry Peterson, Nancy Ozeas, and Jennifer Ballen were team leaders for America Goes Back to School.

Other Back-to-School team members included:
Better Education Is Everybody’s Business

ALABAMA 

John S. Jahera, Jr., Dean Road School PTA

ALASKA

Ellen Harney and Vivian Ursula, Denali

Elementary School and Visual Enterprises

ARIZONA

Karen Butterfield, 1993 Arizona Teacher of the

Year

CALIFORNIA 

Lynda Baker, Southern California Edison; Brent

E. Heath, De Anza Middle School; Arlene

Silverman, San Francisco School Volunteers;

Juan Miguel Herrera, Qualcomm Inc.; Eugene

Garcia, Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center; Pat

Dingsdale, National PTA; Mary J. Brennan, De La

Salle Christian Brothers; Marguerite Lukes,

California State University; Joe Sweet, NFL

Retired Players Alliance/Foundation

COLORADO

Pete Denzin, Windsor School District

CONNECTICUT 

Randy MacDonald, GTE Corporation; Lola

Nathan: Davis Street School

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Craig Berkowitch: National Center on Education

and the Economy; Derek Gordon, Kennedy

Center; Julia Howell-Barros, ASPIRA Association,

Inc.; Dorothy Rich, Home and School Institute;

Susan E. Goewey, National University Continuing

Education Association; Linda Moore, Institute for

Educational Leadership; Rob Merrill, Very

Special Arts; Sister Catherine McNamee,

National Catholic Educational Association; Jun

Lee, The George Washington University

DELAWARE 

James H. Vansciver, Lake Forest School District;

Mike Lombardo, PIN-6 

FLORIDA

Blanche Wells, Martin County High School;

Frances Yeo, PTA Florida Congress of Parents

and Teachers; Agatha La Perla, Venice

Telephone Pioneers; Eleanor Kuperschmid, Read

to Me; Scott Kramer, Youth Crime Watch of

America; Dick Hohan, Venice Telephone

Pioneers; Rosemarie Fontana, Venice Telephone

Pioneers

GEORGIA

Denise Saunders, Several Dancers Core; IOWA

Rip Marston, University of Northern Iowa

ILLINOIS 

Jennifer Blitz, Chicago Academy of Sciences;

Mary Jane Cipic, National PTA; Michelle AdlerMorrison, Youth Guidance; Steve Ingels,

University of Chicago; Martha Waterson,

National PTA; Dreama Love, National PTA 

INDIANA

Sandra C. Lawrence, South Grove Elementary

School; Carol Kettler Sharp, Ft.Wayne

Community Schools; Sandra Kelley, Sarah Scott

Middle School; Barbara Bishop, Beech Grove

City Schools 

LOUISIANA

Nancy Smith, Central Elementary School; Ray E.

Bratton, Lincoln Center School

MASSACHUSETTS 

Les Hemmings, John Hancock Financial

Services; Karen Spiller, The Efficacy Institute,

Inc.; Tony Wagner, Institute for Responsive

Education; Carroll T. Miller, Educational

Publishing Group, Inc.; Daniel Margolis, Bureau

of Jewish Education of Greater Boston; Christos

Zahopoulos, Project Re-Seed; Bettina Werman,

The Werman Group, Inc.

MARYLAND

Susan Gorin, National Association of School

Psychologists; Susan Sparks, Advocates for

Children and Youth, Inc.; Joyce Epstein, Center

on Families, Communities, Schools & Children's

Learning; Adrienne Watts, National School

Supply and Equipment Association; Maria Harris,

Fox Chapel Elementary School

MICHIGAN 

Rena Richtig, Rankin Elementary School; Dr.

Janice Pemberton, Clara B. Ford School;

Suzanne Meenahan, Continental Cablevision;

Willard S. Stawski, II, TBSC Learning 

Systems, Inc.

MINNESOTA

Lynette Eck, Nonviolent Activities

MISSOURI 

Catherine Stark-Corn, Squash It!; Darlene

Robinett, Missouri Department of Elementary

and Secondary Education; Mildred M. Winter,

Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc. 

NEBRASKA

Connie Spellman, Omaha Chamber of Commerce

NORTH CAROLINA 

Wendy Woodworth, Berkeley Manor Elementary

School; Julia H. Davis, Winter Park Elementary

School; Elena Azzarita, Neuville Industries, Inc.;

Karen DeBord, North Carolina Cooperative

Extension Service

NORTH DAKOTA 

Richard J. Olthoff, Minot Public Schools 

NEW JERSEY

Rabbi Mordechai Weiss, Trocki Hebrew Academy

NEW MEXICO

Ida S. Carrillo, University of New Mexico; Mary

Gervase, Mountain Elementary School

NEW YORK

Jeannine Cronkhite, Livonia Central School

District; Ofra Fisher, B'nai B'rith, Center for

Jewish Family Life; C. Warren Moses, The

Children's Aid Society; Beth Hurwitz, Women's

American ORT; Anne McElroy, Madison Oneida

Board of Cooperative Educational Services;

Jessica Peaslee, Literacy Volunteers of New

York City; Barbara Fisher, The Waterways

Project; Carol A. Pickel, Family Prayer Ministry;

Helen Kapelman, Operation Pie; Linda Colon,

Educational Equity Concepts, Inc.; Sandra Rifkin,

Effective Parenting Information for Children;

Catherine A. Doherty, Albany Citizens Council on

Alcoholism; Sheila Lewis, Girl Scouts, USA; Neil

Harvey, Avery Publishing Group; Kathryn

Greenburg, Home Instruction Program for

Preschool Youngsters; John S. Sullivan,

Cedarhurst Elementary School; Donald J.

Brunswick, Windsor Central High School

OHIO 

Joseph A. Rochod, The Education Enhancement

Partnership, Inc.

PENNSYLVANIA

Olin C. Johnson, Charles R. Drew School;

Marjorie Klein, Harcum College; Mary Louise

DeNicola, Fairhill Elementary School; Diane

Wagenhals, Parents, Inc.

TENNESSEE

LaGina Osbourne, Buena Vista/Jones Paideia

Magnet School; Sheila Rapp, Oak Elementary

School; Virginia Schmidt, Webster's

International; Jerold P. Bauch, The Betty Phillips

Center for Parenthood Education; Debbie

Morrison, Oak Elementary School

TEXAS 

Nancy Dickson Stiles, Katy Elementary School;

David Guel, Travis Middle School; Charles

Patterson, Killeen Independent School District;

Pat Wright, Ft. Worth Independent School

District; Emmie West, ECS Learning Systems;

Evelyn Farmer, Fredericksburg Independent

School District; Robert de Kanter, Robert E. Lee

High School; Richard R. Arduengo, Houston

Public Library

UTAH

Kathleen B. Peterson, Ferron Elementary School

VERMONT

Ruth Ann Barker, Leicester Central School

VIRGINIA 

Rabbi Bruce Aft, Congregation Adat Reyim;

Leslie Collins, National Engineers Week; Susan

Hlesciak Hall, Association for Supervision and

Curriculum Development; Coleman Harris, Mount

Vernon High School PTSA; John J. Mahlmann,

Music Educators National Conference; June

Million, National Association of Elementary

School Principals; Gwendolyn J. Cooke, National

Association of Secondary School Principals;

Maggie Holmes, National Head Start Association; 

WASHINGTON

Harriet Green, Lynndale Elementary School;

Shirley Scott, Edmonds Community College;

WEST VIRGINIA

Michael Valentine, West Virginia Department of

Education

WISCONSIN

Anita Zipperer, Green Bay Area Public Schools;

Jeff Glover, Demco, Inc.; Karen Helgerson and

Chris Perket, Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce;

Ruth Ann Landsverk, Department of Public

Instruction; Daniel O. Magnuson, Family Service

of America

We would like to acknowledge outside contributors to the text who sent to us their 

America Goes Back to School vignettes.
The U.S. Department of Education

These materials are in the public domain, as are all

U.S. Department of Education publications.

Feel free to photocopy or reprint.