Advocates Apply Lessons from Several States to Plan Reform Campaign

On September 29-30, 2005, the Legal Aid Justice Center convened a summit on public education reform in Virginia. A group of state and national leaders in education and school funding reform reviewed the past and present status of Virginia's public schools and discussed how other states successfully used community organizing and public engagement to reform school funding and policy.

Participants also examined a variety of educational programs and interventions that have raised student achievement. Support for the summit was provided by the Cameron Foundation and the Rebecca T. and James P. Craig Foundation.

The Discussion

Professor Jim Ryan, University of Virginia Law School, discussed the causes and history of public education inadequacies and inequities in Virginia, and Andy Block, Legal Director of JustChildren, provided the current status of the achievement gap, challenges in recruiting and retaining quality teachers, and funding inequities in the Commonwealth.

Molly Hunter, Director of the National ACCESS Network, facilitated “Lessons Learned form Other States,” in which she, John Poteat, Director of Research at the Public School Forum of North Carolina, and Cynthia Savo, President of Cynergy Associates, recounted examples of successful advocacy efforts in several states. They highlighted key organizing and policy issues, such as communications strategies and the time and commitment needed to achieve results. After dinner, John and Cynthia also presented insightful overviews of successful projects they have worked on in North Carolina and across the country. The summit concluded with a strategy roundtable, during which participants applied the previous discussions to planning a sustainable and effective reform campaign for Virginia.

The Hosts

The organizations convening the summit have long been involved in improving educational opportunities for Virginia 's most vulnerable students. For thirty-five years, the Legal Aid Justice Center has sought to address current symptoms and eliminate underlying causes of poverty for low-income families and low-wage immigrant workers. One of its three principal programs is JustChildren, which focuses on making available the support and services necessary for young people to live successful lives in their communities. In addition to providing direct legal representation, JustChildren trains parents, foster care professionals, and caretakers of disabled children to become educational advocates for children.

The Alliance for Virginia's Students, a coalition of civic groups and community members, is “dedicated to engaging the public in identifying the challenges facing our schools and in determining solutions to raise the achievement levels of all Virginia children - especially ‘at-risk' students.” The Alliance uses informational and advocacy activities to engage the public and state policymakers on adequate school funding, graduation rates, pre-kindergarten programs, and other issues of educational excellence. Its advocacy efforts include encouraging individuals to approach their legislators and civic groups to adopt a Resolution in Support of Virginia 's Students.

Conclusion

The collaboration of these organizations and the recent summit build on earlier efforts to ensure equal opportunity for a quality education for Virginia's students. Through community organizing, public engagement, and legal advocacy, the proponents of public education reform hope to meet current and future challenges to improve access to excellent education in Virginia.

Prepared by Katherine Lu, September 27, 2005