As the pressure grows for our students to learn and know more, so grows the demand on schools to raise achievement. It's a huge challenge for our country—and for the schools in which we work. The public appetite for dramatic solutions is substantial. And that appetite is being fed by a stream of unproven reform proposals that will do tremendous damage to our children, our schools and our profession. We have better solutions.

We can improve student achievement by enhancing the knowledge, professional status and effectiveness of teachers, who are the most important school factor in children's educational success. We can improve student achievement by beginning with a system of high public academic standards that clarify what we expect children to learn in each subject in each year, backed by a transparent, fair accountability system. We can do it through targeted, intensive, early intervention to aid children who are falling behind, which is almost always the least costly and most effective educational strategy. We can do it by using collective bargaining and collaboration with school districts to cultivate smart solutions to difficult problems like staffing the most struggling schools. We can do it by focusing on what research tells us works, not on unproven and unworkable new schemes. We will promote these approaches through a positive education agenda to improve all public schools for all children.

Our education agenda focuses on five areas that are fundamental to student success, of great concern to parents and the public, and for which solid, demonstrated solutions are available.

We will pursue improvements in these areas at the bargaining table, through legislation and through professional development. We know that moving this agenda forward requires reaching out to parents, community leaders and other organizations that are working to improve the lives of children. Focusing intensely on the needs of all children and providing "what works" is the right thing to do, and it is essential for strengthening our communities and our nation.

• Staffing Hard-to-Staff Schools
• Peer Assistance and Review 
• Safe and Orderly Schools
• Early Reading Instruction and Intervention
• Common, Knowledge-Rich Curriculum
• Intensive Assistance to High-Poverty Schools

If you would like further information on these areas as they are developed, please complete a request for information form.