Letter to President Obama

1. Letter to President Obama

2. 1. • We share a sense of urgency to give each child a high quality education.

3. 2. • Children are hurt by an overemphasis on testing and consequent narrowing of learning and lost joy of inquiry.

4. 3. • Our vision should be to inspire excellence. • Our nation’s most important resource is our children’s minds.

5. 4. The rewards of learning and the challenges of work must be the primary motivators.

6. 5. • We must cultivate a spirit of innovation and inspiration in all of our schools.

7. 6. • We should allow schools to be safe places to take risks.

8. 7. We should invest in teacher training and professional development – embedded in the work, through coaching and ongoing support.

9. 8. • The federal role should include: • identifying, supporting, and sharing excellent, proven ideas.

10. 9. • The federal role should include: • Supporting a focus on the early years: • Providing rich early learning environments for children born with the least.

11. The federal role should include: • Convening a national dialogue to reconsider our policy direction. • We must marshal the nation’s brain power and tap into the research, proven practice, and demonstrated evidence of excellence. 10.