Commonwealth Education Blueprint
The Success Starts Here campaign is a multi-year statewide effort to share the positive news about public education through advertising, web, social media, traditional media and word-of-mouth with the goal of furthering understanding of the value of public education in Pennsylvania. The Success Starts Here website provides the public with a holistic view of the commonwealth’s school districts, including the district’s demographics, financials, academic outcomes, school leadership profiles and success stories. Also part of the overall picture of public education is the look ahead.
As the organizations and individuals that represent the many faces of public education considered how Pennsylvania will provide an equitable, exceptional public education that empowers all learners to achieve in a meaningful way, the importance of creating a uniform vision was realized. This vision became known as the Commonwealth Education Blueprint.
Members of school boards, district administration, business managers, solicitors, transportation officials, classroom teachers, principals, PTOs and PTAs, charter schools, business leaders, higher education entities, community organizations and any group that has some involvement in educating children met to establish this vision and ensure that each stakeholder was considered. The report includes identified obstacles school entities face in reaching the vision, as well as offers specific recommendations for school entities, legislators and others to work together toward the vision toward providing excellent public education.
We believe that public education in Pennsylvania should:
- Promote collaboration and cooperation at all levels of education and among policymakers and stakeholders.
- Recognize that learning occurs everywhere and learners progress by facing varying experiences and challenges, preparing them for their role as engaged, informed and effective citizens.
- Embrace innovation in all areas of education.
- Advocate for student learning environments that are physically and emotionally safe places where diversity of thought and respectful and vigorous debate of different perspectives is respected and encouraged.
- Advocate for all public schools to have facilities that are safe, secure, flexible, sustainable and reflect current and future learning needs.
- Strive for accountable leadership within schools, families and communities.
- Advocate for maintaining local governance and decision-making in public education.
Read the full Commonwealth-Education-Blueprint-Report.
Read the Phase 1 Report, which was released in October 2018.