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August 15, 2009

Anonymous The Meridian Star Sat Aug 15, 2009, 10:44 PM CDT

It’s back to school time across Mississippi. This month, more than 500,000 children will head off to new classes with new teachers, ready to learn.

Parents for Public Schools is a national organization based in Mississippi that is working to strengthen the quality of education for the 90 percent of Mississippi children who attend public schools. We have begun an exciting new program called Schoolhouse to Statehouse involving thousands of parents working to create good schools for all children. Our Meridian PPS chapter is an active partner in this effort.

Schoolhouse to the Statehouse takes a comprehensive approach to improving public education in our state. Our parents take on leadership roles at the neighborhood school; work with local school districts and school boards on administrative issues; and serve as advocates with the Mississippi Legislature and state education policy-makers.

Since Parents for Public Schools began this program last year, we have worked to train and educate parents to be active participants in directing how our schools work. PPS is unique because we bring together parents from different neighborhoods and across school district lines. We seek to raise the ability of parents to take charge of their children’s education and work with school administrators to make substantive, systemic change.

PPS parents are working in decision-making roles such as serving on the school board or a school site council, assisting with a school district budget committee, or implementing a plan to reduce dropouts. Our Parent Leadership Institute, an intensive three-month curriculum, organizes parents who begin school improvement projects in their local districts.

PPS parents understand how decisions made at the state Capitol impact the lives of children in our public schools. We support the mission of other groups, like The Parents’ Campaign, that are working with elected officials to improve education. Schoolhouse to Statehouse is about connecting those critically important classroom and school building volunteers with the “big picture” goals we all have.

The future of our state – whether the focus is economic growth and jobs, public safety, improved health, or capable and responsive elected officials – depends on a foundation of strong public schools. If you want to improve the quality of life for every Mississippian, we encourage you to join our work.

Please visit our Web site, www.parents4publicschools.org, or call our national office at 800-880-1222. You can send an email to afoster@parents4publicschools.org. We’ll contact you and let you know how you can get involved. Our public schools work when everyone does their part. We need you!

Anne White Foster

National Executive Director

Parents for Public Schools

Jackson

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