• How to Start and Grow a Think Tank
• Grassroots Leadership Guide to K-12 Education Reform
  • Prologue
  • Decide What Type of Organization You Want to Become
  • Building and Maintaining an Effective Board
  • Get Things Up and Running
  • Legal Reference Material
  • Organize Your Staff and Volunteers
  • Examples of Programs and Operational Materials
    • Overview
    • Suggested Questions to Ask Before Starting a Project
    • School Choice Plans
    • Sample Education Program Overview
    • Sample Project: Leveraging Reform from the No Child Left Behind Act
    • Markets Aren't Magic: School choice improves K-12 education, but only if it's properly structured
    • Marketing Idea: Greatest Scam on Earth
    • Eight Week Event Checklist
    • Sample Speaker's Itinerary
    • Glossary of Terms
  • Building Coalitions
  • Getting Your Message Out/Media Relations
  • Talking with Legislators
  • Raising Money
  • History of School Choice
  • Education Reform Research and Resources
  • Resources
• Taking Donors Seriously
• Fundraising Fundamentals

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Sample Education Program Overview

From the Evergreen Freedom Foundation

EFF provides research and commentary on education reform efforts and current practices in our education system. Our goal is to establish student-centered education in Washington state by providing educational choices for all parents, children, and teachers, in a safe environment, where high academic achievement can flourish.

Objectives for Public Education Reform

• The primary relationships fostered and protected are among parents, teachers and children in individual school settings. Other institutional relationships are secondary.
• Parents are allowed to choose the school that best meets the needs of their children.
• Schools are highly autonomous and competition for students is encouraged.
• The management of each school is allowed maximum flexibility is in allocating resources and rewarding achievement. The management is also responsible to ensure academic achievement and financial accountability.
• Accurate information about cost and academic performance for each school is readily available to parents, teachers, policymakers and the public.
• A good teacher is in every classroom and the learning environment is safe and orderly.
• Emulation of successful schools, teachers and management practices is promoted.
• Schools have a clear, focused academic mission and are organized to deliver it.

Strategies

• Deregulate schools to basic health, safety and civil rights standards.
• Mandate that 90% or more of allocated education dollars follow each student to the school chosen by parents.
• Change teacher licensing requirements. An adult with a degree in a necessary field (English, history, computer science, business, etc.), who does not have a criminal record, and who has demonstrated the ability to teach students, should be able to do so in Washington state public schools.
• Prohibit mandatory unionization of schools.
• Abolish tenure.
• Redefine core academic standards and mandate scientifically valid and reliable testing.
• Require annual academic and fiscal performance audits of each school.
• Allow flexibility in the teacher salary allocation model.