AFPI Leads the Charge in Most Historic Year for School Choice Progress
At the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), we believe that the transformative progress on school choice will help prepare Americans for the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
FACT SHEET: Colorado HB23-1003 Gives Parents Less Control Over Their Child’s Education
“I do not believe in co-parenting with the government, and I never will. Parental rights are a God-given blessing. I am deeply saddened to see our country even debating who should have the right to raise our children.” – Lou Holtz, AFPI Chair of the Center for 1776
FACT SHEET: Give Every Parent More Control Over Their Child’s Education
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Protecting Due Process on Public University Campuses After the New Title IX Regulation
The Biden Administration’s proposed Title IX regulation will allow universities to revert to the Obama Administration’s deeply flawed framework for investigating sexual misconduct allegations on college campuses.
Fact Sheet - Seven Major Problems with the Biden Administration’s Borrower Bailout
Approximately 43 million borrowers with federal student loan balances will be eligible for $10,000 in loan cancellation if they make less than $125,000 ($250,000 for households). This includes loans that were in default before the pandemic repayment pause. Those who continued making payments during the pause may apply for a refund.
The Biden Administration’s Scary Education Priorities
he Biden Administration Attacks Honest Education and Parental Rights.
State School Choice Progress Report
Grassroots Toolkit: The Debate About Transgender Participation in Women’s Sports
Are you confused about the outrage over transgender participation in sports? Or don’t even know where to begin the discussion? This toolkit acts as a guide, so you can be well-informed to advocate for your position regarding this important issue.
Fact Sheet: Wisconsin Governor’s Vetoes of Education Bills harm Milwaukee’s most underserved Students
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers Vetos Bills Designed to Help Children and Families.
Toolkit: Protecting Your Taxpayer Dollars In The Classroom
The COVID-19 pandemic and heightened tensions over the teaching of racial and social issues have made curriculum, school boards, and education transparency a top priority among grassroots, parents, students, and politicians alike. Grassroots (citizen activists in a community) must have the tools they need to advocate for transparent and quality spending of their tax payer dollars.
Issue Brief: In case you missed it: Florida school board election update
List of School Board election outcomes in the state of Florida in August 2022.
Research Report: Teacher Education Preparation: How National Accreditation Standards Influence Teaching
Our Nation’s teachers have the unique privilege and responsibility to form the hearts and minds of future generations. How exactly do they obtain that privilege, and who gets to decide whether they are qualified for the task?
Freedom Fact Sheet: The Preamble of the Constitution of the United States of America
The Constitution of the United States was signed on September 17th, 1787. This document establishes the structures of America’s republic and fundamental laws and recognizes certain basic rights our citizens have.
The 9 on Title IX: What You Need to Know About The Biden Administration’s Proposed Changes to Title IX
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, legislation that applies to K-12 and postsecondary schools that received federal funding. Title IX guarantees that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination in education and athletic programs on the basis of sex.” The law’s legacy has been to equalize education opportunities for women, most famously in collegiate athletics. Title IX also requires schools to investigate instances of sexual harassment.
Parent Toolkit - Voting in School Board Elections
There are roughly 14,000 school boards across the country and about 100,000 school board members. Of these school board members, 95 percent are elected to their positions. They represent the largest group of elected officials in the country.
Parent Toolkit - Tips for Meeting with Local School Board Members
School board member information is typically posted on the website (if you cannot find the individual’s email or phone number, you can call the district line), and many members will take time to meet with you or a small group of parents.
Parent Toolkit - Critical Race Theory in Schools: Why You Should Be Concerned
What is Critical Race Theory (CRT)? A theory is an idea that has not been proven. CRT is a theory that describes all the history and laws of the United States as racist. Saying that they work to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and non-whites, especially African Americans.
Parent Toolkit - The 9 on Title IX: What you need to know about the Biden Administration’s proposed changes to Title IX
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, legislation that applies to K-12 and postsecondary schools that received federal funding.
Parent Toolkit - Advocating for Quality Curriculum: Making Your Voice Heard
A high-quality curriculum is built on high expectations, aligned with robust scholarly standards, is academically rigorous, and is designed to meet all learners’ needs (Steiner, 2017). A high-quality curriculum provides more coherence and connection in the sequencing of learning between grade levels, and high-quality curriculum materials are created to engage students in a deeper level of learning and create a focused direction (National Institute for Excellence in Education).
Parent Toolkit - Advocating for Quality Curriculum: Engaging with Local School Boards
School board members wield a great deal of power as elected officials. Local school district boards do not report to the state board of education. They only are accountable to the voters in their local jurisdiction—that means YOU!
Parent Toolkit - Advocating for Quality Curriculum: Voting in School Board Elections
There are roughly 14,000 school boards across the country and about 100,000 school board members. Of these school board members, 95 percent are elected to their positions. They represent the largest group of elected officials in the country.
Parent Toolkit - Advocating for Quality Curriculum: Visiting your Child’s School and Requesting to Observe Classroom Instruction
Many school districts require that parents notify the teacher before observing classrooms. You should check the school policy before you arrive and see if a formal observation request is needed. Some school districts have a reasonable limitation on observation times, and many do not allow parents to observe during standardized testing.
Parent Toolkit - Advocating for Quality Curriculum: Running as a Candidate for Your Local School Board
You do not need a background in public education or public policy to run for a school board position. Although it differs from state to state, there are some common qualifications that most states have to be eligible to be a candidate for a school board election. Check with your local school board to see your specific requirements.
Parent Toolkit - Advocating for Quality Curriculum: Requesting to Participate in Selecting and Approving Academic Standards with the State Board of Education
The Federal Law Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires each state board of education to develop and implement academic standards and an accountability model that includes indicators of success, addresses subgroups, provides interim measures of progress, and meets long-term goals.
Parent Toolkit - Advocating for Quality Curriculum: Requesting Access to Curriculum Plans and Instructional Materials
As a parent, you have the right to request access to the curriculum and instructional materials. Parents often receive materials directly from the school through your child’s packet of information sent home throughout the year. As a parent, you also have the right to speak with your child’s teacher and principal. In addition, parents can request to see the materials used in their child’s classroom.
Parent Toolkit - Advocating for Quality Curriculum: Meeting with Local School Board Members
Meeting with individual school board members is a great way to fully understand their views on issues and obtain more information on given topics. School board member information is typically posted on the website (if you cannot find their email or phone number, you can call the district line), and many members will take time to meet with you or a small group of parents.
Parent Toolkit - Advocating for Quality Curriculum: Directing Local School Boards to use Civics and History Materials that Teach Non-Biased and Non-Politically Motivated Contenet
It is essential to understand the curriculum adoption process in your school district. The United States Constitution does not mention education; public education is a function of the states. This was the true intention of the Founders.
Parent Toolkit - Advocating for Quality Curriculum: Attending Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and/or Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) Meetings
The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is a nationwide network of parents and teachers that work together in national, state, and local organizations to help children. The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is an independent organization comprised of parents and teachers, similar to the PTA, but usually has more financial freedom and structure.
Freedom Fact Sheet: The Constitution of the United States of America
The below definitions are frequently used keywords in the Constitution of the United States. Knowing these definitions allows for a deeper understanding of this important founding document.
The Constitution: What is it?
The Constitution is the law of the land. In a way, it’s the law about the law, because it provides the rules for making and changing the law. When there is a conflict between a new law and the Constitution, the Constitution wins.
Freedom Fact Sheet: The Bill of Rights of the United States of America
In this fact sheet, we will define key words in the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution and look deeper into the meaning of this powerful document.
Acciones Que Padres Pueden Tomar Para Crear Conciencia Sobre La Teoría Crítca De La Raza En Sus Escuelas
¿Qué es la teoría crítica de la raza (CRT)? CRT, por su nombre en inglés, es una idea política que enseña que la historia y las leyes estadunidenses son basadas en el racismo. La teoría describe que las leyes de los Estados Unidos funcionan para crear y mantener desigualdades sociales, económicas y políticas entre blancos y no-blancos, especialmente afro-estadunidenses.
Did You Know the Federal Government is Trying to Pass a $6 Billion Civics Education Bill?
“The misleadingly named “Civics Secures Democracy Act” (CSDA) — just now reintroduced in Congress — will allow the Biden Administration to push Critical Race Theory (CRT) on every public school in the country. Over a six-year period, this $6 billion pot of competitive grant money will create a de facto national curriculum — just like Common Core.” – (Kurtz, 2022)
A Brief Look Curricula: What Parents Need to Know to Get More Involved
Today’s contentious debates about classroom use for political activism have reinvigorated the need for increased parental and citizen involvement in the curriculum approval process. With greater involvement from parents and communities, we can restore our education system and ensure our students are being taught a high-quality curriculum rather than politically motivated theories about our country and its founding ideals.
Parent Toolkit - Advocating for Quality Curriculum 2
Parent Toolkit - Advocating for Quality Curriculum
As our children go back to school, it is more important than ever that parents have the resources they need actively to engage in their child’s education. Roughly 56 million students are attending elementary and secondary schools in America, and parents have the right to transparency and accountability in their child’s education.
Fact Sheet: The 9 on Title IX: What State Leaders Need to Know and How They Can Act
The Biden Administration’s proposed changes to Title IX regulations reengineer K-12 and postsecondary education to advance a radical sexual identity agenda, harming students and families, but state and local leaders can fight back!
School Board Member Toolkit - Curriculum Adoption
Thank you for serving on your local school board. School board members make up the largest group of elected officials in the country. There are approximately 100,000 school board members across nearly 14,000 school districts who represent more than 51 million children. School board members play a critical role in the improvement, accountability, and transparency of America’s schools.
School Board Member Toolkit - Curriculum Adoption: Understanding how Curricula is Adopted in your District
What is Curriculum? Curriculum is broadly defined as the courses offered by a school (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). However, in Pre-K and K-12 classrooms, the term curriculum is commonly used to refer to all the academic lessons and content those lessons contain. In this sense, a school’s curriculum includes components that all interrelate to the expected learning outcomes of students. A school’s curriculum includes supplemental materials like videos, textbooks, book lists, in-class projects, class speakers, and ALL content taught in the classroom. It is important to recognize that the curriculum is much more than a textbook.
School Board Member Toolkit - Curriculum Adoption: The Role of the School Board in Adopting Curricula
Different states have different curriculum adoption processes. As discussed above (section 2) and shown in the below image, 19 states have a state-level adoption process for instructional materials. Of those 19 states, some compile a list of materials that school districts are encouraged but not required to select their curriculum from.
School Board Member Toolkit - Curriculum Adoption: Roles and Responsibilities of District School Board Members
As a school board member, you are a public servant beholden to the citizens in your community. These individuals rely on you to use finite resources wisely and adopt goals and priorities to improve the district’s education system.
School Board Member Toolkit - Curriculum Adoption: Providing Transparency for Parents in the District
How Can I Help Parents Succeed? Advocate that information is posted publicly in a timely and organized manner to the school district website.
School Board Member Toolkit - Curriculum Adoption: Promoting High-Quality Curriculum Versus Standard Curriculum
What Does High-Quality Curriculum Mean? As a board member, you will likely be presented with an agenda item requesting approval of a selected curriculum. It is important to request to see the curriculum well before you vote to approve it for the district. A thorough review process should take several weeks, and as a board member, you have the right to ask to table an agenda item allowing for more time. “Tabling” a motion delays a vote on that motion.
School Board Member Toolkit - Curriculum Adoption: Guiding Principles for Board Memebers
Being Action Oriented: Being proactive is necessary to advocate for policies that align with your values and against policies that do not. It is not easy being a school board member. It requires research and action to make a real difference. Even after you have done the necessary research to make informed decisions, others have not. It is also the case that sometimes your one vote will not be enough to change the course of the school board.