A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

More to Come: Borrowing Ideas From Others

Reinventing schools doesn't mean each community has to reinvent the wheel. As President Clinton points out, "Virtually every challenge in American education has been met successfully by somebody somewhere."

That's why members of a small rural community in northern Minnesota, while designing their new charter school, visited other schools known for innovation and excellence. That's why communities and states are beginning to hold design fairs or "teacher renewal conferences" -- so teachers, parents, principals, and citizens can learn about new high-performance instructional approaches.

"The Founding Fathers were as smart a group of people as we ever got together in this country. The seminar they had on how to get things done, which produced our Constitution, was just about as good as any ever attended. And when they conceived of the states as laboratories of democracy, they intentionally thought of a scientific model in which people would learn from one another what works and then build on it. "What we try to do here with GOALS 2000 is to say, here are the Goals. You figure out how to get there. You learn from each other. Come up with aggressive plans. We will help you fund them and go forward, but you are in charge."
President Clinton,
A Celebration of the Signing of the GOALS 2000: Educate America Act
May 16, 1994
Schools and communities across the country are on the lookout for leading edge approaches they can borrow, adapt, or learn from.

The U.S. Department of Education hopes to help. We are featuring stories of pioneering schools and communities in the Community Update newsletter, the monthly Satellite Town Meetings (produced in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce), Teacher Forums, and upcoming regional workshops. We have created whole "shelves" of information about GOALS 2000 and other initiatives in our On-line Library.

The Department of Education maintains collections of "promising efforts" from which you can borrow, adapt, or learn from. There is the Prisoners of Time supplement, Schools and Programs Making Time Work, information on the Blue Ribbon Schools program, promising Schoolwide efforts, promising efforts of School-to-Work programs, and a "promising practices" section from Honor What We Know.

Other partners are also pitching in. The National Education Goals Panel offers a Community Toolkit full of suggestions on how to organize your community, get your message out, and report to your community about progress toward the National Education Goals.

No one will be offering any quick fixes or magic solutions. Still, we can all learn from each other. In fact, we must learn from each other if we're to reach the National Education Goals and move all children toward high academic standards.

Three Ways to Link Up With the U.S. Department of Education

The GOALS 2000 Satellite Town Meeting is a live, interactive video teleconference for communities working to improve their schools and to reach the National Education Goals. Each month during the school year, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley and Deputy Secretary Madeleine Kunin host a conversation with community leaders, educators, and national experts on a topic of education reform. Around the country, people watch the Town Meeting in groups at downlink sites or at home one cable or public television stations. The Satellite Town Meeting spotlights successful reform efforts around the nation and provides an opportunity for individuals and communities to share information on what works in improving education. Call 1-800-USA-LEARN to find out how you can participate in the next meeting.

Community Update is a monthly newsletter for parents, educators, and citizens involved in school reform and efforts to reach the National Education Goals. Featuring "best practices" and model programs from around the nation, the newsletter puts you in touch with resources, services and publications you can use. The newsletter reports highlights of past Satellite Town Meetings, and tells the topics and downlink coordinates for upcoming meetings. Call 1-800-USA-LEARN to add your name to the mailing list.

The Information Resource Center (IRC) puts you in touch with knowledgeable staff who can answer your questions and mail you publications about GOALS 2000. Just call 1-800-USA-LEARN. Available materials include information on the National Education Goals, brochures on topics such as high standards and more. The IRC also offers information about upcoming Satellite Town Meetings and possible downlink sites in your area.

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