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“Great public schools for every child — American’s
promise” is the theme of this year’s American Education
Week, coming up Nov. 16-22.
It provides all of us with an opportunity to celebrate our schools.
It’s a week for thanking those who make a difference in the all
of our classrooms: teachers, educational support personnel, parents,
administrators, and community volunteers.
It’s also a week for spotlighting how important education is
to the health and well-being of our children, our economy, and of our
nation.
It’s a week for strengthening the connection between public schools
and the community they serve, and for renewing partnerships between
schools and the public on behalf of students.
This year’s theme is designed to remind people that public schools
embody the great American promise of equality of opportunity for all.
Schools do not act in a vacuum. They provide students with both skills
and hope for the future. Schools can help student achieve to the best
of their potential, but they need the support of parents and community
members to help motivate students to take their studies seriously.
It is a team effort in every sense of the word.
To make our schools the best they can be requires a commitment from
every member of the community, from retired citizens to parents, from
business leaders to school board members.
The goal of American Education Week since its inception in 1921 has
been to increase public understanding and appreciation of the nation’s
schools, to encourage parents and non-parents to visit schools, and
to build civic and community pride and support for public education.
We urge members of the business community to take advantage of this
opportunity to see local schools in action. Those who haven’t
stepped foot in a classroom in many years will no doubt be amazed by
the depth and breadth of what is being taught.
It’s important to keep in mind that by working together, we can
give today’s students the tools they need to be whatever they
want to be. Today’s students are tomorrow’s consumers and
workforce. We all have a vested interest in their success.
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