The Public Education Promise
United for Our Children's Futures
Across the country and across the political aisle, we largely all want the same things for America’s children: The opportunity to receive an education that prepares them to contribute as productive members of society and find success in life on a path of their choosing.
Every parent wants a good life for their children in which they can lead a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Every employer in America wants trained, competent, and confident workers.
Every community in America wants engaged, active, and informed citizens.
What if we could do this while creating space for joy, belonging, curiosity, and a love of learning?
The Public Education Promise is our commitment to providing every child in every community access to a highly effective education that prepares them for college, career, and real life in the real world.
Our duty as educators and school system leaders is to ensure that our students graduate not only as good students but as good citizens.
David R. Schuler, Âܲ·AVÊÓƵExecutive Director
An
Action Framework for Public Education
Strong public schools are essential to our country’s success.
The Future-Ready Education Framework, developed by The Public Education Promise Advisory Committee, represents a fundamental redesign of the current education system, rooted in principles and practices flexible enough to enable practitioners to lead in ways specific to their community context but sturdy enough to prepare all students to thrive in futures they cannot yet imagine.
This work is intended to be done in partnership with employers, local businesses, philanthropy, faith and community-based organizations, and families.
Principle 1: Prioritize Student-Centered Learning
Our children only get one chance at a K-12 education.
We must ensure what is taught in school is fit-for-purpose and closely aligned with each student’s individual needs and strengths.
This goes beyond meeting basic needs or chasing rigid outcomes. It’s about engaging students with meaningful learning opportunities—inside and outside the classroom—that ignite joy, curiosity, and confidence.
Principle 2: The New Basics: Real Skills for Real Life
In addition to academic skills, children need to learn how to think critically, solve problems, work well with others, develop resilience, and regulate their emotions.
These skills are essential for preparing children for any path they choose in life and are in addition to—not in lieu of—traditional academic skills.
Principle 3: Attract, Hire, Retain, and Reward the Best People
Talented, motivated, and highly effective educators are essential to student success.
Investing in their growth, success, and support is one of the best investments every citizen can make in protecting America’s future.
To develop a deep bench of highly skilled and highly motivated educators in the talent pipeline, we must re-examine the current staffing models and teaching environments that no longer work for the community or the school.
Principle 4: Build Highly Engaged Family, Community, and Business Partnerships
Students succeed when families, schools, businesses, and philanthropic and community leaders work together as an engaged alliance.
When communities are active partners, they function as an expansion of the classroom, and students have the opportunity to road-test their newfound skills and build confidence through exposure to new experiences.
This is essential to improving student achievement, as well as for strengthening the overall community that benefits from student, family, and school engagement.
Principle 5: Measure What Matters
A highly successful K-12 education should produce more than just straight-A students—it should produce productive and engaged citizens who can advance America’s future.
Using a variety of relevant measures provides a more comprehensive picture of a student’s abilities and readiness for work and life.
Public Education is an Investment in Our Children
When we invest in America’s children, we invest in our future.
An educated workforce powers our economy and is the foundation of our society. We entrust our nation’s teachers, principals, support staff, and administrators with the care and education of nearly 50 million students annually. In doing so, we rely on public schools to develop America’s children with the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in the modern economy and as citizens.
At the end of the day, young people should be excited about going to school, teachers should feel empowered by their incredibly important service role, and parents should feel good about the education their children receive in America’s public schools.
This is what is possible when we commit to fulfilling The Public Education Promise for every child in America.