NSBA Center for Public Education

Check out NSBA's Center for Public Education research and analysis resources

from NSBA

NSBA has developed a Web site that provides a much-needed clearinghouse on educational issues, which can be a beneficial resource for school board members and superintendents across the state and the nation. It is part of a multi-pronged effort to raise the perception of public education and aims at providing accurate, timely, and credible information.

The Center for Public Education Web site is a first step in producing information akin to that provided by many think tanks, particularly those in and around Washington, D.C., which attempt to influence public policy. Some of these groups are blatantly anti-public education and have produced information and provided resources for initiatives such as the pro-voucher movement.

The Center, recently established, is providing not only a more balanced viewpoint, but is doing so by publishing up-to-date research and analysis on current education issues. It also explores ways to improve student achievement and engage public support for public schools.

For example, the Web site contains reports (and summaries of reports) on such issues as

high school graduation rates,
No Child Left Behind Act,
standardized testing,
community involvement,
the achievement gap,
class size,
teacher quality, and
high-stakes testing.

Even though the Center provides information on best practices and is pro-public education, the published information also recognizes the challenges facing our schools. It provides helpful hints about tackling some of the most difficult issues facing our schools.

It is designed to be useful to citizens, parents and the media, in addition to school board members and superintendents. The Center’s mission is to “serve as America’s one-stop shop for clear, concise, and trusted information about the nation’s elementary and secondary public schools, leading to more understanding about public education, more community-wide involvement in public schools, and better decision-making by leaders.”

The Center is a joint initiative of NSBA and the National School Boards Foundation. Many state school boards associations as well as corporations and individuals have provided donations to help build the Center. Since this is an important project for all those involved in school board leadership, there are still opportunities to donate in order to help strengthen the Center.

Visit www.centerforpubliceducation.org to see this beneficial new resource. We have used information from the Center and found it tremendously useful.

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Kentucky School Boards Association

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