Did You Know?

The average freshman graduation rate of public high school students in 2004–05 was 74.7%.

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We the People

Recently, we shared three key pieces of legislation with you: the GRADUATES Act, SCHIP, and the Increased Student Achievement Through Increased Student Support Act. Many of you analyzed and evaluated the importance of each piece of legislation and took action. To date, approximately 2,000 letters of support have reached members of Congress. Excellent student learning looks like this. Students learn something; analyze and evaluate the knowledge; and then apply it, act on it, or create something with it. Let's continue to model how to put learning into action.

Change.gov recently received more than 3,500 reader comments about health care. Members of President-elect Obama's health care transition team, including former Senator Tom Daschle, responded to these comments. It's time to make our voices heard about education. We can do better, and we can do more.

» Act Now! Tell President-elect Obama's transition team why we need education policies and practices that educate the whole child. Share the critical education issues in your neighborhood. Consider one or more of the following questions to help you get your message across about the issues in your community.

• What is the effect of the issue in my community?
• What does this mean to my local school, school district, and students?
• What is the cost of not doing anything on this issue?
• What possible actions can be taken? What are the consequences of these actions?
• Who else cares about this issue in my community?

Modeling matters. As we challenge our kids to put learning into action, we must set the standard. Click here for more tips on how to get your message across to legislators.

December Whole Child Podcast

What is the local impact of the current system of accountability on the whole child and what actions do you think Congress and the Obama administration should take to hold schools accountable for a whole child education?

After listening to this month's Whole Child Podcast, let us know what you're thinking. You'll hear from Richard Rothstein about his vision for a broader accountability system. We asked Tommy Bice, deputy superintendent of the Alabama Department of Education, about how Alabama is responding to its growing dropout crisis with its First Choice plan. Finally, John Brown, author of the Educating the Whole Child: An ASCD Action Tool, explains how schools can implement a comprehensive planning process that moves beyond our current conception of accountability to ensure that all children are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

» Do you agree with our guest speakers? Do their comments remind you of a personal experience? Share your questions and comments on the Whole Child Blog.

“We can't be cautious and extraordinary at the same time.”

—Carlos M. Azcoitia, Spry Community Links High School and National Louis University College of Education

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