Advice for President-elect Obama-Maxine Clark in St. Louis Business Journal.

"With the election behind us, we can move beyond party platforms, poll results, and campaign promises to the hard work of securing our country’s future. A top priority must be education. If we are to fix our financial crisis and continue to compete in a world market, our schools must do a better job of preparing students, especially those in low-income communities.

If I could advise President-elect Obama on his education policy over the next four years, I would offer the following strategies:

Foster local solutions
There is no one-size-fits-all answer for the challenges facing our education system. The federal government has an important leadership role in setting the agenda, but decisions on implementation must occur at the local level.

Look to the accomplishments of our new superintendent, Dr. Kelvin Adams, during his time with the New Orleans Recovery School District. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, he helped hire hundreds of new teachers, implemented a managed-instruction curriculum, and worked with dozens of new public charter schools.

Recruit and train talented teachers
To improve our nation’s educational outcomes, we must energize the teaching profession and recruit a wide range of qualified people who hold high expectations for our children. Teach For America and other programs such as the New Teacher Project and Troops to Teachers are increasing the pool of talented teachers and bringing new energy to classrooms. One recent study by the Urban Institute showed that Teach For America teachers have a positive impact on student achievement relative to other teachers.

Channel the energy of young people
During his campaign, President-elect Obama tapped into our nation’s appetite for change. Now he is in a position to foster this change by supporting the potential for leadership in America’s youth." Read the entire article in St. Louis Business Journal.

Courtesy of Maxine Clark, in St. Louis Business Journal, Friday, November 21, 2008.

Our Perspective: We predict that Dr. Adams will use the same strategy that he used for the Recovery School District in New Orleans to raise student achievement and regain accreditation for St. Loluis School District. He has already hit the ground running. The stakeholders need to support him. There is no turning back the clock at this crucial moment.

Parents and Citizens of St. Louis City who Support the Superintendent, Teachers and Students of St. Louis Public Schools. Our slogan is "Support Destination Accreditation." Please pass this blog to others.