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BAEO Manifesto
Current systems of K-12 education work well for many of America’s children. But, for far too many children, the current systems do not work well at all. A high percentage of these children are poor children of color living in urban areas. For these children, the old educational strategies and institutional arrangements are not preparing them to be productive and socially responsible citizens. This requires that we dramatically change our teaching and learning strategies and create new governance and financial structures.
BAEO believes we must develop new
systems of learning opportunities to complement and expand existing systems. We need systems that truly empower parents, that allow dollars to follow students, that hold adults as well as students accountable for academic achievement, and that alter the power arrangements that are the foundation for existing systems.
BAEO understands that there are no "silver bullets" or "magic wands" which will instantly make things better for our children. BAEO is also not anti-public school. However, we do believe that parent choice must be the centerpiece of strategies and tactics aimed at improving education for our children. We must empower parents, particularly low-income parents, to make the best choices for their children’s education.
Consider the potential impact of this power in the hands of families who previously have had little or no control over the flow and distribution of the money that drives the policies and procedures of the educational systems of this country. Consider how the absence of this power means that their children will remain trapped in schools that more affluent parents, some of whom oppose parental choice, would never tolerate for their own children. Consider how this power shift may change the shape of the future for their children.
BAEO will bring together the ideas, aspirations, energies, and experiences of all generations in this struggle.
Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO)
1710 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Floor 12, Washington, D.C. 20036
Phone: 202-429-2236 Fax: 202-429-2237