WHO WE ARE

OUR BELIEFS

 

Chiefs for Change members share a vision that
all American children can lead fulfilling,
self-determined lives as adults.

We therefore are dissatisfied with an education system in which low-income students have less than a 10% chance of receiving an associate or bachelor’s degree. We believe that in every case access to excellence is access to opportunity. It is a daily fact in our country that historically disadvantaged students do not have regular or fair access to high-achieving schools, fully prepared and supported teachers, challenging curriculum and affordable pathways to college and meaningful careers. We are committed to changing this status quo, opening as many doors to opportunity as we can, as fast as we can, for every child.

Read more: Chiefs for Change CEO Mike Magee
on why bipartisan consensus matters now

ACCESS TO EXCELLENT SCHOOLS

Our north star is a system in which all students, irrespective of geography or economic means, have fair access to all schools and real pathways to college and meaningful careers.

QUALITY CURRICULUM

For generations, American school children have learned through the lens of under-examined textbooks. All students deserve a learning experience that challenges them, feels relevant to them, ignites their curiosity and prepares them for college, meaningful careers and life.

FULLY PREPARED & SUPPORTED EDUCATORS

We have the same high expectations for educators that we have for students.

ACCOUNTABILITY

You can’t aspire to excellence without defining excellence.

FREE FROM FEAR, FREE TO LEARN

America’s schools must reflect our democracy’s highest ideals.

We support:

  • Clear information about school quality
  • Equitable access to great schools
  • Fair funding for schools proportionate to the learning needs of students

We insist on:

  • Regular review of materials to ensure they teach valuable knowledge and skills
  • Curricula that challenge our students to be well educated thinkers with an understanding of the world and its history

We believe teachers are professionals who should be:

  • Prepared in the classroom setting by school-based educators
  • Rewarded for the professional skills they demonstrate and the learning growth of their students
  • Afforded opportunities to advance their careers into teacher leadership roles
  • Supported with timely, and meaningful evaluation and feedback

We believe:

  • Schools should be evaluated based on student learning, in unambiguous terms and according to standards benchmarked against those of high-performing states and countries
  • When these ratings show unacceptably low results for years at a time, state and district leaders must apply solutions that are proven to help students learn

We fight to make schools:

  • Safe and welcoming communities that foster informed, civil debate, teaching students to engage with different points of view

We work to change:

  • Confusing school quality ratings
  • Students being stuck in struggling schools because of restrictive enrollment policies
  • Funding being steered away from the students in greatest need
  • Skyrocketing college costs and low completion rates

We work to change:

  • Restrictions that stand between our students and the best available materials

We work to change:

  • Outdated and bureaucratic systems of educator preparation, development, and evaluation
  • Structures and practices that prevent all students from having access to prepared, supported, and effective teachers

We work to change:

  • Efforts to water down the comparability of standards, the clarity of rating systems, or the research standard for intervention

We reject:

  • Hate and bigotry, as fear is an enemy to learning
  • Dogmatic or ideological approaches to learning that stifle discussion, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum

What We're Doing

What We're Doing

What We're Doing

What We're Doing

What We're Doing

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