On Oct. 4, NSBA President Frank Henderson Jr. and NSBA Board Member Marnie Maraldo joined colleagues from other national education organizations at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to launch the new #HerefortheKids campaign.

Sponsored by the Learning First Alliance (LFA), the campaign highlights local public schools and the often-overlooked stories of successful learning and engagement occurring in classrooms and school buildings nationwide.

The launch event brought together LFA’s 13 member organizations representing participation at every level of K-12 education. Along with school board members (NSBA), those members include superintendents (AASA), principals (NAESP and NASSP), teachers (NEA and AFT), parents (PTA), school counselors (ASCA), and others (Learning Forward, CoSN, NSPRA, PDK International, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education).

During their presentations, Henderson and Maraldo highlighted the 2022 Magna Award winners as exemplars of how school districts serve their students:

California’s Lowell Joint School District created the ARTS for ALL program to foster students’ creativity, passion, and sense of school family through music instruction. All sixth graders have access to instruments, weekly lessons at school, and connection with a school mentor. These supports continue into middle school and help students through high school and beyond.

 

Kansas’ Topeka Public Schools developed a preschool-to-12^th grade dual language program that integrates native English-speaking students with native Spanish-speaking students for academic instruction. The dual-language classrooms enable all students to be language models and second-language learners.

California’s Pomona Unified School District initially launched the Parent Leads program in 2008 as a way to disseminate information on district and community resources with parents. It has since grown to help parents develop leadership skills; pursue employment and educational opportunities; and create additional opportunities for their children.

Over the coming weeks and months, more stories will be shared via the #HerefortheKids campaign at https://www.learningfirst.org/hereforthekids/.