“If you want to go beyond something that will help your kids to help all kids, if you want to work on the bigger picture for longer term results, you need to get a whole bunch of people Stand for Children members volunteered over 2,500 hours to give children a voice in the 2008 together. That’s what Stand for elections. Below, Oregon’s new Gresham Chapter mobilized 100 volunteers. Children does.” Report Annual Right, Massachusetts members made 17,000 phone Kris Zook, calls to protect $12 billion in state revenues by Gresham Chapter Leader defeating Question 1. 2008 “Stand for Children has done an amazing job of organizing grassroots parents and concerned citizens.” Senator Edward Augustus, Worcester, Massachusetts Senate Education Vice Chair What We Stand For Results for All Children Every single child matters, and children’s lives and futures are being shaped right now. That’s why we maximize every day, every dollar, and every person involved in Stand for Children to create a just society where all children get the excellent education and support they need to thrive. Bold Independence Stand for Children Leadership Center is a In a political arena dominated by parties and adult- 501(c)(3) charitable organization that develops focused special interest groups, we’re non-partisan leaders who use the power of grassroots action and child-focused. We fearlessly challenge the status quo in pursuit of solutions that help children thrive. to help all children get the excellent public education and support they need to thrive. Empowering, Entrepreneurial Leadership We’re relentless in our drive to empower Stand Stand for Children is a 501(c)(4) membership volunteers and staff, and we continually push ourselves organization that uses the power of grassroots to innovate and improve in order to accomplish more and more for children who urgently need our help. action to help all children get the excellent public education and support they need to thrive. Being the Change We Seek We show up. We speak up. We reach out. We vote. Active participation makes our member-driven organiza- tion work, and enables us to make our democracy work for children. Direct and Respectful Communication We communicate directly and with respect at all times, which enables us to be transparent, foster learning, and create long-lasting, accountable relationships. In 2008, Stand for Children – Members in Washington State, our members, with the support newest affiliate, developed a statewide policy agenda focused on improving of our generous donors, educator quality, high school graduation won 11 local and 4 statewide standards, learning time, and investment in pre-K–12 education. victories, including an important education reform, We reach out. – Over 1,150 Stand for Children members and leveraged $680,584,322 and volunteers in Oregon conducted in public funds that helped personal outreach to nearly 45,000 voters through 1,200 phone bank and “The Gresham Stand for 1,067,600 children. door-to-door canvass shifts in 12 communities. Children Chapter contributed We show up. – Massachusetts members filled over 330 over 100 volunteer shifts and By bringing an organized voice to school volunteer phone bank shifts, making reached out to over 6,100 board meetings and city council hearings, over 17,000 calls to help defeat Question voters on my behalf. My election Stand members won: 1, which would have repealed the state to the state legislature could – A $1.6 million increase in city funding income tax. – Washington State Stand members logged not have been realized without for public schools in Worcester, Mas- their hard work and dedication. sachusetts, preventing budget cuts for 441 hours at phone banks and canvasses the first time in 7 years. in support of pro-schools legislative I look forward to working – Expansion of an alternative discipline candidates, reaching 5,832 voters in five with Stand for Children in the program in Nashville, Tennessee that communities. legislature to ensure that all keeps students in school. children receive the education – Across Oregon: better school nutrition We vote. – * in Lincoln County, an improved kinder- Massachusetts voters rejected Question they deserve.” garten schedule in Hillsboro, authorization 1 by 70-30 after 45% voted for a similar State Representative Greg Matthews of a construction tax for schools in initiative in 2002. – Canby, and funding for children’s dental Voters in three Oregon communities ap- health programs in Salem-Keizer and proved $392 million in local funding for North Clackamas. school operations in Eugene, school fa- cilities in Salem, and proven prevention We speak up. and intervention programs for children – Parents and teachers in our Portland, in Portland. – Oregon Chapter led a strategic campaign Stand members in North Clackamas to fix the district’s broken teacher and our newest chapter in Gresham hiring and transfer practices, helping to played a decisive role in state secure the first positive reforms in more legislative races that gave the Oregon than 20 years. House of Representatives a pro-schools – Massachusetts members joined their super-majority.* voices in coalition with others to close www.stand.org * Activities in support of candidates are conducted corporate tax loopholes, generating $291 solely by Stand for Children; Stand for Children million in additional state revenue in 2009. Leadership Center does not engage in partisan electoral work and does not support Stand for Children’s candidate campaign activities. Improving Our Pro-teacher, Pro-student Reforms Communities’ In 2007, we achieved our first policy breakthrough in the area of teaching effectiveness, leading a coalition to develop a strong new Public Schools educator mentoring program in Oregon, and winning a $5 million legislative appropriation. As a result, in 2008-09 nearly 1,000 new While Stand for Children members work teachers and principals who work with roughly 75,000 students on a range of issues, public education is a top priority. are supported by carefully selected mentors following a nationally proven curriculum. An excellent education prepares children to become critical thinkers who contribute In March 2008, Stand for Children helped achieve the first positive to healthy families, stronger communities, reforms of the teacher hiring and transfer system in Portland Public and a more just democracy. Schools in more than 20 years. Right now, America’s public education system allows far too many children to For years, Portland Public Schools relied on forced placement of fall through the cracks and prevents too teachers, resulting in school-teacher mismatches, and high levels many from excelling. of teacher, principal, and parent dissatisfaction. The district hired – High school graduation rates are alarmingly low – and those who do teachers two to four months later than neighboring districts, resulting graduate are often poorly prepared for in the loss of many good candidates. family-wage jobs or college. – Student achievement reflects deep racial Through a strategic public engagement campaign, we convinced and economic inequities, and U.S. the school district and teachers union to reach an agreement that students as a whole lag far behind their “Every urban school district in will allow Portland Public Schools – which serves close to 10% of peers in many other countries. America needs a group like Stand the state’s children – to compete more effectively for teaching candi- – Struggling students often don’t get dates and help ensure that every child in Portland has the best sufficient support, and students at or for Children. Stand’s thoughtful above grade level don’t get the attention approach to education policy, teacher possible. or push they need to excel. your rigorous organizing methods, Effective Community Engagement and your ability to engage voters Our vision for K-12 public – Started with long-held concerns of parents, teachers, and principals, in school reform are a unique and education in America is this: confirmed by data compiled by the New Teacher Project document- powerful combination.” effective, empowered, ing deep flaws in the system accountable educators in Tim Daly, President, The New Teacher Project – Crafted common-sense reform proposal in dialogue with dozens of well-funded, well-run public teachers, principals, and parents schools where every child – Met in person with 150 teachers in 43 schools, more than 80% of grows, every year. whom endorsed our proposal – Held 12 community house parties attended by over 200 people – Secured editorial support and news coverage – Collected more than 1,000 signatures endorsing our proposal www.stand.org A Message from Stand’s A Three-Year Strategy for Chief Executive Officer Increased Impact We are living in a time of tremendous suffering and In December 2008, the Boards of great challenges. Directors of Stand for Children And yet we have an opportunity to move our society Leadership Center and Stand for closer to being the beloved community that Martin Luther Children adopted an ambitious King, Jr. envisioned. three-year strategic plan to From our nation’s founding, to the Civil War, to the expand our reach and impact. Great Depression, to World War II and its aftermath and then the Civil Rights Movement, peril bred progress – I. Strengthen existing state because ordinary Americans stepped up. affiliates. Stand for Children affiliates in Massachusetts, President Obama and the team he has assembled will lead well. Not perfectly, but well and Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington State certainly boldly. But whether this time of great peril becomes an era of vital progress depends will increase our impact for children by as much on whether we step up, as our forebears did, as on President Obama’s leadership. mobilizing a significantly greater number Progress depends on whether we embrace change. of citizen advocates to achieve education reforms that research indicates matter most. Will we embrace long overdue changes in our public schools? Demanding federal but also state and local changes that improve the quality of teaching by paying, supporting, “I’m so proud to be the Chair II.