JUST education :: Just Cause

Education. If we have any hope of creating a level playing field today, then that hope runs through the halls of our schools. It is in those schools that the future generations of business and cultural leaders are supposed to gain the tools they need to survive - and succeed - in our society. But we all know that isn't always happening. Our schools are in crisis, and with them, our future.

That is why millions of private dollars are flowing into our public schools. Some of them are individual dollars - Eli Broad and the Broad foundation are very public examples of this. Some of them are corporate dollars - organizations like Target and Washington Mutual dedicate millions to improve the academic foundation on which our future (made of millions of individual futures) is built.

JUST CAUSE will track the innovations, both public and private that are improving our schools. We will tell you the stories in a way that may provide solutions in your city, and introduce you to the players in a way that will remind you that you, too, can MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Public Education Network (PEN) is a national association of local education funds (LEFs) and individuals working to advance public school reform in low-income communities across
our country.

PEN and its LEF members work to bring the community voice to the
debate on quality public education in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Serving more than 11.5 million students in 18,000 schools, LEFs are helping their communities adopt action plans for standards and accountability , schools and community services , and teacher quality . In addition, PEN's international affiliate serves 293,000 children in the Philippines.

Increasingly concerned for the quality of elementary and secondary public education in America, particularly within large urban school districts, Eli Broad and his family established The Broad Foundation in 1999 to focus on K-12 educational issues. The family's initial funding commitment of $100 million was later increased to over $400 million.

From the beginning, The Broad Foundation sought to be different -- in its philosophical insistence on entrepreneurship and innovation, and in its willingness to take financial and political risks to develop a demonstrable track record of success.

As the largest volunteer child advocacy association in the nation, National PTA reminds our country of its obligations to children and provides parents and families with a powerful voice to speak on behalf of every child while providing the best tools for parents to help their children be successful students.

National PTA does not act alone. Working in cooperation with many national education, health, safety, and child advocacy groups and
federal agencies, National PTA collaborates on projects that benefit children and that bring valuable resources to its members.