A How-to Guide on Reforming US Education: The America First or Last Movement

The nation needs to stop talking about reforming education, and do it already.

This is a feel-good story. Because, it’s about you, you, you and me! America’s youth needs us to show them, they have a great future awaiting them.  And what they’re witnessing now is a bad wisdom tooth, making its point it’s been coming and immediately needs to be extracted.

An oxymoron for saying our economic system’s short coming was going to reveal itself. Now that it’s here, it time to deal with, or remove those suckers.

Like wisdom teeth, they’re usually four. The four area, every economic growth hits a sensitive point is, improving the standard of living for their citizens, its productivity in its ability to be self-sufficient, its foresight in building what their people want, and finally, trading partners who value their goods.

As the fast pace of technology has assumed the world and spin it on its axis, every wasted day is an opportunity lost. If your nation doesn’t have the coping skills to keep up, you’re a passenger along for the ride, and asking are we there yet.

First or Last

America should and cannot be in that position. We’ve proven time and again. We have the best theirs ever been on this planet. And to have our children, see the world like this will not be tolerated. 

The America First or Last Movement is driven and determine to get every American back on their feet and pulling in the same direction, to the top. However, to achieve its goal, they need us to first believe we can do better and our children deserve more than we have.

This will require us to contribute with our time and energy. America’s greatness wasn’t built in a day. It took planning and the willingness to want more, to leave a legacy to stand on.

Starting this summer the path to America’s Greatness Returns! The America First or Last Movement has formed a US Educational National Team (USENT) to address the four areas that have affected our economic growth and threatens to drag us farther into the ground, our nation’s education system.

By focusing on how to improve our communities and making sure local economies are protected. To help direct our youths to careers that will be in demand in the 21^st century, with more high-tech classrooms being developed from k-14, and lastly, restore America’s student’s academic standards to the highest levels internationally. 

How To

The USENT will form local organizing committees through educational programs on public policies to inform people on issues affecting the economics of their community, as well as, to providing youths and their families with both educational and social support services.

These programs and services will be developed by the local community in a 10-year action plan that they will coordinate with their school district and schools. That ties-in with America First or Last Movement’s mission and national team objectives.

The movement’s national team will work with 100 local communities, to provide them with a free tool kit to support each committee and promote two marketing campaigns – National High School Signing Day and the 12 Million Drive for 2025 – this fall. They’ll also offer a matching mini-grant of $12,000 to communities that have been hit the worst by home foreclosures to help set-up their community action-plan.

If your organization, school or community would like to serve as a local organizing committee for the movement, please, visit America First or Last Movement’s website www.usent.org or email them at support@americafirstorlast.org to get your free tool kit.

America First or Last’s Minority High School Graduation Campaign – 12 Million Drive for 2025

The United States has a 72% high school completion rate, which ranks it 19^th internationally. If the nation’s minority high school graduation rate would improve the US could move into the Top 10 by 2025.

                                                 

To not be confused with some different national movement or campaign to fix our nation’s high school drop-out problem. The America First or Last Movement is concentrating on the real problems and one specific goal. Raise the nation’s minority high school graduation rate in low performing school districts were high school graduation rates are 50% or lower.  

In an effort, to achieve its objectives, the movement will launch its 12 Million Drive for 2025 campaign this fall. The movement organizers have targeted 36 cities; in 28 states were they’re confident if they could improve minority high school student’s graduation rates by 30%, by the year 2025. It would climb the nation’s overall high school graduation rate to 85%, which would put the US in the world’s top 10.

Asian and White high school students currently have a graduating rate of 80%, which would already place the US near the Top 10. However, Native-American, African-American and Hispanics are only graduating at a 56% rate. In some areas of the country, they’re graduating below 50 percent. Those are the school districts the America First or Last Movement’s campaign will be targeting.

Case Study

The 12 Million Drive for 2025 campaign will use the nation’s number-one minority high school dropout prevention model – the 100% Graduation Rate Program. The program model was able to increase the nation’s lowest performing student population – minority males – high school graduation rates by 56%.

The most amazing feat was it was conducted in one of the country’s poorest and most dangerous cities, Camden, New Jersey. With limited resources and a disoriented school district which had 6 different superintendents in 10 years. Nevertheless, the program designers the New Jersey Minority Educational Organization drew together the community leaders to successfully work with the district.  

How They Do It

Their success was based on setting up a free community educational developmental cooperation forum. That brought the community stakeholders together to build a 10 year action plan to work with the local high schools. The local businesses help provide summer jobs and sponsored field trips, the local college, Rutgers-Camden, allow for staff support and free forum spaces; the church and social service agencies help offer, support to the students and their parents.

Everyone owned an equal say in how the program was operating, and added their ideas during their annual meeting. The program delivered on their objective to raise the high school graduation rate of the at-risk male population from 39% to 95%. And these were students entering high school with a C average or below, that did not pass their 8^th grade reading or math standardize test, and had school behavioral problems.    

Ready for Prime Time

The 12 Million Drive for 2025, campaign will utilize the 100% Graduation Rate Program to handle the high at-risk male population and apply its community design format. However, this campaign also is working with female and males not at risk. In fact, the campaign will be targeting students in low performing school districts from early childhood through college enrollment. 

If you live in one of the 36 cities, the campaign will be going; America First or Last Movement want to invite you to participate. They are seeking churches, social service agencies, businesses, and colleges that are involved or are interested in working with their community’s schools, students and parents.  Please contact America First or Last Movement at (856) 541-3926 for more information, or visit their website www.usent.org and complete their volunteer form. 

US Students Pledge to be the Best

The National High School Signing Day campaign by America First or Last Movement will attempt to get 4.1 million incoming high school freshmen students to commit to excellence.

Every great American movement had a defining moment. For the civil rights movement, it initiated with a bus boycott. For the labor movement, it was a strike over fair wages.  The women’s movement moment came out the imprint of the right to vote marches.

The America First or Last Movement (AFLM) moment will come from the modern form of organizing behind a nation building moment to save our children by a national signing day campaign to commit to graduating from high school. And help spread the message via using social media.

The Arab Spring protest and Occupy movement are proof this form of galvanizing support for a cause can get millions to join it. The AMFL movement is banking they can too. By getting the average person that wouldn’t think twice about protesting to organize in their community to help support their children’s future.

A Teachable Moment

This movement is a more call to action message of simply making sure every boy and girl entering high school gives their commitment to finishing. There’s no new formula to concentrate on reconstructing our nations failing educational and economic system, then to state the importance of preparing the transition from childhood to adulthood, then through high school. This is something great for the child, and the community’s development. It’s a no-brainer.

If only 8 out of 10 students agrees to the campaign’s four key principles; stay drug free, not become a teen parent, become computer literate, and prepare for post-secondary education. It would save the nation over 300 billion dollars a year toward cutting down high school dropouts, and increase the nation’s high school graduation rate by 30 % by the year 2025.     

This coincides with the America First or Last Movement’s goal to make the US number one in education globally. They’ve experienced how, by preparing incoming high school students for a path for success; it helps lead to higher graduation rates for high school as well as college.

How To Reach 4.1 Million Students

The class of 2016 is expected to have 4.1 million incoming freshmen in over 27,000 public high schools. And acquiring all those students signatures will be one of the nation’s greatest accomplishment. It can’t be done unless the American people want it to happen.

Therefore, the movement will need a consortium of 20 national organizations to participate. From educators, media, business, youth groups, and most especially parents. By August 29, the movement’s organizers hope to have organized all 20 consortium members, and have them ready to reach over 27,000 public high schools.

Social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Pinterest will be utilized as the movement’s channel of communicating with the students and their parents. By promoting and updating parents on where to sign-up and how. Which will lead up to the movement’s official signing opening date period from Monday, September 10^th and ending on Monday, September 24^th, the National High School Signing Day for the Class of 2016. 

You Need to Get Involved

If you are a parent, and your child will be entering high school next year, you’ll be able to find out more information about how you can get involved with the US Student Pledge campaign at their website www.usent.org, in addition to, where you can join your local organizing committees near you.

The US Educational National Team’s Quest for Number 1

As jobs, home ownership, and the value of a college education, is looking more and more as a scam. The US educational system needs a new focus. That focus has to become the world leaders again in education globally

The stakes are high. You lose and billions will suffer. You win; you have to defend, again, again, again, and again. The commitment it takes to become number one is an exhausting and gut wrenching experience.  

That’s what the United States Educational National Team is ready to go through. Because, the stakes are that high! If the national team fails to deliver history will show this was a pivotal moment, which the nation missed. And the turmoil that followed that could have been prevented.  

As jobs, home ownership, and the value of a college education, is looking more and more as a scam. The US educational system needs a new focus. That focus has to become the world leaders again in education globally.

Since, the US lost its leadership position as the world’s smartest people in the 1990s. Other countries have notched ahead in commerce in several major areas – Technology (China), Work Force Development (India), and Intellectually (Russia).

The US Educational National Team’s mission is to make America the smartest country in the world. Point Blank! No need to conceal our motive, we’re out to recapture the top spot.

How?    

The America First or Last Movement’s organizer, New Jersey Minority Educational Development, will work with 7 national organizations that provide educational and social services to children, and their families to serve as the national team members. The national team’s first task will be to establish 2 local organizing committees in all 50 states, which will implement 3 objectives:

• Advance technology innovations in US classrooms
• Promote higher education towards preparing a higher skilled workforce
• Cultivate a passion for learning for students in science, math and reading

The national team plans to work with the local organizing committees to build community partnerships with colleges, business, social service agencies, and parent groups in creating 10-year action-plans with their school districts.

Starting in September, the national team will launch two projects – the National High School Signing Day and 12 Million Drive for 2025 – to promote their initiative.

Are You the Solution?

If you or your community group would like to participate as a local organizing committee, visit the America First or Last Movement website www.usent.org  and learn how you can get involved.

America, A Nation At Risk In the 21st Century

America First or Last Movement – “The A Nation At Risk report made recommendations 29 years ago, that would have helped prevent the current education climate.”

It’s time for Action! No more free rides. America needs everyone to stand up and be counted. The America First or Last Movement has sounded the alarm, again. The first call to action was ignored in 1983, from President Ronald Reagan’s National Commission on Excellence in Education of experts from the fields of education and economics. This time the field of experts includes you.

President Reagan’s commission created a report called A Nation At Risk, that warned “the US once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world.” They also gave 5 key points on how to prevent it from happening.

Nevertheless, they’re recommendations for better educational content; setting higher standards and expectations for students; extending student learning; improve teaching techniques; and become more fiscal responsible both national and local. Went unanswered, but, over the last 16 years, New Jersey Minority Educational Development has stuck with those recommendations, and created the America First or Last Movement to carry out those objectives nationally.

Why Now?

Are you better off then you where last year? If not you need to join this movement, and if you are better off, you need to join the movement, because you’re next to feel the crunch. Here’s why.

The US current state of affairs is at a dangerous point. At no other time has the possibility of the US having a higher unemployment rate then employment rate exists … for its non-college educated workforce.

Globally, this workforce offers little appeal, because of higher wages and benefits. However, if you look at statistics, this is America’s fastest growing work force. And the results show:

·        

•       Today a quarter of US student’s drop-out or leave high school, only 46 % of students who graduate high school enrolled in college, and less than 45% of those students complete a two-year community college or four-year university.
•       The next decade of high school students, are today’s US 4^th grade to 8^th grade students that are being outperformed by 26 other nations.

Getting The Hard Answers

The America First or Last Movement has created an annual education poll to draw the contrast on why US students have been falling so far behind other nations, and the consequences we face as a nation if we continue to ignore it.  

This poll will also represent a sounding board to ask our national leaders how come this is happening, and keep the US people knowledgeable of were its happening. By coming back to address the A Nation At Risk recommendations made 29 years ago, that would have helped prevent the current education climate.

1.  Improve our educational content by attracting more investment in technology in high school classrooms.
2. Develop better understanding of college to career choices for elementary and middle school    students, and how these careers associate to science, math and reading.
3. Extend school to community, by expanding the learning process during the school year.
4. Increase teacher’s salaries that reflect their contribution, and importance to our nation’s growth.
5. Establish individual community 10-year action-plan to set objectives with time-lines and fiscal overview. Without good and motivated local parent’s involvement, the US will never catch the competition.

The second warning alarm has been issued now its time to address it.  And take America out of risk. Fine out more visit www.usent.org , and join the movement.   

Weapon of Mass Deception: The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

"America’s economic future faces turmoil from a non-prepared workforce, for the challenges of the 21^st century job market."

America was attacked in 1954, and twice in 2001. Two very grievous and cowardly acts; that we as American’s needed and got prompt restoration! A few may agree or disagree with the process; yet, we stood unified as a nation. The nonpareil attack we didn’t ask military action for went under the radar, as compliance under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law to educate our children. We never saw that coming!

A decade later, boom! Millions of lives have been destroyed. Countless others still awaiting the after shock! While America’s economic future faces turmoil, from a non-prepared workforce, for the challenges of the 21^st century job market. Not to cite, the millions of dollars spend locally for all the unfunded federal education mandates required annually to meet NCLB's additional accountability requirements and achievement goals

We were blindly led to belief a one-size fits all educational system would work in the new global knowledge base 21^st century. As the distinguished psychologist and provost of Oklahoma State, Robert J. Sternberg recently wrote about the NCLB law in an open letter to the President of the United States:

“Although the law was well-intentioned, its metrics for progress and implementation were not well-thought through, and have resulted in (a) straitjacketing of public schools in terms of what curriculum they feel they can teach, (b) relegation of important school subjects -- such as history, civics, languages, music and art -- to the back of the back burner, (c) high-stakes tests that were not ready for prime time, (d) gaming the system, with some states actually lowering standards when they discovered that they otherwise could not meet the ever-more-stringent goals the law placed, and (e) demoralization and discouragement among educators regarding the role of the federal government in education.”

He joins an increasing list of educators; ready to speak out about the destruction NCLB has caused. That’s why, New Jersey Minority Educational Development with endorsement from grassroots organizations across the country, has formed the America First or Last Movement.

The movement’s mission is to help restore, reconstruct and improve the United States educational system. 

Starting, with 3 areas to help states better prepare their students for the 21^st century job market. If you compare US students now heading to high school then college with students across the globe; all signs heads to the conclusion our secondary and post secondary students aren't as productive as they can be.

Beginning this fall, the America First or Last Movement will bring on local colleges, businesses, and community family support services to assist school districts to improve proficiency levels in reading, math and science for student’s K thru 12; develop advance technology programs in public education classrooms; and work towards increasing High School and College Graduation Rates.

Through doing work with the communities in setting-up academic goals to address; the areas of “their needs” from early-childhood to post secondary education for low performing schools and students. These offer our communities the most beneficial system for accountability and need accountability for their school districts.

Eleven states already have received waivers from NCLB, and 28 other states, along with Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico having also applied for waivers. These states must take up “college- and career-ready” standards, tie state tests to those standards, propose interventions for the lowest-performing 15 percent of schools, and include student growth in teacher and principal evaluation systems. States receiving NCLB waivers are not being released from accountability. Instead states will be given “more flexibility to meet high standards.

The movement’s organizers state that’s how they fit in, because, they can achieve those goals, working with these states. Now, they need for us to participate in the movement. You can visit their website at www.usent.org and support your school and students, by becoming a local volunteer.

NJ MED’s Executive Director, Albert Mitchell II, said, “We can’t continue to commit our confidence in an unsuccessful system that is decimating our children.  If we do we have no one to fault for this tragedy just ourselves.”