Public Education Network (PEN)

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In 2012, Public Education Network (PEN) closed its doors after 21 years. PEN was a network of local education funds (LEFs) -- community based organizations in high poverty school districts across the United States -- that continue to work with their school districts and communities to improve public education for the nation's most disadvantaged children.

At the national level, PEN raised the importance of public engagement as an essential component of education reform. It brought the voice of LEFs and the communities they represent into the national education debate. Finally, PEN gave voice to the essential nature of the connection between quality public education and a healthy and thriving democracy.

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VUE: Civic Investment in Public Education Winter 2012, Number 32

November 4, 2011

The Annenberg Institute for School Reform (AISR) at Brown University partnered with Public Education Network to highlight the findings of PEN's National Commission on Civic Investment in Public Education, which met for 18 months and issued its final report in May, 2011. AISR dedicated its Winter 2012 issue of Voices in Urban Education (VUE) to the topic of civic investment in public education. The fifteen members of the National Commission for Civic Investment in Public Education have performed an extraordinary service for this nation and for America's schoolchildren. The Commission's work was ably led by co-chairs Richard W. Riley, former U.S. Secretary of Education (1993 -- 2001) and Linda Darling-Hammond, world-renowned education scholar and professor of education at Stanford University. Other members included leaders from the corporate, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors; educators; researchers; and public education support organization leaders from around the country. Together they shared a commitment to expand civic knowledge and support of public education through citizen involvement. Contents:The National Commission for Civic Investment in Public Education by Wendy PuriefoyReaffirming the Dream: The Case for Civic Investment by Richard W. Riley and Linda Darling-HammondA Story of Civic Investment in Public Education by Susan V. BerresfordThe Right Funds for Reinvestment by Erwin de LeonA Failure of Philanthropy: American Charity Shortchanges the Poor, and Public Policy is Partly to Blame by Rob Reich

Comments Made to the Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, Related to Investing in Innovation Fund

November 8, 2009

Formal comment related to the proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for the Investing in Innovation competitive grant program, Federal Register October 9, 2009.

Connections: A Journal of Public Education Advocacy - Fall 2004, Vol. 11, No. 1

September 23, 2004

ContentsPresident's Message: Wendy D. Puriefoy says we need a narrative that informs and inspires a new national movement to support high-quality public education for every child.Linda Darling-Hammond on our Confused Priorities: The Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Teaching and Teacher Education at Stanford University questions why our nation does not give education a priority.Bob Edgar on the Faith Community's Role in Education: The head of the National Council of Churches explains why the faith community needs to take a leadership role in education reform.Conversations: David Gergen, editor-at-large for US News and World Report and director of the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, leads a wide-ranging discussion on the need for a national education movement.Making It Happen: Patricia Albjerg Graham thinks it's about time our system of public education catches up to our expectations.ViewpointSarita Brown exposes Hispanic myths and the growing influence of this vital segment of the populationDavid Dodson wants all children to tap into the optimism and success that is America, and to have the tools and opportunities to do soRoger Wilkins talks about the power of education and the insidious impact of racism on the lives of black AmericansEnd Notes: Lee Kravitz reminds us that words have power and that strong messages move people to action.

Connections: A Journal of Public Education Advocacy - Fall 2003, Vol. 10, No. 1

December 12, 2003

President's Message - As the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education approaches, and state budget shortfalls continue, Wendy D. Puriefoy calls for "no child left behind" to become a sacred national commitment.Senator Kennedy on the Vision of Public Education - Sen. Edward M. Kennedy argues that the funding made available for school reform must be aligned with the goals set by NCLB.Making It Happen - Legal Defense Fund President Elaine R. Jones says courts must advance the cause of equity in schools to banish remnants of segregation that linger long after Brown.Viewpoint - Jack Jennings, director of the Center on Education Policy, played a role in implementing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in the 1960s. Today he examines the policy and funding parallels between the original act and NCLB.Conversations - Peter McWalters, president-elect of the Council of Chief State School Officers; Angela Z. Monson, Oklahoma state senator; and Ted Sanders, president of the Education Commission of the States, discuss the many challenges states face in meeting NCLB requirements.End Notes - Richard Navarro, UNICEF's education chief, encourages international support to help Afghanistan rebuild its education system.

Connections: A Journal of Public Education Advocacy - Fall 2002, Vol. 9, No. 2

November 8, 2002

President's Message - Wendy D. Puriefoy sees education as the universal liberator and children as our nation's most valuable resource.Richard Riley on Transforming American Education - Don't shortchange adolescents, urges Richard W. Riley, Clinton administration secretary of education, as we build for a knowledge-driven economy.Q&A: Bob Moses - Civil rights activist Bob Moses promotes math literacy as the key to education and economic access.Making It Happen - Phyllis McClure, Title I expert, alerts parents and communities to valuable NCLB-mandated information on schools, districts, and states coming their way.Viewpoint - Boeing Company CEO Philip M. Condit links the need for a worldclass workforce to the need for quality public education.Conversations - Grassroots organizer Donna Cooper, Maryland lawmaker Pete Rawlings, and New York attorney Michael Rebell discuss accountability, adequacy, and fiscal equity as long-term investments in the future of our nation.End Notes - William Novelli, CEO, on how AARP members put lifelong learning into action.

Connections: A Journal of Public Education Advocacy - Fall 2001, Vol. 8, No. 2

October 21, 2001

President's Message - Wendy D. Puriefoy reflects on the public aspects of public schools and the necessity for Americans to take civic action to create quality public schools for all young people.Summary of PEN/EducationWeek National Poll Action for All is the first in a series of national surveys on public responsibility for public education in partnership with Education Week. Pollster Celinda Lake presents what Americans see as their primary responsibility for public education, their chief concerns, and what motivates them to act.Q&A: James Howard Kunstler - The author of Home from Nowhere reflects on the decline of public space in America and its effect on the nation's public schools.Conversations - William L. Taylor, a prominent Washington, DC-based attorney and co-chair of the Citizens Commission on Civil Rights, and Ramon C. Cortines, one of the nation's foremost superintendents, discuss the threats to public education as public space.Making it Happen - Marc Tucker, president of the National Center on Education and the Economy, examines the standards movement and the role LEFs can play in helping all students achieve at high standards.Annual Conference - Information on PEN's 2001 Annual Conference, Assessment & Accountability: The Great Equity Debate, November 11 -- 13, in Washington, DC.About the Network - Current lists of Network members and funders.

Connections: A Journal of Public Education Advocacy - Winter 2001, Vol. 8. No. 1

December 21, 2000

Contents:Building "Social Capital" Through Advocacy, Alliances & ForumsWorking With School LeadershipLEFs: A Proud History of Evolving to Meet ChallengesTranslating Public Concerns Into a Shared ResponsibilitySummary of PEN's 2000 Annual Survey

Connections: A Journal of Public Education Advocacy - Spring 2000, Vol. 7, No. 1

June 1, 2000

ContentsPresident's Message by Wendy D. PuriefoyStandards-Based Reform: The Power of External Change Agents by Kris KurtenbachSnapshot of Standards Implementation in Action by Melissa SilversteinCommunicating with Parents about Educational Standards by Christine NeviusA Hard Look at Assessments in the Boston Public Schools by Mary Ann CohenSix Points of Effective Partnerships by Philip C. McCullum

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