Stamford's Students Deserve Representation

Whereas students learn in school many of the skills and knowledge sets that will allow them to grow and mature into the future leaders of this city and the world beyond its borders,
Whereas students spend more and more time in school each year, learning valuable lessons inside the classroom and participating in constructive extra-curricular activities outside the classroom,
Whereas the quality of our schools will have a direct and profound impact on the growth, prosperity, and quality of this city of Stamford for years to come,
And Whereas students experience firsthand the reforms implemented in schools nationwide, gathering valuable insights on some policies that are effective and some that are not

We, the undersigned, in an effort to improve the quality of education in the city of Stamford, urge policy makers to take the following steps:

-Make education a priority commensurate with its supreme local, state, and national importance, affirmed through a significantly greater commitment of financial and human resources,

-Recognize the importance of real feedback from students, not just isolated standardized test scores and outsider observations that often fail to convey the true nature of the problems facing our schools,

-Consider the student voicetheir experiences, views, and observations as the consumers of the education is provided to themand work with students as appointed members of the local board of education to set education policy and implement school reforms,
-Recognize the success of the State of Connecticuts policy outlined in Connecticut General Statutes Title 10, Chapter 163, and adopt a similar model on the local level.


We believe that an investment in education is an investment in the future of society as a whole. And while some schools today do effectively prepare students for future success, largely as a result of the incredible contributions of great classroom teachers, not a single school, not a single student, and not a single citizenpolicy maker or otherwisecan afford complacency. Every school can and must do better.

As students and concerned citizens, we demand greater local attention and a greater local commitment to education. We demand that students be involved in discussions about, and in the processes of, school reform, on the local level. We demand better schools, and we demand them now.