The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation announced the launch of Strong American Schools, a nonpartisan public awareness and action campaign.

“The American dream is slipping away, and unless our leaders dramatically improve our public schools, our standard of living, our economy and our very democracy will be threatened,” said Eli Broad, founder of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. “Our country’s education system is no longer the best in the world. We need every American to demand better schools and specific policy solutions from presidential candidates. Our future depends on it.”

Sponsors aim to elevate American education to the top of the presidential campaign agenda between now and November 2008.

Thanks, foundations, for caring about U.S. schooling. I wonder how more advocacy politics in and about education changes teacher and students behavior? What can a president with education as a top priority do that teacher and previous political efforts have not done? Doesn't all boil down to what each student decides to do?

Tablet PC Education Blog