We strongly believe that an equitable, well-funded, quality educational system is a cornerstone of a just, sustainable society. When we support our educators with adequate resources, they can fully use their skills, ideas, and creativity.

We support an educational system that responds to changing lifestyles and societal trends. For example, we support extended school hours to meet the needs of children whose parents are fully employed during the day. We call for an increase in educational options by providing encouragement and assistance for home schooling, peer helping, community participation in teaching, parents as teachers, enlargement of the classroom to include the community and natural surroundings, and so forth.

We support the use of various teaching methods that appeal to different learning styles, increase self-esteem, develop non-violent conflict resolution and other communication skills, expand critical thinking skills, and model participatory democracy. We encourage teachers, parents, and, students, when feasible, to participate actively in decisions about education.

We acknowledge that in order for education to be successful, the basic needs of all students must be met. These are housing, nutrition, health care, and safety.

We support:

• Progressive taxation to provide ample funding for education at all levels.
• Education for the whole person that promotes human values and integrates environmental literacy into the curriculum.
• A commitment to neighborhood schools for grades K through 12 in which the school board, administrators, teachers, and other personnel reflect the cultural diversity of the community and in which teachers, parents, and the students themselves make more decisions.
• Continuing development of an educational system that addresses the social, intellectual, emotional, and recreational needs of students of all ages.
• The development of assessment tools and grading systems