Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up. – Brené Brown

Our education system isn’t failing all students, but it is clearly failing an unacceptable percentage of the students in our public schools. We have students who thrive in our current model. Students who enter college, the work force, or the military and find tremendous success. Our public schools have built the foundation for the largest economy in the world today. Our public schools have led to our great country being the sole superpower in a global economy.

Our public education system is also partially responsible for a growth gap between the “haves and the have nots.” Never before has the bifurcation of educational success depended so greatly on zip code, family economic status, and school district. The same system that creates an environment where some thrive and grow also cultivates a context where others fail and lose hope.

It’s time for the bravest, most courageous educators to show up. We must be vulnerable, yet resolute in our actions. Legislators and policy makes aren’t going to solve this dilemma; it is up to us. There are not easy solutions; no single person or group has the answers. We must find the right people to show up. Let’s start the conversations