by Wendy Puriefoy

This fall, 48 million children are returning to public school classrooms across America, according to the National Education Association. Some of these classrooms will be equipped with the elements necessary to provide children with a high-quality public education. Many will not.

Mayors, council members and other municipal officials understand that today?s school children are tomorrow?s leaders ? doctors, bankers, teachers and engineers. They realize if children are to grow into responsible adults, they need to be educated by qualified teachers in good schools with sufficient resources.

For that reason, Public Education Network (PEN), a national association of local education funds and individuals working to advance public school reform in low-income communities, recently launched the ?Give Kids Good Schools? campaign, a national effort to guarantee a quality public education for every child in the nation.

Give Kids Good Schools seeks to engage all Americans in playing a role to improve public education. This multi-year campaign provides citizens with the information and resources they need to take action in their communities in order to improve public schools.

To promote the campaign, communities across the country will participate in activities from Oct.16-22 to show their support for public education during Give Kids Good Schools Week.

Getting Local Officials Involved
Give Kids Good Schools encourages members of the public to learn, vote and act on behalf of quality public education. For national and local leaders, the campaign will:

? Showcase communities that have come together to improve their public schools;

? Provide research-based measures for the conditions necessary in a community to ensure quality public schools for all children;

? Engage the public in the issues facing schools; and

? Offer a forum for individuals to support public education in their communities.

Give Kids Good Schools helps Americans stay up-to-date on key issues and decisions that impact quality public education and to voice their concerns throughout the year.

Schools Strengthen Cities
It has been proven that strong leadership from elected officials on education issues is critical. As mayors and council members make education a clear priority for their cities, they can engage other members of the community to help improve public schools.

Successful, quality public schools are critical t

? The health and well-being of communities;

? Public safety and crime reduction;

? Economic development;

? Strong and engaged citizenry; and

? Student achievement and future economic success.

Details: To plan a Give Kids Good Schools Week activity in a community or for more information on getting involved in the initiative, visit www.GiveKidsGoodSchools.org or call (202) 350-5816.

To learn more about NLC resources on improving public schools, visit www.nlc.org/iyef or contact Lucinda Dugger at (202) 626-3052 or dugger@nlc.org.

Wendy Puriefoy is president of the Public Education Network.