WASHINGTON - Congressman Dave Loebsack reintroduced the Working to Encourage Community Action and Responsibility in Education (WE CARE) Act to help ensure that schools and communities work together with families to meet student needs inside and outside the classroom. The WE CARE Act will amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to more strategically engage the community in the education of our students and ensure they succeed in school and are prepared for productive employment when they graduate.
"I would not be where I am today without the support of my community. Whether it was my principal helping me get a job to pay for college or my grandmother taking in my siblings and me, I know first-hand the importance of what happens outside the classroom to children's ability to succeed inside the classroom and throughout their lives. I want to be sure that every child has access to the same supports that allowed me to lift myself out of poverty by my bootstraps," said Loebsack. "When the full community is involved, our children will be best able to reach their full potential, secure good jobs when they graduate, and grow up to be the future leaders of our state and nation."
The bill is supported by First Focus Campaign for Children, a bipartisan children's advocacy organization. "We've learned that what happens outside the classroom matters as much for a child's education as what happens inside. Rep. Loebsack gets it, and his WE CARE Act would give kids a better chance to succeed in school and life," said First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley.
The WE CARE Act amends ESEA to more strategically engage the community in the education of our students by:
· Providing incentives for school districts, community-based organizations and others to work together to develop and implement Community Involvement Policies. These policies would leverage resources from the community to help meet students' non-academic needs and prepare them for success in the classroom.
· Calling on state educational agencies and local educational agencies to include an analysis of the non-academic needs of students in their plans, along with a strategy for partnering with community-based organizations and others to meet those needs.
· Calling on local educational agencies and schools to engage community stakeholders in the development of school improvement plans in order to utilize every possible resource available to strengthen student performance.
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