Sample Letter
Dear Rep. -
Dear Sen. -
As a [business owner/ business executive] of [name of business] located in your [district/state], I want to share with you my strong support for the No Child Left Behind Act. NCLB is working to improve academic achievement for students in our community and other communities across our state. I urge you to support NCLB reauthorization efforts that go beyond the current Act in an effort to strengthen its emphasis on accountability for improved student achievement.
My business [hires X new employees per year in our community/employees X people in our community] to do [type of business]. I am watching this issue because I want to continue to be able to operate my business in our community, and to do so I will need employees with strong knowledge and skills. I want to do what I can to ensure our schools and teachers are equipped to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in our current marketplaces. I am concerned that not all our schools are up to the challenge of educating our students.
I want to quickly share with you my priorities for the NCLB reauthorization. I believe the Act must -
- promote increased academic rigor that supports improved student readiness for the knowledge and skills demands of college and the workplace;
- emphasize science, technology, engineering and math instruction for our students;
- enhance data-driven decision making so that we have reliable information on how to help students improve their achievement.
- increase teacher and principal effectiveness by encouraging quality and providing the tools to become effective;
- strengthen and refine accountability that does not back away from the expectation that all our students achieve on grade level by 2014; and
- invest in schools whose students need additional assistance to improve their achievement and encourage innovative efforts such as charter schools.
I appreciate your support for my priorities.
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