wfn.org | Religion, Public Education Groups Unite on Behalf of Children

["Carol Fouke" <cfouke@ncccusa.org>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Religious and Public Education Communities Unite on Behalf of Children;
Faith Groups Pledge to Support Public Schools

January 21, 2004, Washington, D.C. - (NCC/NEA) The worlds of public education
and religion rarely intersect, but in a historic move, leaders of national
education and religious organizations recently joined forces to address the
needs of public school students. The National Council of Churches USA (NCC)
and the National Education Association (NEA) convened a daylong interfaith
meeting to develop proposals for how religious groups can work with parents,
teachers and administrators to support and improve public schools.

The January 14 gathering drew close to 70 national, state and local leaders,
representing Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish and Bah'ai congregations, as
well as the National PTA, the American Association of School Administrators,
the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the National
School Boards Association, among others. 

Reg Weaver, President of the NEA, told the summit, "Educating every child in
America to the fullest extent of his or her potential is as much a moral
imperative as it is a civic duty. We are on a mission to great public schools
for every child, and I can think of no better way to achieve this goal than
to partner with the community and this includes working with institutions of
faith."

The Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the NCC, agreed. "I believe in
the separation of church and state, but not in the separation of people of
faith from institutions of government," Edgar said. "If we seek, I know we
will find productive and legal ways for people of faith to support public
schools, and given that public schools are our nation's largest civic
institution, we must work together." 

The group agreed that one of the greatest challenges for public education is
to find ways to close the achievement gap, particularly between children
attending poor urban schools and those attending affluent suburban schools.
Some speakers, including Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), addressed the continuing
disparities in funding for schools attended by children of color, even 50
years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision that desegregated
schools. He asserted that if students are required to take standardized
tests, governments should be required to equalize educational opportunity. 

The faith groups decided to advocate for legislation to eliminate the
enormous funding gap between schools attended by the nation's poor children
and those for the affluent. 

Other concrete ideas for collaboration emerged from the gathering. Roundtable
participants suggested, for example, that churches promote public education
in their services by congratulating honor roll students and public school
teachers, encouraging their congregations to consider teaching as a
profession, supporting mentoring programs and offering donations of books,
school supplies and clothing for students in need. The group also agreed to
focus on closing the achievement gap and teacher recruitment and retention.

Leaders of both communities plan to share their ideas with respective
colleagues and constituencies at the state and local levels, beginning with
NEA state affiliates. The group also discussed the possibility of another
national meeting later this year.

-end-

The National Council of Churches USA is the leading ecumenical force in the
United States. The NCC's 36 member denominations count 50 million adherents
in 140,000 local congregations.  For more information, visit www.ncccusa.org

The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional
organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers,
higher education faculty, education support professionals, school
administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.
For more information, visit www.nea.org

NCC Media Contact: 202-544-2350 x 11; ltune@ncccusa.org 

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