National education blogger Alexander Russo broke news yesterday about a new and well-funded education reform advocacy campaign that will launch in Denver next week.
Called “One Chance Colorado,” the eight- to 10-week campaign will use billboards, slick, political campaign-style TV ads, bus stop posters and web-based strategies to push for “accountability at every level;” recruiting and supporting strong teachers and getting rid of weak ones; investing in good schools and “rapidly addressing” underperforming schools; and putting education ahead of politics.
There will also be a “field organizing” component to the campaign.
People involved in the campaign were reluctant to discuss it ahead of next week’s official launch. But here’s what I’ve learned:
Why foundations would pump significant money into a general advocacy campaign of this sort isn’t clear to me. What are they hoping to accomplish? What kind of return on their investment do they want? Since people aren’t saying much at this point, we may just have to wait until next week for the answers.
Earlier this week someone not sympathetic to the campaign’s goal or its players got hold of a solicitation memo sent to various advocacy groups by Lindsay Neil, executive director of Stand for Children Colorado. The memo was gussied up, made into a flyer and sent to various bloggers and news organizations. Russo and others sent it to me.
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- CU reaching for $1.5 billion
