Learning First Alliance / Rhode Island (LFA/RI) and NEARI are excited to announce Public Schools Week 2020 to be held from Feb. 24-28, 2020, with the Learning First Alliance (LFA). This annual event honors the 50.8 million students, plus 3.2 million teachers and hundreds of thousands of specialists, administrators, and support staff working in public schools today.

This year's event centers on the Pledge for Public Schools. We are asking that teachers, parents, principals, policymakers and community members go to publicschoolproud.org and sign the pledge to support their local schools, students and staff through community involvement, support through budgets and bonds, volunteering their time or resources, and to simply get to know their schools and school leaders. The website has many ideas on how you can promote the pledge.

We also hope that your local school will hold a celebratory event during Public Schools Week 2020. Last year, we saw schools host activities such as book drives, visits from local lawmakers, teacher luncheons, and many other activities. If you are willing to host an event, please register the event at publicschoolsweek2020.org, and share the details on social media using hashtags #RIPublicSchoolProud, #PSW20 and #PublicSchoolsWeek2020.

At the Rhode Island Statehouse, the members of the General Assembly from both parties will bring forward resolutions marking Public Schools Week 2020, and LFA affiliates across the country are working with state legislators to pass similar resolutions that will share the spirit of public schools.

We're celebrating because public schools educate every child who walks through their doors—regardless of race, ability, special needs, country of origin, religion or any other factor that would impact their learning—to their highest potential. Public schools not only provide a safe place for learning, they belong to the communities they serve. But there's also so much potential that we want our communities, lawmakers and federal representatives to see, as well as the wide array of programs and high-quality opportunities offered, students' accomplishments and the joys and challenges of teaching and learning.

Mark your calendars and make plans to join us! There is no better time than now to speak out about the value of public education. Contact info (at) learningfirst.org or Ray Pouliot at rpouliot (at) lfari.org if you have any questions.