Support New Leaders!

Dear family and friends,

Today is Giving Tuesday, a national movement (and antidote to Black Friday!) to encourage people to give back during the holidays to a cause of their choice. I hope you’ll join me in supporting New Leaders (http://seeyourimpact.org/members/bay-area-new-leaders/), a national nonprofit that develops outstanding principals to improve struggling public schools.

I support New Leaders efforts in the Bay Area as a member of their local advisory board. Through my involvement, I have been inspired by the tireless work of these school leaders to ensure that every kid has access to a rigorous public education–and by their amazing results in some of the highest-need schools in Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, and San Jose.

· Last year, 5 out of the top 10 most improved traditional schools in Oakland were led by “New Leader” principals developed through the program–including the top two most improved traditional high schools!

· An external evaluation found that students in schools led by New Leader principals achieve at significantly higher levels than their peers, specifically because they have a New Leader principal at the helm.

· Under the leadership of two New Leader principals, Oakland’s ACORN Woodland Elementary has transformed from one of the poorest performing schools in the State of California to an example of exemplary school turnaround. ACORN was recently named a US Department of Education 2012 Distinguished Elementary School for its progress in closing the achievement gap, one of just two schools in Oakland to receive this honor.

This year, New Leaders has been named a finalist for support from the federal Investing in Education (i3) fund. The i3 contest is part of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s reform agenda designed to identify and fund innovative ideas that have gotten results. As a finalist, . . .

we’ll receive a 10-to-1 match for all online contributions received by November 30th. A gift of $100 will be matched with a $1,000 investment from the U.S. government . . .

that will help us double the number of principals we develop – who in turn will transform our high-poverty schools and ensure better opportunities and brighter futures for the kids we serve.

I care deeply about improving the quality of public education in this country and believe that that ALL kids should have access to an education that prepares them for future success. Please join me in participating in Giving Tuesday by supporting New Leaders! http://seeyourimpact.org/members/bay-area-new-leaders/

Thanks so much for joining me in supporting the need for strong school leadership in our public schools!

Happy Holidays too you and yours,

Liza (Finkelstein)