Educators Nationwide Urged to Sign Petition Calling for President’s Council on the Whole Child

Alexandria, VA (1/19/12)—ASCD urges educators nationwide to sign a petition today asking President Obama to create a President’s Council on the Whole Child. The petition was launched today through the White House’s We the People petition tool.

The We the People initiative was conceived by the Obama administration in 2011 to provide citizens with a new way to petition the administration to take action on a range of important issues facing our country. If a petition garners 25,000 signatures within 30 days, White House staff will review it, ensure that it is sent to the appropriate policy experts, and issue an official response.

“ASCD believes that each student in every classroom should be healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged and that the needs of the whole child should be supported by all community members, from national leaders, state officials, and educators to community experts and families,” said ASCD Executive Director and CEO Gene R. Carter.

“ASCD asks educators to sign our petition today urging the Obama administration to create a President’s Council that would help coordinate all of the existing programs that support children and focus national attention on the importance of serving the comprehensive needs of the whole child.”
The full text of ASCD’s petition reads as follows:

We petition the Obama administration to

Establish a President’s Council on the Whole Child to help students be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

The true measure of student success is much more than just a test score and such success requires support well beyond effective instruction. The demands of the 21st century require a new approach to education to fully prepare our nation’s youth for college, career, and citizenship. A whole child approach to education enhances learning by addressing each student’s social, emotional, physical, and academic needs through the shared contributions of schools, families, communities, and policymakers.

A President’s Council comprising national leaders, state officials, educators, community members, and other experts would facilitate greater collaboration among the education, social, health, and safety agencies that support children and the coordination of programs at all levels to benefit families.

ASCD urges all whole child supporters to sign the petition today. The petition is located online at http://wh.gov/BVR. 

ASCD is the leading provider of programs, products, and services that empower educators to support the success of each learner, and offers a variety of additional free resources to individuals and organizations globally supporting the whole child approach to education, including podcasts, blogs, and more. Visit the home page of ASCD’s Whole Child Initiative at www.wholechildeducation.org to learn more.

For more information about ASCD’s advocacy efforts or membership, visit www.ascd.org.

Contact Information  

• Katie Test, communications specialist, 1-703-575-5608 or by e-mail.