About Stand for Children
Stand for Children seeks to make children and their needs a higher political priority.
Who We Are
Stand for Children is an innovative education advocacy organization made up of parents, educators, and other concerned Coloradoans. Our mission: combine a relentless focus on what works to improve schools with the power of grassroots action to help all children get the excellent public education and strong support they need to thrive.
Our Vision
Stand for Children’s vision is to dramatically improve Colorado’s rates of high school graduation, college preparedness, and student achievement by establishing an influential, best-practice policy driven statewide voice for children capable of:
- Helping elect School Board members and state legislators who will boldly lead efforts to improve the quality of all schools and close the achievement gap.
- Working with state decision-makers to pass child-centered, research-based education policies and secure investments that empower educators and school leaders to do their best work, and that give schools greater flexibility within an effective framework of accountability.
Our Strategy
Stand for Children achieves improvements for children and schools by organizing committed citizens to achieve key reforms and investments. Our skilled program staff give parents, educators, and concerned community members the tools to come together and achieve significant, concrete progress for students in their communities.
In addition to making a profoundly greater impact for children than they could do alone, our members benefit greatly from their involvement in Stand for Children – they learn to be effective leaders and advocates, they develop key organizational skills, they gain a heightened understanding of how to improve schools.
Our Priorities
- Support the development and implementation of a new teacher and principal evaluation system where at least 50 percent of the evaluation is based on student academic growth.
- Replace the practice of forced teacher placement with mutual consent hiring.
- Support responsible reforms to the tenure system, where non-probationary status is earned and maintained based on performance.
- Support and expand high-performing schools—including traditional neighborhood schools and high-achieving charter schools.
- Support school choice and accountability, including closing low-performing charters and turning around low-performing district schools.
- Minimize the fiscal effects of the economic crisis on children and schools by encouraging the greatest possible investment in public education and modifying Colorado’s school funding formula to better support students.
We show up. We speak up. We reach out. We vote.
Our work is shaped by our organizational values: results for all children, bold independence, empowering, entrepreneurial leadership, being the change we seek, and direct and respectful communication. Learn more about our values, vision, and history.
Contact Us
1201 E. Colfax Avenue, Suite. 203
Denver, Colorado 80218
303.831.6408
Publications
Visit our Publications Directory to read organizational and policy documents.
Staff
Contact the Stand for Children staff members in Colorado.