The 1983 report, A Nation at Risk, succinctly summarized major problems within the American K-12 public education system. The report, right or wrong, was seen as a clarion call-to-action and spurred reform efforts on all levels. During the past 35+ years, we have seen numerous innovations in the K-12 education arena and extraordinary opposition to all of it.

At every turn, we hear how awful our underfunded education system is, how it’s failing our children and how American students don’t measure up to their global peers AND we hear how horrible every new idea is or will be that has been presented. The problems are real and need to be addressed; however, when the national conversation focuses only on the problems, there isn’t room for solutions. In the meantime, our children continue to grow up, moving through a broken system that seems to hinder real reform and leaves us with more of what we already have that we don’t like.

Yet, in both our K-12 public and private schools (and their many variations), we have pockets of success across the Nation where positive change is occurring among our most vulnerable students. We hear of parents and extended families, principals, teachers, community leaders, and even celebrities taking a personal interest in the students they have a heart for and having a profound impact on their lives. These pockets of success are the seeds of change we must nurture.

The law of attraction simply put tells us we will have more of what we focus on. It’s time to pro-actively shift the national conversation away from the negativity that abounds and begin productively engaging the educators and innovators who have track records of successful measurable results. It’s time to showcase and support their work in our K-12 public and private schools and then calling on our decision-makers to take action accordingly.

Here at The Extra Credit Show, our program is two-fold:

• Recent studies show teachers spend an average of $500 on their classrooms from their own pocketbook. Teachers Have Class allows teachers to pitch the needs of their classrooms into the broader community to seek crowdfunding assistance and solutions. As Americans, we  believe K-12 education is important. Now, you and I can specifically impact the classrooms we believe in!
• The Extra Credit Show is a podcast and online show highlighting excellence in our education system. The show does not espouse a particular ideology or opinion but rather explores educational excellence and innovations with the educators and innovators themselves. Our guests come from all walks of life and have impacted K-12 education with a track record of successful and meaningful results. They are sharing the foundations and driving forces behind their innovations and together we’re exploring the implementation, issues and evolution of those ideas.

The Extra Credit Show is the new classroom in America where only the best of the best educators and innovators are teaching the rest of us how to connect powerfully with the rising generation. As a compliment, Teachers Have Class is the foundational support our teachers need in the day-to-day classroom. These are the ones on whose shoulders our children will stand.