AchieveMpls is a proud member of the Public Education Network (link), a national association of 77 local education funds and individuals working to advance public school reform in low-income communities across our country. PEN and its members build support and mobilize resources for quality public education on behalf of 12 million children in 32 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. PEN believes that an active, vocal constituency is the key to ensuring that every child in every community benefits from a quality public education.

PEN Guiding Principles

• Public education is fundamental to a democratic, civil and prosperous society
• Public schools are critical institutions for breaking the cycle of poverty and redressing social inequities
• Education reform must be systemic to be effective
• Public engagement, community support and adequate resources are essential to the success of public education
• Independent community-based organizations must play a central role in building and sustaining broad support for quality public education and for achieving significant reform in the nation’s public schools
• Parents and caregivers should be involved in all attempts to improve public schools

PEN College and Career Ready Compact

PEN member organizations -- including AchieveMpls -- recently committed to a new College and Career Ready Compact, which is designed to increase by 100,000 the number of high school students in the US who graduate or are on track to graduate and are college or career ready by 2013. The Compact will accomplish this goal by mobilizing and communicating with local communities, utilizing best practices and educational data, influencing policy at the district and state level.