Why is the California Student Success Project necessary today?

We have a small window of opportunity to raise the sense of urgency for comprehensive education reform with California's state leaders. The CSSP is inspired by Kentucky's famous Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence and hopes to similarly focus the incredible power of a diverse and influential group of citizens to catalyze change in a short time frame. As a new, time-limited, non-partisan, agenda-agnostic, high-profile message campaign, the CSSP can:

• Focus solely on delivering one compelling message about the need for change while staying above the political fray by not pushing a specific policy agenda or solution;
• Leverage the influence and power that diverse high-profile individuals bring to a cause;
• Advance the work of all other organizations working on education reform in California by raising a common sense of urgency for change; and
• Fill the current void for a unified influential voice calling for action in 2008.
• The governor and legislative leaders have announced that education will be a priority in 2008; we need your help in the CSSP to ensure he keeps his promise.