Dear [name of legislator],

We are a group of concerned parents, teachers, administrators and community members invested in the future of education in [state, county, municipality].

With the focus of many current political and financial conversations and debates centered around education, we want to share our vision of schools as places of authentic, student-centered, globally connected and technology rich learning.  The time of rote learning and desks in rows with the teacher at the front of the room has passed. Our children are growing up in an increasingly smaller world due to the power of social media. They carry devices in their pockets that are more powerful than the computers that put a man on the Moon.

We need you to ensure innovative, progressive and technology rich learning in our schools by supporting legislation that funds technology integration, supports teachers and families and students as a community. Schools need to be flexible to meet student needs. Teachers need support in harnessing the power of technology and social media. Parents want their children to be empowered citizens prepared for life as an adult.  Communities want schools to provide children with the skills and knowledge to give back and help neighborhoods grow and prosper.

Here is our vision of a 21st Century school:

• Students are authors, directors, producers and evaluators of content, sharing their work with each other and the world using tools like blogs, wikis, Twitter, Skype and other Web 2.0 tools.
• Learning is based on State standards but focused on student exploration rather than rote memorization or a teacher ‘delivering’ content.
• Schools are safe, both physically and socially. Students are taught how to collaborate, cooperate and act responsibly both face to face and while using online tools.
• Access to technology is provided to all students to ensure that students are well-prepared global citizens ready to lead us into the future.
• Contemporary classrooms are places of high energy, sound, movement and dialogue.

[insert any legislation you want to address here along with where you stand on it]

Please remember when casting your vote that our children are our future and our legacy. We must work together to make sure that our schools reflect the future they will inhabit, not the past, nor even the present.

Thank you for all that you do for our community. We look forward to supporting you in your efforts to make innovative, authentic and technology rich education a priority.

Sincerely,

1.) Mary Beth Hertz, teacher, West Philadelphia