Launched last April with considerable fanfare, a public-awareness campaign spearheaded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged to drum up broad-based support for tackling what organizers called 鈥淎merica鈥檚 education crisis.鈥�
The announcement was timed to coincide with two back-to-back days of 鈥淭he Oprah Winfrey Show鈥� that focused on high schools, and the so-called Stand Up campaign got a nice plug on the program. (鈥淐ampaign Seeks Buy-In for High School Reforms,鈥� April 19, 2006.)
But since the initial splash, the campaign has been awfully quiet.
Other than providing an interactive Web site, the only recent publicity appears to be ads the campaign placed in Iowa and New Hampshire newspapers one day after the November elections.
When the organizers launched Stand Up, they promised to engage parents, educators, policymakers, and others in all 50 states to build momentum to demand change that would produce great high schools. The campaign was to include billboard promotions, paid advertisements in newspapers, TV public-service announcements, and a movie 鈥渢railer,鈥� as well as a series of public events around the country.
Stand Up was billed as a multiyear effort, and had some 50 education-related organizations listed as coalition members, including 91制片厂视频, the nonprofit corporation that publishes 91制片厂视频 Week. Most of the coalition partners, including EPE, have received grants from the Seattle-based Gates Foundation.
Shortly after the announcement, the Los Angeles-based Broad Foundation signed on as a co-funder.
The Gates Foundation so far has committed $2.35 million to the Stand Up campaign, said Marie Groark, a spokeswoman for the philanthropy.
Officials from several groups in the Stand Up coalition said they haven鈥檛 heard much from the campaign since the launch. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know anything that has happened with it,鈥� said the leader of one partner organization, who asked not to be named. 鈥淲e had some T-shirts and stuff [to hand out]. 鈥� I just saw it as a short-lived PR campaign.鈥�
Timing and Message
Although the campaign was initially described as emphasizing the need to improve the nation鈥檚 high schools, it appears to have become broader in scope. The Stand Up Web site now says the 鈥渘onpartisan, national campaign鈥� seeks to 鈥渞aise awareness about the education crisis and to transform education in America.鈥�
Asked why the campaign has been so quiet, Ms. Groark said, 鈥淛ust getting the timing and the messaging right [takes time].鈥�
She said the Gates money currently is going toward the Web site, strategy, research, and 鈥渃reative development.鈥�
鈥淲e believe that building political and public will for change is critical if our nation, our schools, our students are going to be able to rise to the challenge,鈥� she said in an interview last week, 鈥渁nd so we launched Stand Up with that in mind, and continue to support Stand Up.鈥�
There have been rumblings that a new phase of Stand Up is in the works. In its 鈥淲ashington Whispers鈥� column in November, U.S. News & World Report magazine first reported that the Gates and Broad foundations were planning a public-awareness push tied to the 2008 presidential campaign.
More recently, education writer Alexander Russo said in his This Week in 91制片厂视频 blog that former Colorado governor and Los Angeles schools chief Roy Romer was expected to play a leadership role in such an effort.
Reached by phone last week, Mr. Romer, a Democrat, confirmed that he鈥檚 in talks about the idea, but declined to provide details. 鈥淚鈥檓 in conversations with the Gates and Broad foundations about doing some work with them on a national campaign,鈥� said Mr. Romer, who stepped down last fall as the superintendent of the 727,000-student Los Angeles Unified School District. 鈥淚鈥檓 not in a position to discuss this yet.鈥�
The Gates and Broad foundations declined to discuss plans for Stand Up. But Karen Denne, a Broad Foundation spokeswoman, said details on some new activities were expected soon.
Ads Urge Action
The ad that ran in Iowa鈥檚 Des Moines Register newspaper and the New Hampshire Union Leader of Manchester, N.H., on Nov. 8 may give clues about what the foundations have in mind.
鈥淐ongratulations on your election win,鈥� it begins. 鈥淣ow we need you to ensure that America wins. When it comes to education, the United States ranks 19th in the world. Forty years ago, we were No. 1.鈥�
Although the ad鈥檚 wording suggests it was addressed to the victors of the November political campaigns, the text did not specify particular contests or candidates. Still, the choice of Iowa and New Hampshire suggests an eye toward next year鈥檚 presidential campaign. Traditionally, the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary are the first places voters weigh in on the candidates.
The ad highlights the high-school-dropout problem, and offers a few ideas to address it. The ad identifies Stand Up as its sponsor, and points to the Web site for further information.
It calls for ensuring all children in every state 鈥渓earn and acquire the same knowledge and skills鈥�; promotes 鈥減roviding extra student support and more time spent learning鈥�; and calls for 鈥渙ffering great pay for great teachers.鈥�
