Our mission is to reform education back to its original plan and to bring hope back to education. We aim to release people from the stress that unrealistic expectations have caused, primarily in public education. We want to bring hope to people who have been overwhelmed by all the education expectations and bring education back to the simplicity of its creation.
IDEAS FOR EDUCATION REFORM
Standardized testing
Private schools don’t have it and do well! The biggest indicator is parental involvement in student success. We need paid time off for parents for training to help their children.
Career training was standard in high schools over 50 years ago. Why expect all kids to go to college when many of them don’t want it or need it for career choice? Students should be given a career path to graduate with a successful career.
Homeschool Success
Homeschool curriculum usually takes 3 hours, (excluding extracurricular and exercise), whereas public school takes 7 hours. Where is all the wasted time?
Play is a part of development, yet we’ve gotten away from this. Children need time to think and be creative. Many years ago students in kindergarten/first grade had lots of time to play, a daily nap (kinder), and academics. Kids did well!
Overtraining is overwhelming for teachers and rarely beneficial.
Bureaucracy
There is too much paperwork and expectations put on teachers/staff without the additional time and help to complete. Little by little it’s added up to where it’s too much! There is increased teacher burnout and not enough time for creativity. We keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Ask the people in the trenches, teachers, what works.
Collaboration
There’s not enough time to collaborate with colleagues and share best practices. Teachers say these practices have made the most difference in improving their teaching careers. A top down approach doesn’t work. When a teacher respects administration, they’ll go to the ends of the earth for them! It's the same with students and teachers!
Mentors need to be in the same school and readily available. They need to be given time to help. This makes the most difference in teacher improvement.
Student discipline is out of control - much of this is due to the things listed here but also less consequences. Students should not be allowed in classrooms who are out of control. This is not good or safe for teachers and other students. It sets a precedence that it’s ok. There needs to be more alternative schools with therapy and parent training and support until they are ready to return to the classroom. This is one of the number one reasons teachers are leaving the career in droves and there's a teacher shortage.
Class sizes are too large, there are too many classes teachers are required to teach and the school day is too long. If the school day was half as long, teachers would have more time to plan, grade, and collaborate. This would make them better teachers and in turn students would do better. More time doesn’t equal better! In countries that are performing in the top tier, such as Finland, teachers teach 4 hours a day. Teachers' lessons are superior because they have more time to plan and students therefore need less time in the classroom. A flipped classroom technique could also be beneficial- https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/flipped-classrooms#:~:text=A%20flipped%20classroom%20is%20structured,that%20involve%20higher%20order%20thinking.
Time for Teachers
Teachers need more conference periods, breaks, and support. All of this creates less burnout and retention of good teachers.
Compensation
There is not enough pay in education to attract and retain the best teachers and staff. Teachers should make similar pay to high end careers. We will continue to face a teacher shortage if not.
Project-Based Learning and Fun
School is not fun anymore! It should be fun. Teachers and students should look forward to it!
Schools should have more fieldtrips and more time outside where kids explore. Kindergarten in Germany is outside in rain or shine. Project-based learning and student choice is also a huge indicator of student motivation.
Teacher Retention
Teachers, staff, and students are burned out. Teachers are leaving or planning to leave education in vast numbers. If this wasn’t the case, many would work past retirement age if they were happy. Teachers and staff are burned out = students are burned out.
Simplify
Stop making it so complicated! Simplify it! Each year, the amount of district rules, bulletins, bills, etc. adds up to more! Less is more. This doesn’t mean you don’t work hard, but when you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work!
Administrators
Supportive administrators retain and attract the best staff. Toxic administrators do the opposite and unfortunately there are too many of these. Ensuring there are great administrators is imperative!
Parent Advocacy and Involvement
Parents account for 50% of a child's development, but they aren’t utilized enough. Blame is put on teachers. Help teachers more, stop blaming! Anti-parent board members are being recalled nationwide. Parents are fed up with many of the things listed above and these things need to change or this will continue. Many parents and other community members have become board members to improve education.
School Choice
Schools that do well in all of these things will attract more students. Schools that don’t will decline and possibly need to be re-imagined. Many excellent public schools have waiting lists of students. How can we replicate these schools?
California Educational Opportunity Act
We are working with the leaders of the CEO act to bring $17,000 to each student to go to the school of their choice in CA.
Learn about the Children's Education Opportunity at educationopportunity.org
Outdoor Schools
Dream school: Timbernook, outdoor play & learning experiences (visit timbernook.com)
Learn more about the connection of sensory experiences and outdoor learning: The-1000-hours-outside-podcast
Focus on the Positive!
One of the best schools we’ve seen did high fives and feedback at the beginning of staff meetings, Teachers and staff felt like family and the turnover rate is lower in schools like this. This same school had one of the best administrators - he worked hard, never lost his cool, and cared deeply. Teachers and staff will go to the ends of the earth for leaders like this. We need more leaders like this!
Meet Students Where They Are
We need to meet student’s emotional needs. This means sitting with them, hugging, talking, and putting class work aside until they’re ready to learn. Class work cannot be done if these needs are not met first.
Support The Arts
Music and arts should be standard all the way up in K-12 as well as bilingual education.
There should be a credentialed teacher librarian in every K-12 school. Most schools do not have librarians. Research has proven over and over the academic benefits of having teacher librarians in every school as well as a current, vast library collection.
Parents are pulling their children out of school left and right and homeschooling them or putting them in private schools. Drop-outs have increased as well, especially during and after the pandemic. Parents say they don’t like the discipline issues on campuses or the way schools are being run. They ask for advice on where to send their children.
ABOUT
Heather Poundstone, CEO
Accomplishments in Education Reform
As a Teacher and Teacher Librarian-
She has three masters degrees: education, library science, and school leadership. She received high GPA for all degrees-3.3-3.9 and Summa Cum Laude!
She was instrumental in getting a new principal at her elementary school in Inglewood. This school became a blue ribbon school four years later!
She won three grants for school libraries- The Laura Bush grant twice and Lisa Libraries grant.
San Jose State University announced her grant award on their social media page.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, (LAUSD), Teacher Librarians nominated Heather to be their district supervisor which led her to obtaining an administrator credential and Masters degree.
The LAUSD library supervisor recommended Heather as one of the best teacher librarians in the district which resulted in a teacher librarian position at one of the best schools in the district.
She receives consistent recognition in staff meetings from her principals for having success as a teacher with evidence in high student academics and attendance.
She spearheaded the marketing campaign for the LAUSD Virtual Academy, which has increased enrollment more than 20%.
The LAUSD superintendent featured her in a district video as the teacher librarian representative and retweeted her teaching students research skills.
She won the first annual Teacher Librarian Advocacy Award from the LAUSD teacher librarians.
The United Teachers of Los Angeles Vice-President Arlene Inoye recommended Heather for the Los Angeles County Library Board.
LAUSD Teacher Librarians selected Heather to be the LAUSD teacher librarian representative for the National Library Legislative Days in Washington D.C. and United Teachers of Los Angeles paid for part of this trip.
She served as union vice-chair and social committee chair for her school and teachers wanted her to be their union representative. (She has since left the union as she has been educated as to their evil background. See this website for more information on this- https://www.forkidsandcountry.org)
Politics-
In 1999, Heather met with several state politicians in Austin and spoke at the school board regarding Dallas Independent School District’s plan to substantially raise teacher/staff health premiums. Heather was interviewed on the news regarding this as well. This decision was overturned as a result and keep premiums were kept the same.
News coverage-
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18xF9EybgqVj7zKEU6F4B7O5TAHyZNicl/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yLtqB-MhFLUqLhyIIFL1IkgO4p3p6ab7/view
Heather has emailed and spoken in front of the LAUSD board a few times about her education reform ideas.
LAUSD School Board Speeches-
Watch from 7 hours 19 minutes-7 hours 23 minutes-
http://lausd.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?clip_id=400
Start around 1 hour 7 minutes-
http://lausd.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?clip_id=241
Start around minute 3-
Heather has emailed and met with many stakeholders/politicians regarding education reform including the LAUSD superintendents, CA superintendent, and reps for the American education superintendents, state congressmen, and American congressmen.
Heather met the 2022 GOP candidate for governor and Superintendent of Education and spoke to them about some of the ideas she has for education reform, which they are in agreement with. She also had the privilege to do the same with Rebecca Friedrichs of For Kids and Country. Rebecca has been Heather's mentor since 2022 and is incredible. Rebecca was the first speaker at the 2020 RNC at Trump’s bequest and met with him in the Oval Office.
Heather was led by God to pray for an hour before an RFK rally in Sept. 2023 with her prayer partner who was on the phone with her. Two hours later a would-be assassin was arrested on the spot they prayed. See this incredible story under testimonies on Heather's personal website - heatherpoundstone.com
She has gone on many prayer assignments throughout CA and beyond to state Capitols, D.C., government buildings, the Dept. of Education, her school district, and others to pray for education reform.
She has prayed many times at the Trump Golf Course in Palos Verdes, even the night before the second assassination attempt, helping thwart another assassination attempt. She helped pray for the Trump rally in CA with the organizers for 3 months and he came on Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, atonement for CA and America.
What RFK and Trump are doing to Make America Healthy again and saving the children is an answer to 25 years of prayer! She has connections to both RFK and Trump through several stakeholders. She looks forward to the day she can speak to them both about her education reform ideas.
