Who We Are
We are an alliance of Memphis pastors and ministry leaders who strongly support efforts to improve our public schools so our children have the best chance at succeeding in school and in life. We work to educate our clergy members about the critical elements for improving our schools. Our partners then, in turn, help educate their congregations and the public. We seek to celebrate the success of our children’s teachers, supporting them and highlighting teaching as both a calling and also as a profession requiring intellect, skills and rigorous training. We encourage the efforts of the Memphis City Schools as they strive for excellence in hiring, developing and retaining effective teachers in our schools.
What We Do
Our members speak out regularly on school improvement issues and host speakers in their churches about these efforts. Our members also: author opinion pieces for the Memphis newspaper, radio and TV; participate in press conferences that release research reports; and communicate directly with policy-makers and opinion leaders through face-to-face meetings and written communication. We also work in collaboration with a wide range of community leaders and organizations committed to improving our schools. Our work is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Why We Do This Work
Today, millions of American children are growing up in family situations that put them at high risk for truancy, failure in school and long-term poverty. These families are in our churches and in our communities. They are our neighbors. And we are commanded to “love our neighbors as ourselves” (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:19, Romans 13:9 and James 2:8).
Moreover, our faith teaches us that God created the family to be the primary place for educating a child on how he or she is to live (Gen 2:24; Proverbs 1). But in this complex world, the schools complement the role of the family in preparing the child for success, and the teacher shepherds that process.
Research tells us that the quality of teaching is the most important school-based criterion for student outcomes, and our goal is to ensure that every classroom has a highly effective teacher. Towards this goal, we believe that success in schools includes helping and supporting those who are called to teach our children, while helping and supporting the other teachers in our children’s lives–their parents. We believe that this twin focus on the roles of teachers and parents will lead to more student success and stronger and more successful families for the next generation.