By Dr. Mike Dulaney, Executive Director of NCSA

(Full original text published in the Summer 2016 edition of NCSA Today)

We in public education need to be bold in promoting the extraordinary work that is taking place in our schools. While it’s natural to be humble about our successes, maintaining the integrity and support of public schools requires unapologetically highlighting what makes public schools so exceptional. Through compelling storytelling, I believe, we can engage and educate the citizens of Nebraska and beyond about the advantages of Nebraska public schools. The transformational power of public education is no secret to those who work within it, but it can go unnoticed outside the classroom. Often I am asked why we don’t do a better job promoting our schools. I agree that we can not only do better, but that it is critical for us to share our stories with the public as we look towards what waits for us just on the horizon.

With that motivation in mind, the Nebraska Public School Advantage (NPSA) was born. On January 27, 2016, the NCSA Executive Board granted permission to use reasonable resources to coordinate with NCSA and other organizations, including Nebraska Love Public Schools, to tell the enumerable, amazing stories within our schools from every corner of our state. At the same time of the creation of the Nebraska Public School Advantage, NCSA was working with the Omaha-based The Sherwood Foundation on an idea to create the NCSA Ambassador Program, which would pursue several objectives, including:

• Promoting the incomparable efforts and films produced by Nebraska Loves Public Schools, including Consider the Alternative, etc.
• Contacting and visiting our schools to collect the success stories that need to be told; and
• Broadcasting the success stories through all means possible, including social media and a website dedicated for this purpose

We are very grateful to The Sherwood Foundation for agreeing to support the formation of the NCSA Ambassador Program. Without their help, this effort wouldn’t be possible. I’m pleased to present the three NCSA Ambassadors who will be reaching out to our public schools in the very near future: (pictured left to right) Dr. Keith Rohwer, Mr. Kyle McGowan and Dr. Cinde Windell.

I’m also pleased to present our new NCSA Communications Specialist (pictured far right), Ms. Lindsey Cook, who will undertake the work of interviewing and writing each individual success story for publication. Lindsey’s extensive education paired with her previous experience as a writer and journalist makes her a multifaceted storyteller who is here to help share your stories effectively. It is her mission to help administrators and educators articulate the power of public education in a thoughtful and effective way.

The NPSA and our NCSA Ambassador Program will work very closely with the fine people at Nebraska Loves Public Schools. I encourage you to explore their work at www.nelovesps.org.

Welcome, to the Nebraska Public School Advantage!