Save Our Schools
Save Our Society
"SOS-squared" is a Political Action Committee founded
by Sara Tirschwell
About
Although its services will be available to all, SOS-squared is primarily directed at young and rising women legislators, candidates and staffers - the "Legi-Femi" - many of whom are mothers themselves. These are the change agents who have the most natural empathy for the suffering of children, parents, teachers, grandparents and principals in today's schools.
SOS-squared is non-partisan and invites participation regardless of party, ideology, ethnicity or educational philosophy. Our goal is to raise awareness of the utter failure of current educational policies and to promote open-ended conversations about how to undo their damage and bound forward.
The fact is: students, teachers, parents and principals are highly discouraged. We need to unleash their power. We must end blaming "failing" teachers, principals and schools. SOS-squared contends the fault actually lies with national education policy which, when measured by NAEP scores, has not shown demonstrable progress over the course of six presidencies. Policy-makers at the state and local levels as well as academics and media folk have been complicit and keep promoting ideas that are doomed to failure.
SOS-squared will begin its efforts in three states: New York, Florida and Texas. The ultimate goal is to promote substantive and paradigmatic change at the national level.
WHAT WE DO
EDUCATION
SOS-squared will inform and be a resource to legislators. A small and committed group of legislators can shift policy!
Learn MoreACT!
What SOS-squared will do. SOS-squared presents the data and facilitates discussions. The "Femi-Legi" do the hard work!
Learn MoreTHE "FEMI-LEGI"
Who are "the Femi-Legi"? They are committed state legislators, staffers, and candidates who will change education for all of our children!
Learn MoreTHE P.L.E.D.G.E.
We begin with a pledge. SOS-squared has 6 starting points in the P.L.E.D.G.E. Please sign it!
Learn MoreThe P.L.E.D.G.E.
The SOS-squared PLEDGE:
The undersigned are policy-makers, parents, teachers and supporters of public education. Working beyond the divides of party, ideology, convention and philosophy, we pledge to work for systemic and substantive change to open unlimited learning for all students and smash the Achievement Gap.
P= Policies. We demand new policies for K12 education at the federal, state, and local levels. We demand recognition that current policies - as judged by NAEP and PISA scores - have been an abject failure for 60 years. We deplore the cowardly shaming and blaming of “failing” teachers and schools as the cornerstone of educational reform.
L= Leaders. Both political and educational leaders have been sleeping at the wheel and need to wake up. Where is the outrage, the advocacy, the hands-on work? We demand courageous leaders who are determined to break the mold of past educational policies. We demand the resignation of those who continue to support failed policies and who are unwilling to admit complicity for the collateral damage they have caused.
E= Equitable outcomes. We demand equitable outcomes for all students. We need to smash the Achievement Gap by 2030 and open unlimited learning to all students.
D= Develop new fail-proof policies. We need to fix the system so it focuses on the classroom lives of children and teachers. We need to envision a new Monday morning right away.
G= Get parents involved on an unprecedented and currently unimaginable scale. We demand systemic change to restore the traditional role of parents as the twin engine - together with classrooms - of education. We need standards that parents understand, on-demand assessment so parents always know how close their children are to meeting standards, tools for parents so they can help their children catch up and speed ahead at any time and enhanced school choice for families.
E= Educators who are unleashed and can run! We demand hands-on principals who are in corridors and classrooms and not behind their desks. We want to see happy and hopeful teachers who see a path to educational success for their children. We demand systemic change to make this possible.
FYI AND Act!
Team
Sara Tirschwell
President and Texas Campaign
Sara is the founder and president of SOS-squared. She is the CEO of YesCare (www.yescarecorp.com), a provider of comprehensive healthcare to incarcerated populations. Sara is a single mom of two daughters. For 30 years was one of the few leading women in the field of distressed finance and restructuring. Sara ran for mayor of New York City in 2021 and, unique among all the candidates, developed a P-12 education reform plan as a core platform issue.
T. Willard Fair
Florida Campaign
T. Willard Fair is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Greater Miami and co-founder of "The Will to Achieve" education reform initiative. A powerful voice in the effort to improve his community, he has worked for the Urban League since September, 1963. He has been active in school reform in Florida, Miami Dade County, and his hometown of Liberty City.
Tai Abrams
New York State Campaign
Tai is the Founder and CEO of AdmissionSquad, a 501(c)(3) educational organization that helps high-achieving middle schoolers gain admission into top NYC high schools. Dedicated to constructing a "school-to-wealth pipeline," AdmissionSquad has worked with over 500 students and has maintained an 80% success rate in placing students in high-performance schools.
Monte Joffee, Ed.D.
Education consultant
Monte is the co-founder of The Renaissance Charter School in New York City where he served as principal for 14 years. He currently serves as the board chair of Renaissance I and Renaissance II. His teaching experience ranges from elementary to adjunct university classrooms. His expertise is school reform. He is co-founder of the "Will to Achieve" education reform initiative.
Donate
