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< Back to Newsroom SENATE BILL 117 IS WRONG FOR OHIO June 5, 2023 Chair Cirino, Vice-Chair Rulli, Ranking Member Ingram, and members of the Senate Workforce and Higher Education: At the Campaign for our Shared Future (COSF), we share the General Assembly’s commitment to ensuring Ohio’s students learn to think for themselves and handle challenging topics in order to become successful in life. Unfortunately, as written, Senate Bill (SB) 117 would significantly undermine this goal and the quality of education of Ohio’s higher education institutions. SB 117 Injects Partisan Politics into Education SB 117 takes the power to make key decisions for higher education institutions out of the hands of experts and puts it into the hands of politicians by allowing them to pick and choose members of an academic council. Moreover, it funds new history curriculum, research, courses, and teachings aligned with their own political agenda. Teaching Ohio students that there is only one way to understand our history is the opposite of “intellectual diversity” – instead, it puts Ohio students at a disadvantage, ensuring they are less prepared for careers and the real world. Rather than use young people for political purposes, we must ensure they learn the true and complete history of our country, both the good and the bad. SB 117 is a Political Stunt that Takes Resources Away from Ohio Students At a time when higher education students in Ohio are struggling to endure the rising costs of getting an education, this proposal would shift money, time, and resources away from learning and toward a political stunt. SB 117 allocates $5 million dollars toward the creation of a center at Ohio State University and $3 million for one at the University of Toledo. To put this into perspective: $5 million dollars is enough to pay full in-state tuition costs for 400 students at Ohio State University for the same period (1). We need to focus resources on helping students succeed, not creating more bureaucracy and wasting tax dollars. SB 117 Encourages Extremism By failing to define “intellectual diversity,” SB 117 amounts to a slippery slope. The ambiguous provisions in this proposal open the floodgates to campus speakers and faculty who espouse racist, antisemitic, and other odious or violent beliefs. Ohio is already home to an alleged “Nazi homeschooling group” (2). The committee should be protecting Ohio students against the advancement of these hateful ideas; not giving them a platform in our schools. Racist, antisemitic, and fascist ideology must be stopped, NOT bolstered. SB 117 Brings Extremists to Ohio SB 117 could drive talented professors away from Ohio, scaring away innovation, weakening academic rigor, and making the state’s universities and colleges less competitive compared to other states. SB 117 also encourages the hiring of political extremists from outside of Ohio by reserving only three seats on an academic council for experts from Ohio. We should be listening to real experts, as well as students and parents, about how to create the best education possible — not amplifying ideologues for the sake of politics. There are important questions we must consider about how higher education institutions can teach students how to think, not what to think. However, an answer to this question cannot come in the form of legislative mandates that create confusion, division, and red tape. We ask you to say NO to SB 117 and work collaboratively with students and higher education institutions to ensure all Ohio students have access to a high-quality, competitive education. Sincerely, Heather Harding Executive Director of the Campaign for Our Shared Future “Students, professors speak against Ohio bill that would create ‘intellectual diversity’ centers,” Ohio Capital Journey , Jun 1, 2023, https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/06/01/students-professors-speak-out-against-ohio-bill-that-would-create-intellectual-diversity-centers/ “Ohio education officials investigating pro-Nazi homeschooling network,” The Hill, February 2, 2023, https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3842937-ohio-education-officials-investigating-pro-nazi-homeschooling-network/ Previous Next

Opportunity, Access, and Inclusion A better school for all of our children is within reach From 2021 to 2024, the Campaign for Our Shared Future existed to support equity in public education through building greater power in the field. We combatted extremist attempts to turn schools into political battlefields and we equipped partners around the country to continue the fight. This website is an archive of the resources we provided to families, grassroots organizations, and educators around the country. We encourage you to explore the site and and take advantage of lessons we have learned. How can we help you? I’m a member of the community ​ Button ​I’m an activist ​ Button I’m an educator ​ Button Our mission Every child deserves an inclusive, meaningful education that supports their health, learning, and success in life. An excellent K-12 education, inclusive of and accessible to all, is the foundation of a healthy multi-racial democracy. The Campaign for Our Shared Future fights for equitable, anti-racist programs, practices, and policies that sustain schools and ensure opportunity for every child and a brighter future for us all.

The Movement Playbook provides messaging, a glossary of commonly used terms, resources for talking with potential voters, and other tips to guide planning before, during and after elections. Whether your group is big or small, this playbook outlines all the essential information needed to elect all-star school board representatives. Click for Interactive Course Download Playbook PDF

< Back School Leaders Toolkit An Introduction to Our Shared Materials Resources for District and School Leaders Seeking to Defend Public Education and Fulfill their Commitment to All Students American education and schools are at a pivotal turning point in a highly politicized environment. As school and district leaders, you are facing challenges daily as you navigate how race and gender shape the individual and collective identities of your students, school communities and society. You are being asked to speak on divisive topics of vital importance to deeply invested audiences. One way or another, you are all being affected by the current culture wars: Some of you are focused on building community and dialogue to avoid the potential conflicts that are happening in so many places; some of you are in the middle of crisis, seeking ways to decrease tensions, continue your diversity initiatives, and find a productive path forward; and others of you may be on the other side of the most intense clashes and working to rebuild trust and understanding in their school communities. You are seeking ways to better understand the concerns of your community members, keep the doors of civil and productive dialogue open, and articulate your decisions and values to your school community. Despite the conflict and confrontation, you are committed to preserving the crucial institution of public education, and upholding your charge to provide safe schools and high quality learning for all your students. It can be hard to know what to say, what to do, and what information to trust. Our resources are designed to help you navigate complicated circumstances in your school communities in a way that will help you stay the course, engage your community members in brave and honest conversation, and articulate the purpose, reasoning and values that drive your decisions. They will be updated regularly to reflect up-to-date research and public understanding. We cannot give up the righteous work of providing young people with high quality public education that gives them well-rounded, safe and engaging educational experiences and helps them grow into empathetic, responsible community members. We’re with you. We’re listening. Please let us know what else might be helpful for you and your peers as you continue the fundamental work of advocating for our students. Thank you for everything that you do. Download a PDF version Toolkit Table of Contents For Leaders Trying to Prevent a Crisis Guidance and Talking Points Frequently Asked Questions For Leaders In the Middle of a Crisis Guidance and Talking Points Frequently Asked Questions Strategies for Tough Conversations and Techniques for De-Escalation For All Leaders Benefits of Student-Centered Educational Practices Previous Next

< Back Starting a Group Find a few like-minded friends Decide on the “issue” your group will center around Not just what you are against (you should know that) What are you for? What is the future you see? Why is this issue important to each of you? Decide on roles of member leaders at first two meetings Decide on local meaningful name that’s easy to distinguish Decide on method of communication - an email, a Google listserv, a Facebook or Instagram account or website - so other local people can join in and get information Decide on privacy levels for the group - is it by invitation, can anyone join? Some groups create a public Facebook page and then a private Facebook group for strategizing and planning. Or a public Facebook page, but use emails to communicate plans. Design any logo or branding you might want to use to identify your group - you can use Canva.com to create a free icon if desired. Decide on the target audience for your group - all voters, all public ed supporters, just women, youth voters, neighbors, etc. Decide on actions your group wants to undertake & write them down Research and decide on messaging themes for best impact Identify future target dates for items like these; set timeline Gathering more members via social media Educating voters about role of school board or other local positions Postcard writing Get out the vote door knocking or phone banking? Hosting house parties for candidates Hosting online forum for candidates Written questions for candidates Hosting online education events or webinar- i.e. How libraries select materials; how school boards work; how teachers choose curriculum; how to register voters, etc. etc. with informed speakers Voter registration or ballot education Previous Next

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< Back Crisis Response: COSF Reflection Challenge Most education professionals have not had to deal with intense scrutiny before. And they definitely have not had to worry about threats to their reputations, jobs, and even their lives—all because they promote supportive practices and inclusive content. Since our inception, the Campaign for Our Shared Future (COSF) has delivered vital proactive and crisis-management support for educators and superintendents, education associations, curriculum and professional development providers, and related organizations. Approach A crisis can take on many different forms depending on the person or organization. However, it is not impossible to prepare. COSF spent significant time building and sharpening strategic communications and crisis management tools in the service of helping the field a) talk about their work effectively, and b) defend against ongoing threat and manage crisis situations. We spoke at conferences and hosted private workshops about how to best prepare for the worst. These sessions typically included a policy analysis to help partners make connections between their work and national issues, messaging training based on recent polling, scenarios and lessons for how to employ the messaging, and a checklist for how to stay vigilant and protect against attacks. As much as we helped partners and allies fortify their defenses, the extremist attacks would evolve, so COSF made itself available to consult crisis response pro bono. Typically, this work included regular conversations with the individual or leader of the organization under attack. We often advised on messaging and next steps regarding external and internal communication in order to mitigate the harm. We helped convene other consultants and provided updates to funders so that the people at the center of these situations could also spend time on their work educating children. We also provided counsel on decision options and anticipated outcomes. If necessary, we connected our partners with security or legal counsel. Tools & Resources Rapid response one pager with tools for partners to deploy Our foundational school leaders toolkit for superintendents, designed to help them avoid and de-escalate crises Results It’s important to remember that a success in a crisis situation usually means that there was little or no action. COSF played a role in neutralizing dozens of threats across the country. A few had the potential to receive national attention, but they often fizzled out in the extremist echo chamber. These wins included: Prepared leadership of 550 school districts across 30 states in strategic communications and crisis management to avoid or de-escalate crisis Trained more than 400 district superintendents from 20+ states in strategic communications and crisis management to avoid or de-escalate crisis Provided extensive crisis management & response for The Teaching Lab, a professional learning organization, when they were ambushed by conservative news outlet Project Veritas . COSF team provided coaching, connections to legal and security professionals to support Teaching Lab’s response and intervention to thwart the impact of the expose. We utilized this experience to develop and deliver preventative training for other professional learning organizations who have been targeted. Delivered vital proactive and crisis-management support for educators and superintendents, education associations, curriculum, assessment, and professional development providers, and related organizations who have been attacked for supportive practices and inclusive content. Lessons Threats of violence can certainly be effective in preventing good people from doing good work. It’s important to keep in mind that these crisis scenarios are not intellectual exercises, and the physical and mental well-being of everyone involved is the top priority. You do not have to suffer attacks alone. It helps to speak regularly with peers and create an open dialogue about a possible coordinated response if the need should ever arise. Likewise, these attacks are a lot more sophisticated than they may seem. In some extreme cases, the ambushers have received extensive training on how to create the most chaos. It’s important to never forget the organization’s mission. The reason an extremist attacked is likely because the day-to-day work was effectively helping students by promoting pro-equity values. Previous Next

< Back to Newsroom FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2023 press@campaignsharedfuture.org Campaign for Our Shared Future Hosted Banned Book Giveaway, Countering Extremist Group's Conference Philadelphia, PA - Today, in a powerful stand for intellectual freedom and the preservation of diverse literature, Campaign for Our Shared Future (COSF) organized a Banned Book Giveaway in Philadelphia. This initiative was a direct response to the local conference held by Moms for Liberty, an extremist group leading calls for book banning around the country. “The Campaign for Our Shared Future was thrilled to join local advocates and partners in the City of Brotherly Love to reject hate and extremism. Across the country we see extremist group Moms for Liberty and its political allies working to erase American history and limit our children’s access to age appropriate literature,” said Heather Harding, Ed.D., Executive Director of COSF. Click here to see more content from the Banned Book Giveaway. The Banned Book Giveaway saw local advocates unite to distribute age-appropriate books that have been unjustly banned or challenged within the United States. These books, representing a range of perspectives and topics, have been subject to censorship due to the radical agenda pursued by Moms for Liberty and its political allies. The event drew the attention of community members, educators, and literary enthusiasts who value the fundamental principles of free speech and the right to access diverse literature. According to PEN America , during the first half of the 2022-23 school year, there were 1,477 instances of individual books banned. Roughly 30% are books about race, racism, or feature characters of color; 26% of unique titles banned have LGBTQ+ characters or themes. Furthermore, most Americans oppose banning books. Polls consistently show that Americans of all political persuasions oppose book bans. ### The Campaign for Our Shared Future (COSF) is a non-partisan effort to support high-quality K-12 education and preserve access, inclusion, and meaningful content in our schools so that every student has an opportunity to succeed and thrive. COSF is a common ground effort committed to fighting the attack on education across the country. Previous Next

< Back to Newsroom FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 8, 2023 Contact: press@campaignsharedfuture.org The Campaign for Our Shared Future Calls for Bipartisan Commitment to Child-Centered Education Anti-equity extremists got schooled by leaders committed to helping all students succeed Washington, D.C. - Today, the Campaign for Our Shared Future (COSF) Executive Director, Heather Harding, Ed.D. released the following statement calling for a bipartisan commitment to strengthening our public schools and condemning efforts to politicize our children's classrooms: “Last night, the president reminded us that we became the best-educated, best-prepared nation in the world when we made 12 years of public education universal. Yet, across the country there has been a deeply concerning rise in politically-charged culture wars being channeled through our nation’s public schools. Opportunistic politicians are taking advantage of families’ frustrations coming out of the pandemic to push their extremist agendas into our childrens’ classrooms. Arkansas Governor Sanders called education the “civil rights issue of our time” — which is why we need all elected officials focused on the real needs of our students and families. “Our education system was designed and must be maintained to fundamentally meet the needs of kids, parents, and educators on a local level. Last night, we heard why these individual education decisions shouldn’t be determined by politicians in Washington or state capitals, but instead by the parents and teachers who are working together in the best interest of our students. “The goal of these political extremists is to undermine trust in public education, and eventually, our democracy. We must not allow them to overwhelm our teachers and families. Our leaders must recommit themselves to protecting the partnership between parents and teachers in order to give our children the tools they need to succeed.” ​ ### The Campaign for Our Shared Future (COSF) is a non-partisan effort to support high quality K-12 education and preserve access, inclusion, and meaningful content in our schools so that every student has an opportunity to succeed and thrive. COSF is a common ground effort committed to fighting the attack on education across the country. Previous Next

< Back Model Resolutions Click the links to download templates of each resolution. Educator diversity Establishes intentional practices to recruit, retain, and support diverse groups of educators Freedom to Learn and Opposing Statehouse Gag Orders Opposes any state legislation that hinders the ability of professional educators to address the diverse needs of all students Freedom to Read Affirms the right of students to have access to age appropriate reading materials and prevents restrictions and bans imposed on school libraries without following proper procedures History & Civics Safeguards history and civics education in the face of harmful gag orders, and backs educators who teach the full scope of this country’s history and present reality Meaningful Student leadership Affirms the value of student leadership and authorizes a formal student representative position on a local school board Mental Health Creates a new task force to assess and set a plan for increasing mental health supports and resources, calls on state leaders to ensure adequate funding, and condemns harmful state legislation Opposition to Harmful Legislation Opposes harmful legislation that targets our children’s identities and discussions about our country’s history Parents’ and students rights Affirms a parent’s right to timely information about their child’s progress and well-being, and a student’s right to an inclusive learning environment and curriculum Partnering for Student Success Invests in strengthening partnerships between families, students, and community members, including identifying and removing barriers to participation for families of all backgrounds Social Emotional Learning Defines and affirms the need for SEL Previous Next

< Back to Newsroom FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 20, 2023 Contact: press@campaignsharedfuture.org The Campaign for Our Shared Future Criticizes House’s Misguided Priorities Over Passage of Politics Over Participation Act (HR 734) Our elected officials should focus on the real dangers facing our students instead of wasting tax dollars on political theater bullying vulnerable children Washington, D.C . - Today, the Campaign for Our Shared Future Executive Director, Heather Harding, Ed.D., released the following statement criticizing the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Politics Over Participation Act (HR 734): “I am disgusted by the political theater that has once again forced its way to the top of the House’s agenda. This legislation is not about protecting anyone but instead targets some of our most vulnerable children in an attempt to score political points. “Across the country parents, teachers, and students are begging leaders to address safety concerns in schools. These pleas are being ignored by proponents of this bill who want to distract from their inaction and would rather focus on which children can participate in school sports. “We need to protect our students from threats, discrimination, and bullying whether it’s coming from the playground or the halls of Congress.” ### The Campaign for Our Shared Future (COSF) is a non-partisan effort to support high quality K-12 education and preserve access, inclusion, and meaningful content in our schools so that every student has an opportunity to succeed and thrive. COSF is a common ground effort committed to fighting the attack on education across the country. Previous Next