Strong American Schools seeks to ensure that the nation engages in a rigorous debate and to make education a top priority in the 2008 presidential election. To further that goal, we cull through hundreds of news stories, blog entries and other online commentary each day and present a small selection in the Latest News section of theedin08.com Web site that we believe will illuminate and encourage the debate over public schools in America.
We adhere to the following guidelines in selecting and publishing news items.
1. Fair Use. We will publish the headline, source, author (if appropriate), source URL, date of publication and 1-3 sentence excerpt of each selected news item. The source URL will be a hyperlink to the original content. If we link to subscription-only news articles, we will provide a disclaimer next to the link that a subscription or registration is required.
2. Analysis and Commentary. We will not add any analysis or commentary to news items. Publication of a new item is an endorsement of the informational or educational value provided by that news item; it is not an endorsement of the content, the source, or the author of the news item.
3. Organization. We will organize news items by type of source (i.e. Online News, Blogs). We will not organize news items by alignment with our principles or any other category that shows preference for or against any candidate.
4. Sources. We will publish items posted publicly on the World Wide Web. This will include but is not limited to, online newspaper articles, online magazine articles, blog posts, blog comments, posts on video hosting Web sites (such as YouTube), posts on audio hosting sites, discussion board posts, press releases, organization Web sites, and comments on social network Web sites (like MySpace).
5. Selection Standards. The news items that we publish will meet one of the following standards for inclusion. We do not claim to publish all news items that meet these standards.
a. Strong American Schools News & Endorsements – Non-Political. We will publish news items that reference Strong American Schools, ED in 08, Gov. Roy Romer, or other individuals associated with Strong American Schools, whose source does not have a direct political affiliation. We will also publish news items that endorse SAS, ED in ’08 Gov. Roy Romer, or other individuals from SAS, that do not have a political affiliation.
b. Education Policy News – National. We will publish news items that reference education policy at the national level, including those that reference specific policies or legislation (for example, No Child Left Behind).
c. Education Policy News – State and Local. We will publish news items that reference education policy at the state and local level, including those that reference specific policies or legislation
d. Education News. We will publish news items that reference education news stories at the national level (for example, stories of achievement or innovative practices) and at the state and local level.
e. Education Research. We will publish research and news items that discuss studies, reports, or other research on education by think tanks, academics, foundations, and other sources. The news items will focus on research that supports the three pillars of the ED in 08 campaign.
f. Event Announcements. We will publish event announcements and news items that reference event announcements by candidates, political parties, or third-parties, when the event offers an opportunity for ED in 08 supporters to ask questions of candidates, political parties, or their respective staffs.
g. Position Statements. We will publish position statements and news items that reference position statements by candidates and political parties on education; position statements of all candidates listed on the Campaign Sites page will be published.