About LFA
The Learning First Alliance, which sponsors Public School Insights, is a permanent partnership of 17 leading education associations with more than 10 million members dedicated to improving student learning in America's public schools. We share examples of success, encourage collaboration at every level, and work toward the continual and long-term improvement of public education based on solid research. Members include:
- American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
- American Association of School Administrators
- American Association of School Personnel Administrators
- American Federation of Teachers
- American School Counselor Association
- Association of School Business Officials International
- Council of Chief State School Officers
- National Association of Elementary School Principals
- National Association of Secondary School Principals
- National Association of State Boards of Education
- National Education Association
- National Middle School Association
- National PTA
- National Staff Development Council
- National School Boards Association
- National School Public Relations Association
- Phi Delta Kappa International
The LFA State Alliance Network
In 2000 the national Learning First Alliance launched an initiative to form state-level alliances similar to the national effort. Partnerships between the Learning First Alliance and state-level Alliances seek to provide new models of how associations and organizations within a state can work together to boost student achievement. The national Alliance currently supports a pilot network of thirteen state-level Alliances:
- Learning First Alliance of Alabama
- The Education Coalition of Arizona
- Florida Learning First Alliance
- Kansas Learning First Alliance
- The Education Alliance of Michigan
- Alliance for Student Achievement (Minnesota)
- New York State Educational Conference Board
- Ohio Learning First Alliance
- Pennsylvania Learning First Alliance
- Rhode Island Learning First Alliance
- Midwest Alliance for Professional Learning and Leadership (South Dakota)
- Washington State Learning First Alliance
- West Virginia 21st Century Learning First Alliance
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Featured Story

A Village Route to Early Childhood Education
In the 1990s, we at Davenport Community Schools noticed a trend: Children were coming to kindergarten unprepared to learn. A troublingly low number of our district’s children (more than half of whom receive free or reduced price lunch) had preschool experience. Recognizing the importance of early childhood education in ensuring students are ready to succeed in school and life, we developed the Children’s Village, which includes formal preschool classes and all-day, year-round programming serving children from six weeks to five years old. Today, when a Children’s Village student arrives for the first day of kindergarten, the teacher can say, “This child is ready to learn.”
With early childhood education, students learn more, teachers accomplish more and taxpayers get more for their education tax dollar. But it takes all our students, teachers, staff, administrators, parents and partners to make the Children’s Villages a success. Indeed, it really does take a village to ensure quality early childhood education. Read more
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