Parents and families can take an active role in shaping education policies by participating in town hall or school board meetings and writing to their local, state, and national lawmakers. Don't be afraid to voice your opinion, whether you agree with a policy or not. Lawmakers rely on public opinion to make their decisions, so your actions CAN have a positive effect on your child's education.

Interested in more? Check out these additional resources!

• Find your federal representatives
  http://www.house.gov
  The official website of the U.S. House of Representatives makes it easy for you to find (and contact) your elected officials by searching by the legislator's name or your home zip code. You can also link easily to committees such as U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
• Find your U.S. senators
  http://www.senate.gov
  The official website of the U.S. Senate lets you find and contact your senators through searches by state. You can also link to committees such as the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions.
• Find your governor
  http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.42b929b1a5b9e4eac3363d10501010a0/
  ?vgnextoid=d54c8aaa2ebbff00VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextfmt=curgov
  The National Governors Association, a nonpartisan group, presents this special page with links to find out general biographical and term information about each state/commonwealth/territory's governor, listed alphabetically by state. When you click on an individual state's link, you get additional information such as links to the state's website.
• Find your state's education leaders
  http://www.ccsso.org/chief_state_school_officers/chiefs_addresses/index.cfm
  (state school officials)
  http://www.ccsso.org/chief_state_school_officers/state_education_agencies/index.cfm
  (state education agencies)
  The Council of Chief State School Officers offers an easy to use map you can click on to directly access information on your state's education department. Another site http://edstandards.org/St/StandardsSED.html also lists links to the official websites of state education departments.
• Learn more about your state government and legislators
  http://www.csg.org/CSG/States/state+pages/default.htm
  This Council of State Governments (CSG) page lists links that make it easy to find the official government pages for your state, territory, or commonwealth. CSG serves elected and appointed officials throughout state government: in legislative chambers, constitutional offices, executive branch offices and agencies, and in the judiciary.
• Learn more about your local school boards
  http://www.nsba.org/site/page.asp?TRACKID=&CID=77&DID=209
  The National School Boards Association (NSBA) has a special page for community and families. NSBA and its affiliated state school boards associations promote community and family involvement through research, publications, case studies, and >public awareness efforts. This website includes articles on how parents can support learning, frequently asked questions, and more.