REALTORS® and Teachers Team Up For Great Schools
Date: November 13, 2000
For More Information Contact: Mike
Theo, Vice-President of Public Affairs or
John
Englehardt, Research Consultant
Madison
-The Wisconsin REALTORS® Association (WRA) has formed a unique
partnership with the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC)
in the sponsorship of the "SAGE Schools are Great
Schools" conference to be held in Milwaukee March 6-7.
The SAGE program focuses on improving educational quality
by reducing class sizes in low-income schools for kindergarten
through third grades. (SAGE
stands for Student Achievement Guarantee in Education.)
“Our
partnership brings to light the clear-cut link between education
and real estate,” says WRA President William Berland, a
Milwaukee Realtor who strongly supports the Milwaukee public
schools. “The
quality of schools directly impacts the vitality and viability
of neighborhoods. Selling
homes, in large part, means selling good schools.”
According
to Michael Theo, WRA vice-president of public affairs, "The
old adage is that REALTORS® sell location, location, location,
but what makes up ‘location’?
The key to location is the neighborhood, and
specifically, the schools associated with that neighborhood. Poor
schools can limit the desirability of even the best housing
stock, while great schools can attract new life into the worst
neighborhoods.”
Theo
adds, "Because of these ripple effects, Wisconsin’s real
estate community has a direct interest in improving Wisconsin
schools.”
The
Realtor leaders say they have no interest in taking a direct
role in educational policy.
“Professional educators already do a great job of that
in Wisconsin,” says Berland.
“Let the educational experts decide educational policy.
We bring marketing expertise to the table and that’s
why this partnership with WEAC makes so much sense for education
and real estate. The
SAGE program offers the perfect opportunity for us to work
together to achieve a common goal of great schools.”
WEAC
and the WRA are two political powerhouses that have not always
worked together. Why
are they working together now?
“Enlightened self-interest,” says Theo.
“The question isn’t why we’ve come together to
promote great schools. The
real question is why it’s taken us so long to join forces.”
“We
expect the partnership to go well beyond the March
conference,” adds Berland.
Both organizations have skills and informational
resources that benefit each other in promoting our schools in
Wisconsin, but most important, this cooperation will benefit the
children of our communities.”
The
SAGE program has resulted in significant improvements in student
performances according to the state Department of Public
Instruction. So
much so that the legislature recently passed a dramatic increase
in funding for the program.
Under the expanded program, some 400 schools throughout
Wisconsin could be eligible to participate. That’s up from
only 78 schools presently.
The WEAC conference is intended to educate teachers and
school administrators on the details of the program.
In additional to lowering class sizes, the SAGE program
requires enhanced parental involvement, extended community use
of school facilities, and staff development and accountability
plans.
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