Your Schools: A ‘Nebraska Connects’ Special Air Date: December 1st at 7:00 p.m. CT on NET1

What should every student in Nebraska learn? How should we pay for education in our state? How should student performance be measured? These questions are testing Nebraska’s education policy makers, school administrators, teachers and parents.

A group of Central Nebraska residents addressed these and other topics as they participated in an important conversation about K-12 education. The citizens also questioned and provided input to many of the state’s educational leaders. NET Television videotaped the discussions on the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) campus in October. The deliberations are part of “Your Schools: A Nebraska Connects Special” airing Thursday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. CT on NET1. And at 8 p.m. CT, a repeat of the national program “By The People” addresses both education and healthcare, two important issues facing the nation.

Few issues directly impact the lives of Nebraskans like those tied to public school education. Recognizing that the quality of schooling, the content of the curriculum and the method of financing have consequences for families, communities and the nation as a whole, NET Television, the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center and the University of Nebraska at Kearney collaborated in a national dialogue on the topic.

Nationally, the By the People project brought together citizens in 15 communities across the country for Citizen Deliberations to explore the effectiveness and the future of K-12 education. Nebraska’s deliberation took place on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Over 100 Nebraskans , provided with background materials in advance, took part in small group discussions. These citizens shared with the group their views on what works and what is failing in our public education system. They also formulated questions for a panel of experts in education.

In short, By The People provided a cross section of citizens from central Nebraska the opportunity to have informed, moderated discussions on the most important issues facing education in the state.

Viewers of NET Television will get an enlightening view of the range of opinions held by their fellow Nebraskans.

It is also our hope that partner organizations and policy makers will use the By The People model and background materials developed for this broadcast as a resource to bring the discussion to citizens in communities across the state.

Interested in hosting a discussion?

NET Television and the Public Policy Center (with the help of the Political Science Department of the University of Nebraska at Kearney) are encouraging community organizations and individuals to form their own discussions groups. In each community, residents can talk about what their local district and the State of Nebraska should be considering when shaping policies that affect what students are taught as well as how we pay for public education.

First, you and your neighbors can learn more about the most important issues relating to education. A summary of key national issues is provided online at the By The People Web site. You can learn more about Nebraska issues by downloading the same discussion guides used by our By The People discussion groups.

We hope to channel the enthusiasm that so often follows our By The People discussions. Below you’ll find the background materials prepared for our participants as well as highlights of the discussion. The links on this page can help you better understand the issues shaping the education of our children as well as how to be part of a community that discusses major policy issues.