te·net | \ ˈte-nət also ˈtē-nət \ : a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to
be true, especially one held in common by members of an organization,
movement, or profession.
GEA’s work is guided by a set of tenets adopted by our Board in the spring of 2022.
Community
The success of students, educators and schools is the responsibility of the whole community. All of us have a stake in the outcomes of our community’s children and their families.
People across all levels of the organization should reflect the diversity of the community. Diversity can embody race, ethnicity, age, gender and sexual identity, socioeconomics, geography, as well as history and lived experience.
It is the responsibility of our community, as well as city, county, state, and federal government to work together to fully fund and support public schools to ensure a rigorous, safe, and equitable education for all students.
Equity
We are committed to equity, access, and just treatment of all children in our school system. We believe it is our responsibility as a community to dismantle systemic racial inequities and eliminate racial and socioeconomic gaps for students.
Celebrating success and progress, without acting to change outcomes for students left behind, is a failure of both conscience and commitment to full equity and justice.
We must be intentional in our actions to achieve equity and justice as we make governance, business, and programming decisions
.
Advocacy
Advocacy takes many forms. We will be unrelenting in our efforts to ensure that all our children receive creative, rigorous and relevant educational experiences, and that our education system contributes to a more just and democratic society.
Education Leadership
Educators have valuable expertise, and the community should ensure access to professional development that builds educators’ capability to deliver equitable instruction and address racial and socioeconomic gaps for students.
Educators, district leadership, and the community share responsibility for the physical and mental health of educators and students.
The community has a responsibility to develop, sustain and advocate for a qualified, diverse pipeline of public-school educators.