A year-long journey begins. Join me.

Education. When it’s working, it shapes hearts and minds and sets productive lives in motion. When it isn’t, well, we know what happens. Every day, we hear about the challenges holding educators back – budget shortfalls, social ills, unclear policy priorities, technology inequity and countless others.  It can be difficult to have hope for the future of education.

But I am fortunate. I get to meet and work with the most amazing people in the world of education: teachers, policy-makers, researchers, parents and students. These people are true leaders, making meaningful changes in their communities to ensure a bright future for young people.  Yet for the most part, they are no different than you or me. They go to work each day, and they face their own unique challenges. This is their blog.

Throughout 2012, I hope to illuminate the everyday heroes who work to improve education. I have chosen 365 of these advocates for education to give us a glimpse into their worlds. What inspires them, what frustrates them, what hopes do they hold for the future of education?

While their challenges may be local, it’s very likely that their solutions have global importance.  What works in one school in Bangkok could also work in a tiny classroom in sub-Saharan Africa.  And our aspirations for our kids are the same, no matter where we live.  Parents, teachers, and administrators – we all want our kids to succeed. What’s more, in the connected world we live in today, no educator needs to work in isolation. Collectively, we can share what is working, talk about it, and help lead the way to a better future for our children.

When we improve education, we improve families. When we improve families, we improve communities. And when we improve communities, we improve the world.

I hope you’ll join me in learning from these 365 heroes, these 365 voices in education. Throughout this journey, I’ll be asking for your ideas and stories, and I’ll be looking at your comments.