Aim Higher

parakeetpeace

Louisville FOR and Aim Higher have long advocated for peace education and for the removal of military influence from our schools.  We provide facts about the false and misleading claims made by military recruiters; work to limit recruiter access to students and their confidential information; seek to end JROTC and other school military programs; and, through peace essay contests, encourage students to learn about and formulate nonviolent solutions to real conflicts.  We are also challenging the Jefferson County Public Schools to close student learning gaps and eliminate racial and other disparities in student discipline.

Aim Higher is a committee of the Louisville Chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (Louisville FOR).  We engage in a wide range of activities, all directed toward reducing the influence of the military and military recruiters in the lives of young people, encouraging young people to learn about and envision non-violent solutions to conflict, and addressing the disparities in our schools that lead some students to view the military as the only available career option.  Young people deserve to be provided with the resources they need to discover alternatives, both for conflict resolution in their lives and for better paths to education and civilian careers.

Our recent work has been in six broad areas – click on any topic below to find out more.

  1. Limiting Access by Military Recruiters to Students and Student Information
  2. Talking with Teens and Their Families About the Realities of Military Service and the Misleading Claims Made by Military Recruiters
  3. Opposing School-Sponsored JROTC and Other Military Cadet Programs
  4. Linking Young People to Better Alternatives for Service, Education and Jobs with a Future
  5. Challenging Students to Learn About, Envision and Formulate Nonviolent Solutions to Real Conflicts
  6. Challenging JCPS to Close Student “Achievement Gaps,” End Disparities in Student Discipline, and Maximize Every Student’s Potential for Success in Civilian Life after Graduation

Have other questions, ideas, and/or interest in working with Aim Higher?  Contact us at FORnonviolence@gmail.com

Chris Harmer’s presentation from the January 2018 Third  Thursday is here. “Racial and Socio-Economic Equity Issues in Jefferson County Public Schools”

2022 School Board Candidates Respond to FOR Public Education Issues Questionnaire

The Aim Higher subcommittee of Fellowship of Reconciliation, Louisville Chapter (FOR) is continuing its advocacy work in the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS). For that work to succeed, we believe that all residents of Jefferson County must educate themselves about critical public education issues and elect school board members who are responsive to their views. 

To help with that voter education, we asked the 13 school board candidates in the four contested school district races (Districts # 1,3,5, and 6) to respond to 13 questions in six different issue areas. Here are the six issue areas:

  • equity in academic outcomes;
  • experiencing and benefitting from diversity;
  • pro-active behavioral assessment, mental health professionals. and effective student-teacher relationships for a classroom climate for learning;
  • student privacy and the marketing of the military in JCPS;
  • preparation for post-graduation success; and
  • Management of major facilities and staffing priorities.

Ten of the 13 candidates took the time to share their views and ideas. Click here to access the results.