Public policy is responsorial, this much we know for certain. Just what interests and constituencies politicians choose to respond to is what is up in the air, and the answer to this question has the power to determine nothing less than the well-being and future of our democracy, economy, and society writ large.

Political pundits and a handful of politicians have charged for some time now that the driving force behind our nation’s current precarious plight—a plight exemplified by continuing federal budget deficits; stagnant real wages for a shrinking middle class; troublesome poverty, high school dropout, and health insurance rates; and an unsavory choice looming between tax increases or benefit cuts to bedrock entitlement programs that make up our social safety net—is what one can only describe as a paradigm shift in the interests and constituencies that politicians respond to most when setting public policy. Whether you love them or hate them, commentators like Lou Dobbs, Paul Krugman and others point to increased lobbying power and influence held by special interests at the expense of what is best for ordinary Americans.

For our part, American citizens have struggled to rise to the challenges presented by this increased influence wielded by special interests because more often than not our answers have themselves been shaped and overtaken by partisan politics. Too often, citizen-based efforts to restore proper priorities to our leaders in DC have turned into (or were from the get go) nothing more than bitter, oppositional vendettas. Rather than stand up together for the middle class, our children, and our future, people in both parties have grown obsessed with pointing fingers and declaring how if only this party or this individual were out of office everything would be made right.

The problem with this, of course, is that public policy is still responsorial, no matter who is in office and who has control of the Congress. In other words, until citizens can send a unified, common-sense message to our leaders—whoever they might be—our fractured voices will continue to be shouted down by thousands of finely-tuned (and well-greased) special-interest lobbying machines.

Amidst this stark picture, there is hope. An organization named Prepare The Future was launched just today with the goal of organizing ordinary citizens, across the country, in a national movement to put first things first: our children and the future that they represent. Rather than trying to rally citizens on the basis of partisanship and electoral politicking, Prepare The Future is working to bring people together in pursuit of common values: trust, fairness, responsibility, and caring communities.

The effort is being led by David Hornbeck, the former superintendent of Philadelphia schools, former Maryland state superintendent of instruction, and retired chair of the Childrens’ Defense Fund. Over the next six months, the group hopes to demonstrate that the potential exists to build an infrastructure of hundreds of thousands, even millions of supportive citizens from all backgrounds who care deeply about the values of trust, fairness, responsibility, and caring communities and want politicians to do the same by ensuring all children in America have access to quality educational opportunity. The strategy being used to prove this idea is crucial, as it is based on personal, one-to-one conversations that citizens like you and I can engage in about the things that matter most.

Our Education is pleased to be hosting one of the first six “action trees” that are working together to show that the concept can work, which will provide the basis for a coalition of funders to support the project in full down the road. If you are interested in this values-based education agenda and want to be involved in the earliest stages of this effort, you can learn more about the campaign and join now at www.preparethefuture.org/OurEducation/register_initial.php. And if you decide to join you could be eligible to win a new iPod Nano (or cash) in one of our weekly drawings!