I came across this incredible whitepaper from GSV Advisors titled "American Revolution 2.0" and I fell in love with it. I hope they won't mind me redacting a page from the free whitepaper which is an education-centric Declaration. Enjoy:
The Declaration of Independence
July 4, 2012
The unanimous Declaration of Students and Education Innovators of the United States of
America
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one group of people to
change the status quo, and to assume the powers of the earth, and create an innovative
approach for the education of our people, a decent respect for the opinions of society
requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to advocate for this
change.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all students can achieve their potential, that
they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, that among these are access to
information and technology, great teachers, cost-efficient learning, and the lifelong pursuit
of knowledge.
That to secure these rights, Education Systems are created among students, deriving their
just powers to educate from the consent of the learner – that whenever any Form of
Institution becomes unproductive to these ends, it is the right of the students and
innovators to alter it, and to institute new learning methods, laying its foundation on such
principles and organizing its capabilities in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to
positively effect their knowledge and skills.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Education Systems long established should not be
changed for light and transient causes, and accordingly all experience has shown, that
students are more disposed to suffer, while incompetences are sufferable, than to right
themselves by abolishing the Systems to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of ineffectiveness and neglect exists, pursuing invariably the same
objective of reducing America’s competitiveness in the future, it is their right, it is their duty,
to throw off such Systems and to provide new solutions for their future prosperity.
Such has been the patient sufferance of these innovators; and such is now the necessity
which compels them to alter their former Education System. The history of the present
System is a history of repeated failures, all having direct effect on dimming the long-term
prosperity of this nation…
…in every stage of these failures, we have petitioned for reform in the most humble terms:
our repeated petitions have been answered only be repeated neglect. A System whose
characteristics are thus marked by every example which may be defined a failure, is unfit to
be the platform of the knowledge citizens of the future.
We, therefore, the Representatives of Education Innovators of the United States of
America, solemnly publish and declare, that our students ought to have the chance to
succeed, that they have access to the best learning technologies, and that as free and
independent learners, have the full power to choose their path to success in life.
And for the support of this Declaration, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our
Fortunes and our sacred Honor.