Imagine Excellence: Idaho Grassroots Education Movement
Idaho PTA is participating in a grassroots approach with the creation of the Idaho Public Education Coalition. Legislators and educators will return to their communities, ask real questions, and listen. We’ll gather that input through a statewide survey available in May and regional meetings with parents, educators, students, administrators, and other community members. This data will provide the critical foundation for future policy.
Interested in attending our Imagine Excellence meetings in your community? Read more: https://idahoed.com
Jamie Braithwaite, Idaho State PTA President participated in the Imagine Excellence Meeting in Eastern Idaho on June 16, 2025. She discussed the future of Idaho Public Education along side legislators, school board members, school administrators, superintendants, teachers, parents, and community members.
“If I had to start with one change, it would be this: Our kids. Our schools.
Our kids aren’t the problem—the system is. Let’s stop asking them to fit into outdated models, and start building schools for the future—schools that recognize and nurture every student’s full potential.” - Jamie Braithwaite
Read More for Jamie Braithwaite’s answers to all the questions
It’s Time to Start a Serious Discussion About the Future of Public Education in Idaho.
Idaho PTA is participating in a grassroots approach with the creation of the Idaho Public Education Coalition. Legislators and educators will return to their communities, ask real questions, and listen. We’ll gather that input through a statewide survey available in May and regional meetings with parents, educators, students, administrators, and other community members. This data will provide the critical foundation for future policy.
Interested in attending our Imagine Excellence meetings in your community? Read more: https://idahoed.com
Jamie Braithwaite, Idaho State PTA President participated in the Imagine Excellence Meeting in Eastern Idaho on June 16, 2025. She discussed the future of Idaho Public Education along side legislators, school board members, school administrators, superintendants, teachers, parents, and community members.
“If I had to start with one change, it would be this: Our kids. Our schools.
Our kids aren’t the problem—the system is. Let’s stop asking them to fit into outdated models, and start building schools for the future—schools that recognize and nurture every student’s full potential.” - Jamie Braithwaite
Read Below for Jamie Braithwaite’s answers to all the questions:
Our kids. Our schools.
What would it look like if we could rebuild Idaho’s public education system from the ground up without direct regard for funding, regulations, or tradition?
As the Idaho PTA President, I hear from parents and teachers all over the state of Idaho: ‘We’re too busy, too burned out, too unheard. And when we do show up, it’s never enough. The job gets harder every year.’
The truth is—the current system isn’t working.
And when we talk about rebuilding trust and re-engaging families, we don’t have a perfect answer. But what I do know is this: connection is the starting point.
We need schools that feel like community hubs—not just drop-off zones. Families and communities must be seen as co-creators, not just spectators. And students need to experience belonging before they’re expected to achieve. District Leadership and School Administrators need to include teachers and parents in training and focus areas for the schools.
I don’t have the answer. But I believe it starts with rebuilding trust—trust in our kids, and trust in our school communities.
If you could prioritize three changes for Idaho education, what would they be?
If I could narrow it to just three, I would—but the truth is, our system needs a comprehensive shift. What I can say is this: the families of Idaho aren’t asking for more bells and whistles. They’re asking for belonging, purpose, and potential.
The changes we need aren’t surface-level—they’re structural, cultural, and relational. We need to:
Rebuild trust between families, schools, and communities
Redefine success to include emotional safety, creativity, and real-world readiness
Reimagine the role of educators as mentors—not just content deliverers
Reconnect schools with communities—through project-based learning, business partnerships, and strengths-based mentorship
Remove systemic barriers that make flexibility, innovation, and individualized learning feel impossible. Avoid sabotaging schools that are working in the modern world.
If I had to start with one change, it would be this: Our kids. Our schools.
Our kids aren’t the problem—the system is. Let’s stop asking them to fit into outdated models, and start building schools for the future—schools that recognize and nurture every student’s full potential.
I don’t have all the answers—but I’m here to co-create them with anyone who’s ready to imagine something better for Idaho’s kids.
What would you consider the primary purpose(s) of our Idaho Public Education System?
The 120-year-old mission of the Idaho PTA is to make every child’s potential a reality—by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. That mission must guide the purpose of public education in Idaho.
The goal isn’t just to produce graduates. It’s to ignite minds, expand opportunity, and help every child discover who they are and what they can become.
I think of what one Idaho mom recently told me. She said: “Grades are only important because they’re the vehicle to opportunity. But if my son isn’t stimulated—if he’s not seen, challenged, or inspired—he shuts down. He might be brilliant, but without the right system, he’s at risk of becoming a shell of unfulfilled potential.”
That’s the urgency we’re facing. Public education must do more than deliver curriculum. It must:
Connect families and schools as partners
Create equitable access to STEAM, creativity, and real-world experiences
Foster emotional safety, curiosity, and confidence
In short: the purpose of Idaho’s public education system should be to uncover potential, remove barriers, and prepare every child not just to pass—but to thrive.
And with that said, we also can’t keep ignoring the deep, urgent impact of extreme student behavior in our schools. Something must be done for the 1% of students in every building who—due to trauma, emotional disturbance, or lack of boundaries—disrupt learning for everyone else. I’ve seen teachers cussed out, chairs thrown, and educators verbally abused by both students and parents.
We must uphold the rights of every student to learn in a safe and focused environment. A student’s choice to misbehave should never take precedence over other students’ rights to learn.
Too often, IEP protections and bureaucratic distance prevent swift, supportive action—and inexperienced principals may feel unequipped or afraid to intervene.
This isn’t just a behavior issue—it’s a burnout issue. It’s a trust issue. And it’s a justice issue.
If we truly want every child to thrive, we have to create systems that protect learning—for all children.
What would it look like if we could rebuild Idaho’s education system from the ground up without direct regard for funding, regulations, or tradition?
Our families want more than test prep. They want purpose. And in Idaho, purpose looks like preparing students to serve and thrive in the communities where they live.
We have the Idaho National Lab in our backyard. We have world-class healthcare providers, skilled tradespeople, and entrepreneurs across every corner of this state. Imagine if students didn’t just read about energy—they helped solve energy challenges with INL mentors. If they didn’t just learn about anatomy—but shadowed nurses, EMTs, or physical therapists at EIRMC.
The barrier? Lecture-Based Learning & Out-Dated Assessment Models.
Our kids are craving action. We need to shift from content delivery to mentorship—where educators guide real experiences, and students build confidence through doing.
The PTA believes hands-on learning is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. The people doing the work turn into the people doing the learning. We envision schools where real-world partnerships are baked into the calendar. Where every student graduates not just with credits, but with clarity—about who they are, what they’re good at, and where they’re headed.
If every student had a personalized education plan based on their passions, strengths, and career goals, how would that change the way we teach, mentor, and prepare them for the future?
If every Idaho student had a personalized plan, we’d see a seismic shift—not just in outcomes, but in how school feels.
These plans would begin in 6th grade—student-driven, family-supported, tech-enabled—and designed in partnership with teachers, counselors, and the broader community.
Teachers wouldn’t be stuck delivering one-size-fits-all content. They’d be engaged in every child’s story, building relationships that help unlock purpose and potential. But this shift requires training and leadership from administration. It demands time to plan and provide feedback. It demands a move away from fixed mindsets—lecture, test, grade—to growth mindsets that prioritize discovery, feedback, and mentorship.
When students are engaged, learning becomes exponential. They’re no longer asking, ‘Why am I learning this?’—they’re asking, ‘What can I do with this?’
Geoff Woods, author of Ai-Driven Leader emphasizes that we must stop thinking of AI as an assistant or administrator—and start seeing it as a strategic thought partner that enhances thinking, decision‑making, and problem‑solving. He reminds us that the U.S. education system was designed in the early 1900s—built to serve industrialists like Rockefeller, not the students of today. In a world now shaped by AI, we don’t need schools that teach students to repeat information—we need schools that teach them to think, question, problem-solve, create, and lead. Students with these skills can do anything!
AI should be used to enhance their thinking—not replace it. And in this new reality, students must be prepared to remain the thought leaders in an AI-driven society—equipped to problem-solve, innovate, and make ethical decisions that technology alone cannot.
That’s the future we should be preparing them for.
How could Idaho’s businesses, parents, and community organizations work alongside educators to create a more dynamic, relevant, and opportunity-driven education system? What partnerships could redefine educational outcomes?
At Sunnyside Elementary, I created Family STEAM Night—a partnership event that ran from 2015 to 2020 with the Sunnyside PTO. Every student came to school dressed as their future career and presented to their peers. Every classroom hosted a local business offering a real-life, hands-on experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, or Math.
We had oranges getting sutured by a local surgeon, cow eyes explored by an optometrist, bones being drilled by orthopedic surgeons, INL robots navigating obstacle courses, Idaho Falls Fiber lines handled by engineers, and car tires drilled by an automotive technician. Art, medicine, robotics, and trades all came alive in two-minute bursts of inspiration.
Families engaged—because their students were the stars. Businesses showed up—because it was joyful, purposeful, and full of future leaders. The family evening worked because it was relational, hands-on, and student-centered.
So the real question isn’t just ‘What partnerships do we need?’ It’s: How do we build a system and culture that makes these kinds of experiences the norm—not the exception?
How do we create schools that are community hubs, not closed loops?
How do we invite business owners, artists, engineers, and farmers into our classrooms—not just as guests, but as co-educators?
Idaho is creating incredible career-technical education opportunities expanding across the state! We don’t have every answer—but Idaho PTA is committed to building this bridge. And we believe this is how we redefine outcomes: not just by raising test scores, but by raising community connection.
What if learning wasn’t tied to a classroom, a grade level, or a strict schedule? Could we design an education system that allows students to learn at their own pace, in their own way, and from a variety of settings?
Project-based learning is one of the most powerful ways to take learning beyond the classroom. It connects students to something bigger than themselves and their family—to their community, their passions, and the real world.
But right now, we’re asking teachers to innovate inside a system that wasn’t built for flexibility. We expect individualized learning without structural change. The truth is—our teachers are overworked, our administrators are overwhelmed, and our systems are rigid.
If we want students to learn at their own pace, in their own way, and across a variety of settings, we have to rebuild the system around trust, mastery, and meaningful engagement. That’s exactly what Robert Marzano outlines in the High Reliability Schools framework:
A safe, collaborative culture (Level 1)
Effective teaching with continuous support (Level 2)
Clear, guaranteed access to relevant curriculum (Level 3)
Standards-based reporting that reflects real growth (Level 4)
Competency-based education—where students progress when they’re ready, not when the calendar says so (Level 5)
This framework helps us redefine what success even looks like.
It’s no longer just about test scores or grade levels. It’s about helping students build confidence, explore their strengths, engage in real-world projects, and step into adulthood with a sense of purpose.
But this can’t fall on teachers alone. We must invest in building-level professionals—value them, compensate them, train them, and stop micromanaging them. District offices should serve the schools, not the other way around.
I don’t have the full answer. But that’s the point.
We need to figure this out—together.
And Idaho has a chance to lead the way.
Imagine schools focused on real-world experience rather than standardized tests—what hands-on learning opportunities, apprenticeships, or community-based projects would you want to see for Idaho students?
🧪 1. Skills to Feed Into the Idaho National Laboratory (INL):
STEM foundations: Math, chemistry, physics, biology
Systems thinking: Understanding complex, interconnected systems
Critical thinking & problem solving
Cybersecurity & data analysis
Environmental science & energy literacy
Team-based collaboration in research environments
Technical writing and communication
Advanced manufacturing & robotics
Internships or simulations in labs and clean rooms
🔧 Real-World Projects:
Partnered high school research labs
Student teams solving clean energy or cyber challenges
INL-hosted design sprints or innovation expos
🩺 2. Skills to Feed Into Idaho’s Medical Sector:
Human biology & anatomy
Mental and physical wellness education
Empathy, emotional intelligence, and communication
Medical terminology & patient charting basics
First aid, CNA or EMT certification exposure
Ethics in medicine
Attention to detail & time-sensitive teamwork
🔧 Real-World Projects:
Shadowing programs at EIRMC or Mountain View
Service-learning: students supporting long-term care facilities
School clubs in partnership with medical providers for early exposure
Mental health peer ambassador programs
🛠️ 3. Skills to feed into Other High-Demand Skills in Eastern Idaho:
Construction trades (welding, electrical, plumbing, framing)
Agri-science and environmental tech (soil, irrigation, drone surveying)
Digital media & design (marketing, UI/UX, photography)
Entrepreneurship & financial literacy
Child development & early education
Technology management & business operations
Civic leadership & advocacy
🔧 Real-World Projects:
Apprenticeships with local contractors
Entrepreneurship incubators for high school students
City council youth internships
Students planning and running school-based businesses
Answers provided by Jamie Braithwaite, president@idahopta.org
Idaho PTA President, 2025-2027