SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued a challenge to Californians to support public education through an innovative online donation site called DonorsChoose.org [http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/viewChallenge.html?id=18638] (Outside Source) .

"At a time when California's fiscal problems are threatening to impact school operations across the state, every bit of support we can offer our schools is important," O'Connell said. "While I will continue to fight for full funding for our schools in the state budget, DonorsChoose.org is a fantastic way for individual citizens to help our schools, our teachers, and our students right now. Today I am proud to be fulfilling a request on DonorsChoose.org for new bookshelves for a third grade classroom at Woodbine Elementary School in Sacramento. I challenge all Californians to go online to DonorsChoose.org and make a choice to help improve public education."

O'Connell is kicking off his challenge by fulfilling the request for new bookshelves made by Thurrell Sanders, a third grade teacher in the Sacramento City Unified School District.

"I want to encourage Californians to donate to schools in Sacramento and around the state," O'Connell said. "With a few easy clicks of your computer mouse, you can help learning come to life and foster innovation in our public schools."

DonorsChoose.org offers teachers a public forum and a simple process to request the specific resources needed to help their students learn, ranging from art supplies to calculators to dictionaries to field trips.

Kris Murray, Deputy Director of DonorsChoose.org Northwest said, "It's exciting to have Superintendent O'Connell helping us to spread the word about the ways the DonorsChoose.org Web site is supporting public education across the country and particularly in California.It's important to remember that while incredible work is being done to bring about systemic reforms in public education there are students in California's public schools right now who need resources to learn today. DonorsChoose.org is addressing that critical need."

DonorsChoose.org was founded by a teacher in the Bronx eight years ago. Since then, more than $22 million has been donated for public school classrooms through the Web site and more than 1.2 million students have befitted from those donations. Locally, DonorsChoose.org has brought more than $1.9 million to Northern California schools since the site began serving California schools in 2004. Now DonorsChoose.org is available to teachers in every school in the country.

More than 80 percent of the resources funded through DonorsChoose.org are non-consumable and will be used year after year in the classroom. More than 75 percent of projects funded through DonorsChoose.org have gone to schools serving schools in high-poverty areas.

Prospective donors can go online to chose specifically what school and what project they would like to fund, either in part or completely. When the project is fully funded DonorsChoose.org purchases and delivers the resources to the school.

Lesa Hertel, another teacher at Woodbine Elementary, whose request for an LCD projector was granted through DonorsChoose.org, said, "The donation of the LCD projector has enabled my second graders to access technology on a daily basis. It truly has motivated them to become engaged and active learners."

DonorsChoose.org has been recently highlighted by Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central's Colbert Report. The tongue-in-cheek news show makes light of most everything, but Colbert has consistently highlighted this Web site as a useful and creative way to directly help students. During one broadcast, Colbert talked about DonorsChoose.org during an interview with the founder of Craigslist. To view this clip, please click on: Craig Newmark [http://www.indecision2008.com/blog.jhtml?c=vc&videoId=121749] (Outside Source).

"I am pleased that DonorsChoose.org is getting the benefit of the ‘Colbert bump’ in public awareness," O’Connell said. "Now, I hope even more schools, teachers, and students will be able to benefit from this great resource that connects citizen philanthropists directly with our education community."