New Jersey

On March 27, advocates in NJ rallied to protest the market-based reform policies that are hurting their public schools and to demand a new approach to supporting and improving the state's education system.

A new report details how New Jersey's fair school funding system, which dedicates more resources towards lower-income students, has helped the state beat out New York and become a model for ensuring equity and opportunity in education.

Parents, students and teachers across the country are fighting for equitable school resources, community solutions and an end to mass school closures. If you like our infographics on school closures, don't miss this video from our grassroots ally Journey for Justice.

Thanks to the hard work of education organizers in Paterson, NJ, the local school board voted to institute a moratorium on out-of-school suspensions for minor misbehaviors like dress code violations, tardiness and willful disobedience.

Every revolution needs a declaration. Against a backdrop of surging grassroots discontent with how the nation's K-12 public schools are currently governed, a diverse coalition of leaders from across the country have joined in support of "An Education Declaration to Rebuild America."

In an inspiring display of cross-sector collaboration, the New York City School-Justice Partnership Task Force has released an action plan for NYC officials to reduce the use of suspensions, summonses, and arrests by building common cause between different agencies and communities and implementing positive discipline strategies.

Proponents of charter schools and charter expansion consistently overlook serious issues with how these schools can selectively shape their student enrollment. A report from the National Education Policy Center describes 12 practices that charter schools use to push out or discourage enrollment of students with special needs, those with low test scores, English learners, or students in poverty.

May 17th is the 59th anniversary of the historic Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. Decades later, students, parents, teacher and advocates are still fighting against education policies that leave students of color and low-income students deprived of the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. But a grassroots revolution is brewing, what blogger Jeff Bryant has been calling an "education spring," and this past week has seen headline-grabbing victories and inspiring actions.

National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) has tracked preschool enrollment and funding data in the country for over a decade. Its latest annual "State of Preschool" report presents an alarming set of "firsts" in the 2011-2012 school year: Enrollment in state-funded pre-K programs has stagnated after a decade of growth, and average funding per child has decreased below $4,000 for the first time since NIEER began collecting the data.