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Speak
Up at Your Local NY Education Commission Public
Hearings!
New York City's public schools are being redlined: the practice of systematically denying resources to poor and minority neighborhoods. Tell Mayor Michael Bloomberg to stop redlining schools!
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HIGHLIGHTS |
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How
Can We Combat Structural Inequity in Education? In difficult economic times, we as a nation need to provide all children, especially those in struggling communities, with access to the opportunities and resources they need to succeed in school and in life. In a CNN op-ed, Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, Senior Pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, points to the National Opportunity to Learn Campaign's "2020 Vision Roadmap: A Pre-K Through Postsecondary Blueprint for Educational Success" as the systemic approach we need to reform our nation's education system and combat structural inequities. Read more> |
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Learn
How to Fight Education Redlining! The National OTL Campaign's first webinar explored the issue of education redlining, in which bad policies systematically deny certain communities vital educational resources. Check out the tools we discussed and video of the webinar to learn how to identify disparities in resources in your local schools and how to bring your research to the attention of the media, policymakers and advocacy groups. Read more> |
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Mapping
Inequities in New York City In a new report titled "The Call for Youth Justice," the Children's Defense Fund brings to life data on the stark inequities in NYC's public schools, criminal justice system and environment through a stunning series of maps illustrating "the legacy of years of misinformed fiscal and policy decisions." The call to action is a reminder that for decades "the lions of distress and limited opportunities were pursuing the children who call these neighborhoods home." Read more> |
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MA
Students Demand Voice in Local Politics Youth advocates from Lowell, MA, are leading the charge to lower the voting age in municipal elections to 17 so that current students can have a say in the education policies affecting them. With a bill in committee at the State House and an outpouring of support from advocacy groups and policymakers across the state, members of the Vote 17 Lowell campaign are closer than any group ever before to winning a voice for 17-year-olds in local politics. Read more> |
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Curbing
Harsh Discipline in New Orleans In a victory for school discipline activists in New Orleans, Patrick Dobard, Chief of the Recovery School District overseeing many of the city's public schools, announced the district will begin limiting harsh discipline policies in all its schools, including charters, by listing explicitly which offenses can get a student expelled. The move comes after extensive pressure from education advocates who are concerned that harsh discipline policies in charter schools allow them to push out high-needs students. Read more> |
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Students
of Color Shut Out of Prestigious School In a clear case of education redlining, a much smaller percentage of students of color in Fairfax County, VA, are identified as gifted compared to their white peers, meaning fewer students of color are given access to the advanced programs and resources necessary to gain admission to prestigious, specialized high schools. In response, The Coalition of the Silence, a local advocacy group, and the Fairfax chapter of the NAACP have filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. Read more> |
| RESOURCES |
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Annie
E. Casey Foundation: KIDS COUNT 2012 The 2012 version of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual KIDS COUNT Data Book tracks the well-being of our nation's children with state-by-state data on children's economic well-being, educational opportunities, access to healthcare and family and community environments. The report illustrates the deep disparities between children of color and their white peers in access to the opportunities and supports necessary to succeed. The report also offers policy solutions aimed at building a more stable foundation for our children's future. Read more> |
| IN
THE NEWS |
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