Newark Students Block City Street for #OurNewark

When it comes to creating traffic jams, NJ Gov. Chris Christie might want to take a lesson from the students of Newark. Last week over 150 young organizers with the Newark Students Union shut down a major street in downtown Newark outside the school district headquarters for 10 hours to demand local control of their schools. Read more>

Minneapolis Bans Suspensions for Young Students

In a victory for the city's youngest students, the Minneapolis School District has banned suspensions for students in prekindergarten, kindergarten and first grade for minor misbehaviors. Read more>

Back-to-School Protests & Voter Registration in Philly

Because Pennsylvania still lacks a fair school funding formula (and because state policymakers won't prioritize funding for Philadelphia's schools), parents, students and teachers kicked off the school year in the most appropriate way possible: with a week of protests and a voter registration drive! Read more>

MA Senate Votes 'No' on Charter Expansion

In a testament to the many parents, students and teachers who worked to educate the public and policymakers about the potential consequences of charter school expansion, the Massachusetts State Senate voted over the summer to not lift a cap on the number of charter schools in the state. Read more>

The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools in the News

The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools was recently featured in Responsive Philanthropy as an example of what's possible when parents, students and educators take a stand together to fight for the strong public schools our nation's children deserve. Read more>

70% of U.S. Wants Federally Funded Universal Pre-K

Pre-k has always played well in public debate, but a new Gallup polls show just how much people like pre-k and how much they want to see it expanded. According to Gallup, 70% of Americans favor using federal money to fund universal pre-k. Read more>

NYC Students Start Year Without New Discipline Code

By Dignity in Schools Campaign – New York
1.1 million NYC students started the school year without a new discipline code. DSC-NY, with the support of 16 City Council members and two state assembly members, is calling on the Dept. of Education and the de Blasio administration to limit punitive discipline practices and promote positive school climates. Read more>

The Segregated Diversity of America's Schools

At the same time that our nation's public schools are becoming more diverse, they are also growing more segregated. An interactive mapping project from the Urban Institute gives a powerful visual of the extent to which our public schools don't reflect the changing demographics of the country. Read more>