Dignity in School Campaign's National Week of Action a huge success!

Last week was Dignity in School’s national week of action to end school pushout. All week parents, students, educators, and activists held events across the country to engage their communities and spread information about ways we can rethink discipline in public schools. The national week of action had four major demands: to shift funding to restorative discipline practices, to use positive behavioral interventions instead of suspensions and expulsions, to fully implement restorative justice practices, and to engage parents and students about discipline policies. Read more>

Obama Administration Calls for Less Testing

The Obama administration has reversed course on the testing policies of the last decade. Following No Child Left Behind, programs like Race to the Top encouraged tests that were used for crucial decisions like school funding. Now, they've finally responded to mounting criticism against these tests.
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Featured Campaign: Mississippi Ballot Initiative

The Mississippi constitution requires “the establishment, maintenance and support of free public schools upon such conditions and limitations as the Legislature may prescribe,” making it one of few states whose constitution does not explicitly require fair and adequate public school funding.
Our grantee One Voice and partners launched “Better Schools, Better Jobs” to mobilize around a proposed amendment to change the constitution.
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Featured Grantee: MA Education Justice Alliance

The Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance (MEJA) represents Schott grantees like Youth and Board and a variety of other educational advocacy groups. They recently released a letter opposing lifting the MA charter cap, a policy that would lead to huge funding losses for public schools.
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Read their letter here >

Race in America: Changing Reality by Facing It

The American Federation of Teacher's president, Randi Weingarten, wrote a powerful op-ed on the importance of fighting for legislative policies, spreading information, and crucially, confronting predujice in every aspect of our lives. As she says: "We must call out the hate and hostility that play to fears and frustrations, and we must honor the humanity of all people." Read more>

The Fate of PA's Public Schools

As the PA legislature continues to grapple over the budget, the state's public schools are now facing a real crisis. They have been forced to borrow, operate without paying teachers, and are beginning to fear the nessecity of shutting down. Read more>

Where the Progress Isn't

Michael Holzman breaks down the new NAEP data to show how districts are struggling to educate their Black male students in math. As he says, "If Black eighth-grade students are not at grade level in mathematics, there is little chance that they will be employable, as adults, in occupations requiring knowledge of mathematics. A century ago this hardly mattered. Today it is increasingly vital." Read more>

The Benefits of Integrated Schools

School segregation been a hot topic in the news lately, with New York City's struggles to rezone overcrowded schools across poverty lines recieving considerable attention. As this article demonstrates, the arguments about sending white, middle-class students to "failing schools" may be misplaced. Read more>