November Week of Action Recap & Pictures

In November, over 150 groups representing parents, students, teachers and communities in than 15 cities participated in the National Week of Action for the Public Schools All Our Children Deserve. A huge thank you to the thousands who participated! It was an inspiring week of school walk-ins, rallies and packed school board meetings with organizers pushing for sustainable community schools in their cities. Read more>

Boston Students Win Pilot Program for Subway Pass

Thanks to the hard work of youth organizers in Boston over the past year, the city will launch a pilot program next summer to offer discounted subway and bus passes to students and help make transportation to and from school more affordable. Read more>

Pennsylvania Advocates File Fair Funding Lawsuit

School funding advocates in Pennsylvania are taking the state to court charging that Pennsylvania's current funding system is not only inadequate but also unconstitutional because it fails to "provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education." Read more>

How CO Organizers Won School Discipline Reform

After five successful campaigns for district- and state-level change, Padres & Jóvenes Unidos and the Advancement Project have released an invaluable case study of how they built the movement for school discipline reform in Colorado and how advocates across the country can replicate their success. Read more>

"Vision to Victory" Documentary Premiers in NYC

A short documentary chronicles how New York City organizers made education inequality the central theme of the 2013 mayoral elections. It's a must-watch story of how education justice advocates can get their issues on the political agenda – and win.
Watch it online>

Boston Can Be a Leader in Teacher Diversity

Guest blog by Tito Jackson, Boston City Councilor
A seemingly contentious hearing yielded a true partnership between Boston Public Schools, local community members, researchers, and myself and colleague City Councilor Ayanna Pressley to create and implement an accountability structure that ensures we recruit, support, and, most importantly, retain highly qualified teachers of color. Read more>

8 Years and 90 Victories in Education Justice

Over the past eight years, Communities for Public Education Reform's grantees have racked up an impressive 90 policy wins at the school, district, state and federal level. To celebrate those victories, CPER has released a series of reports highlighting the impressive and inspiring work of its network of education justice organizers and showing how philanthropy can help build and sustain national social justice movements. Read more>

The Community Schools Toolkit

A great new toolkit from The Center for Popular Democracy and the Coalition for Educational Justice breaks down the essential elements of community schools and how advocates can push for them in their cities. Nationwide, organizers are demanding schools that provide wraparound supports for students and their families to build enriching learning environments and stronger communities. Read more>