Grassroots Education Network- December 2022 Newsletter
The NPE Grassroots Education Network is a network of over 190 grassroots organizations nationwide that have joined together to preserve, promote, improve, and strengthen our public schools. If you know of a group that would like to join this powerful network, please go here to sign on.
If you have any questions about the NPE Grassroots Education Network, please contact Marla Kilfoyle, NPE Grassroots Education Network Liaison, at marlakilfoyle@networkforpubliceducation.org
Notes from Marla
The 2023 NPE Action/NPE Tenth Anniversary Conference is now open for registration. Set in our nation’s capital, we promise this will be our most important conference of all. We will meet in the beautiful and historic Capital Hilton for two days of workshops, inspirational speakers, and a celebration of ten years of the Network for Public Education founded and led by Diane Ravitch.
Our conference theme, Public Schools: Where Democracy Grows, could not be timelier as we fight for the freedom to teach with honesty and integrity and support our democratically elected school boards that serve even when their every decision comes under fire.
And as always, we will discuss how we can fight for our democratically controlled schools, owned and governed by the public, not by privatized interests.
Registering before 2022 ends, make you eligible for our reduced early bird rate. If you go to our conference site, you will find links to:
· Register for the conference.
· Reserve your hotel room.
· Propose a panel. We are accepting proposals until March 1, 2023.
Following the conference, we will visit our representatives in Congress on Monday to discuss the importance and needs of our public schools. Please stay and join us! Discounted rooms are available for Sunday night as well.
We can’t wait to see you this upcoming October as we celebrate our tenth anniversary together.
Our best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season.
National Organizing
Join Network for Public Education on January 11 at 7:30 EST for a video conference with NPE President Diane Ravitch. Diane’s guest will be Josh Cowen, Professor of Education Policy at Michigan State University. Diane and Josh’s conversation will be titled School Privatization and the Education Culture Wars: The Year in Review and the Year Ahead. Dr. Cowen has been studying school choice, teacher labor markets, and other policies for nearly two decades, and works directly with policymakers, stakeholders and media professionals to understand the consequences of various education reforms. “Josh has drawn connections to the school culture wars, privatization, voting rights denial, and other hot-button issues,” Diane said. You can register for this FREE event here. Defending the Early Years Podcast with Kisha Reid interviewed Jacky Howell this month. Jacky spoke about rituals and traditions that should be fostered in Preschool. Be sure to visit In The Public Interest’s website, specifically their section on charter schools. The Journey for Justice Alliance kicked off their fundraiser Pain 2 Power this month. Go here for more information. The Schott Foundation announced their CEO and President Dr. John H. Jackson joined Education Week’s Board of Trustees. Rethinking Schools was excited to announce that Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll featured “Teaching for Black Lives” on his #MyCauseMyCleats design. The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy has valuable privacy toolkits for students, parents, and teachers on its website. Parents for Public Schools, Inc. is excited to share that their legal victory against the State of Mississippi was recently featured on the December 5th episode of A Moment with Erik Fleming Podcast. During this episode, host Erik Fleming and Joshua Tom (ACLU of Mississippi) discuss the legal case against the State of Mississippi and how they were successful in stopping the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration from sending $10 million in public funds to private schools.
Parents Across America has a fantastic website full of resources for parents across the country. The Badass Teachers Association (BATs) members reject racially and socially oppressive profit-driven education reform. To learn more about their work visit their website. Trinational Coalition to Defend Public Education (USA) has a public Facebook group that features information from Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. about how communities are navigating the attempt to privatize public education. The Ontario (Canada) Secondary School Teachers Federation honored Human Rights Day by conducting 16 Days of Activism. Go here to see that campaign. Wing Li from Support Our Students Alberta was quoted in this article about mitigation measures and supporting students through the continued COVID health crisis. The founder of the Wear Red for Ed movement Donna Mace passed away this month. We mourn her loss and are grateful for all of her good work. Opt Out Florida Network co-founder Sandy Stenoff wrote this tribute to Donna, who taught elementary school students for 35 years, then became an outspoken activist for public schools and against the overuse of standardized testing. Uniting to Save Our Schools (USOS) has published inspirational videos from the National Day of Teaching Truth. You can view those videos here. First Focus Campaign for Children launched their Big Ideas 2023 report this month. The new report curates innovative solutions on child homelessness, education reform, economic justice, and childrens healthcare from scholars, advocates, and other experts from leading organizations around the country.
Kinderchat continues to host its popular Twitter chat every Monday at 9 PM EST. The chats are informative and provide great resources for teaching kindergarteners. Check them out on Twitter at #Kinderchat. Kinderchat also has a fantastic website full of resources. Instituto Nueva Escuela thanked everyone who donated to their Public Montessori Project this month. Fairplay requested everyone take action and protect kids online! Help Fairplay and the Eating Disorders Coalition to urge Congress to pass the Kids Online Safety Act to hold Big Tech accountable. Last month Equal Opportunity Schools had the opportunity to live out their core values of justice, service, learning and community through building bikes for local elementary students. It was an afternoon filled with laughter and some friendly competition as teams worked together to see who could assemble bikes the fastest. Uniting for Children and Youth (Canada) honored Youth Rights Day late last month by sharing a video discussion between the Progressive Education Group, Peter Hartkamp and Alex O’Neill. Peter and Alex spoke about the wellbeing of Youth and how communities can foster that. National Educators United was started by a group of educator leaders of statewide activist groups in over ten states. After launching on December 14th, 2019, they now have thousands of members and their nationwide network is growing fast. To learn more about their work, visit their website. The Saphron Initiative called for the expansion of the Child Tax Credit for the sake of our country’s youth. To see their campaign go here. Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico President Mercedez Martinez was interviewed for an opinion piece in Metro PR. Mercedez discussed the strength of unionism. Defense of Democracy celebrated volunteers in their Maryland chapter for bringing joy and goodwill to children throughout their community.
State Organizing
Please use this clearinghouse of information to inform people in the various states about the NPE Grassroots Education Network organizations. Please encourage people to join them and support their work! Call family, friends, and colleagues to join the fight to save public education. This section is also a place to get great ideas on organizing and actions.
Alabama
SOS (Support our Students) shares information about the Corporate Education Reform movement and Common Core. Be sure to visit their Facebook page for updated information.
Arkansas
Grassroots Arkansas provided food for the Romine Early Childhood Center Fall Fest late last month. Go here to see the pictures from that event.
Arizona
Voices for Education is working hard to update the public on news regarding public education in Arizona. Be sure to visit Arizonans for Charter School Accountability website which offers resources that compare charter school and public school spending. Beth Lewis, who is the Executive Director of Save Our Schools Arizona, appeared on CNN This Morning to discuss why neighborhood public schools are essential for strong communities and that private school vouchers siphon money away from them. Arizona Educators United #RedForEd movement is about educators coming together in solidarity for students, schools, colleagues, and communities to fight for the schools our students deserve. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter to follow their movements in AZ.
California
California Educators United is a rank-and-file-led network of educators and supporters of public education. They are part of the movement for racial equity and social justice, fully funded public education through progressive taxation, and pro-public education and anti-privatization. To follow their movements, go here. The Public Core program, Between Two Teachers, is informative. To view all their archived programs, go here. The Association of RAZA Educators worked hard in California to mandate ethnic studies for High School students. You can read about that here. Bay Area Collective Keeping Privatizers Away from Community Schools (BACKPACS) is an organization dedicated to strengthening and protecting public education in the Bay Area. Go here to follow what they are working on. Educators for Democratic Schools-Oakland open Facebook page reports all that is happening in the Oakland Unified School District. Parents Supporting Teachers thanked the community for supporting their 3rd annual drive to provide basic necessities for students. The San Francisco Berniecrats Education Justice Committee held a successful art festival this year. Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco cosponsored a virtual workshop on December 8th on inclusion and the fight for disability rights in San Francisco. Be sure to check their Facebook page events tab for any upcoming events.
Colorado
Pueblo Education Coalition’s goal is to represent educators, parents, community members, students, and all stakeholders to achieve positive change for Pueblo’s public education. To keep up with their movements, go here. Taxpayers for Public Education works hard to stop voucher expansion in Colorado. To keep up with their work be sure to visit their website. Our Denver Our Schools published a powerful letter by teacher Gordon Crawford about bullying and the DPS Board of Education.
Connecticut
Connecticut Public Schools Advocates Children have a YouTube channel where they have hosted two important conversations about public education in Connecticut. Children Are More Than Test Scores founder Dr. Jesse Turner is hosting education content on the Tom Fickin show. Go here for more information and to see who he hosted last month. Re: public Ed informs Connecticut residents about the state, local, and federal education policies that impact teaching and learning. New London Parent Advocates updates their open Facebook page weekly with all that is happening in the New London Public Schools.
Delaware
The Friends of Christina School District is a group of parents and community members who advocate for excellent district schools. Head over to their open Facebook page for upcoming events in the district and surrounding areas.
Florida
Fund Education NOW’s website is full of information and resources for Florida residents who want to keep up with education news. Florida BATs and Broward BATs post the latest updates on what is happening in education. Go here and here for updates. Pastors for Florida Children exists to provide care to local schools, and to advocate for children by supporting our free, public education system to promote social justice for children, and to advance legislation that enriches FL children, families, and communities. Go here to keep up with any events they are planning. The Florida Council of Churches took part in the Florida Clergy Convening via Zoom late last month. Go here to see the videos. Opt-Out Florida Network is posting important updates to the FL Promotion to Grade 4 Technical Assistance Paper (TAP). Pinellas Parents Advocating for Public Schools are collecting discussion questions for Superintendent Hendricks. If you are in Pinellas County go here to submit your discussion topic. Protect Our Public Schools, Manasota believes that free, quality public education is a right for all children and is necessary for the optimal functioning of a democratic society. To keep up with their movements, go here. Miami-Dade County Public School District Parents is a grassroots group giving a voice to parents of students in any Miami-Dade County Public School. Go here to keep up with any events they are holding in the Miami-Dade area. UnitED for Florida Children has a website full of resources and information. Go here to check it out. Hillsborough Public School Advocates had a very successful fundraiser on the Yacht Starship. The money will be used to provide grants to schools. Go here to see pictures from that event. They also posted on their Facebook page information about the HCPS school boundary changes. HPSA noted that it is important to realize this is all part of a bigger picture: Privatization of Public Schools. If you know anyone who lives in Hillsborough County please share this with them. HPSA and HCTA are expanding their Education Justice Coalition and are interviewing candidates for a community organizing position. Finally, HPSA has been assisting local schools with their effort to acquire business sensors and introducing fundraising to schools. Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida advocates for better public education policies by educating voters through data driven messaging and challenging false narratives. To keep up with all their work and events go here. Families for Safe Schools’ December newsletter focused on powerful personal experiences regarding school discipline. Americans United for the Separation of Church Atlantic Coast Chapter held a Separation Chat this month that was focused on book bans. For future chats, be sure to visit their open Facebook page for links. Support our Schools, USA rallied for transparency this month at a Board meeting. National Organization for Women Jacksonville co-sponsored a rally to remove confederate monuments from public property in Jacksonville.
Georgia
Public Education Matters Georgia would love Georgians opinion on the Georgia State School Superintendent – who do you think is the most public education-friendly candidate, Woods or Searcy? And why? Moms and Dads Now Enduring Surrealistic Stupidity (MADNESS) goal is to build awareness and support for actual school improvement strategies like community schools and more broadly for the meaningful benefits of an equitable and viable public education system that strives for good schools for all Georgia children. MADNESS has a vibrant open Facebook page where discussions about education in Georgia take place. If you live in Georgia go here to join the discussion. Opt-Out Georgia organized the opt-out movement in Georgia via a closed Facebook group of over 8,000 members. If you live in Georgia or know someone who does, encourage them to connect with this group. The Georgia Chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) is an organization of Georgia educators, scholars, and community activists committed to social justice through education. To keep up with their events, or to connect, visit their open Facebook page. The Georgia Youth Justice Coalition for Action, Southern Poverty Law Center, and GA Equality brought together 40+ advocates, community members, and students to develop strategies to stop hateful anti-LGBTQ bills in the next legislative session.
Hawaii
Parents for Public Schools Hawaii is a coalition of parents, community members, and educators committed to ensuring all children in Hawai`i have access to a quality public education. Head over to their website to connect and support their work.
Illinois
Congratulations to Illinois Raise Your Hand who received the 2022 Power to the People Award from the Chicago Lawyers Committee. Illinois Families for Public Schools joined a virtual public forum hosted by Network 49, where people learned about how the Invest in Kids voucher program works, why all types of voucher schemes increase education inequity and harm the public good, and what can be done to work together to make sure public funds are for public schools in Illinois.
Indiana
The Indiana Coalition for Public Education board member and NPE Action Board Member Dountonia Batts appeared on CNN This Morning as a part of a panel that discussed why neighborhood public schools are essential for strong communities and that private school vouchers siphon money away from them. Dountonia has experience as a charter school parent, private school parent, and a public school parent. Indiana Coalition for Public Schools – Monroe County posted that enrollments appear to be down for three charter schools that are seeking renewal this month. When lawmakers speak about consolidation to save money and maximize resources, maybe they should first look at charter school numbers. The Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education publishes their most popular posts on Facebook each week. Keep up with the trends in advocacy for public education in Indiana by checking them out. Northwest Indiana Coalition for Public Education’s Stuart Bloom published testimony by Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer, president of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education, who testified in front of the Indiana General Assembly’s Organization Day. In her testimony, Cathy discussed what children need. Washington Township Parent Council Network November meeting featured an important conversation about the 80/20 secondary grading policy that WT implemented this year. Three of the district’s top administrators and 4 teachers were there to explain this policy and answer questions. Go here for more information. Jefferson County Public Schools Advocacy Group organizes in a private group on Facebook. If you know anyone in Jefferson County who is concerned about the anti-education movement, go here to join.
Iowa
Iowans for Public Education exposed Pat Grassley this month for trying to get vouchers through the Iowa House.
Kansas
Game on for Kansas Schools shares information relating to public education and public education funding advocacy in Kansas and to encourage parents and other concerned community members to “get in the game”. To learn more about their work visit their website. The Personnel Association of Lawrence- Communication Workers of America continues to support their Food Service workers who are fighting for higher pay and to shed light on the lack of food service workers in the district.
Kentucky
Dear JCPS is a stakeholder advocacy group seeking accountability and transparency from the Jefferson County School District. To learn more about their work visit their website. Schools our Schools Kentucky posted how Moms for Liberty are coming for Kentucky Public Schools. If you live in Kentucky please be sure to give Pastors for Kentucky Children a follow on Facebook.
Louisiana
Step Up Louisiana rallied this month to support Dollar Tree workers.
Maryland
The Baltimore Algebra Project is a youth organization that works to end the school to prison pipeline. To learn more about them, go here.
Massachusetts
Citizens for Public Schools congratulated their new Secretary of Education, Patrick Tutwiler. “Governor-elect Maura Healey has tapped former Lynn Public Schools superintendent Patrick Tutwiler to serve as the state’s next education secretary, according to sources with firsthand knowledge of the hire.” To read more go here. The New Bedford Coalition to Save our Schools is a coalition of families, educators and community leaders advocating for high-quality public education for all students in New Bedford. To keep up with their events and activities go here.
Michigan
The Michigan Network for Equity in Education advocates for equitable, democratic public education in the state of Michigan by building coalitions and sharing information and research. To learn more about their work, go here. Save Michigan’s Public Schools goal is to connect parents, students, educators, and communities across Michigan and raise awareness of threats to public education. To connect with their organization, check out their Facebook page. Give Michigan Parents for Schools a follow on Twitter to keep up with all their events and activities. MI Ed Justice is on Instagram. Check out their Instagram page here. Trusted Voices ED is a nonpartisan advocacy group of educators who are focused on building collaborative partnerships among teachers, administrators, and policy-makers to ensure every Michigan learner receives the highest quality of education. To learn more about them and to connect with their organization, visit their website. Support FHPS (Forest Hills Public Schools) succeeded in landing 3 of 4 pro-public education candidates on the school board. They created a guide to disinformation to help keep people focused on the facts. They were also quoted in this article on the election outcome.
Minnesota
Parents for St. Paul Schools is a grassroots organization started by parents of public school students. They are in favor of an immediate moratorium on the expansion of existing charter schools in St. Paul and the creation of any new charter schools in St. Paul. To learn more about their organization, go here. Minnesota Collective for Educational Equity is a grassroots group of passionate educators and researchers who have organized to promote educational policy and practice that will address the alarming opportunity gaps in Minnesota.
Mississippi
Parents for Public Schools – Moss Point has a public Facebook page that lists all education and community events. If you are a resident of Moss Point, or know someone who is, go here for daily updates. Parents For Public Schools of Greenwood and Leflore County strengthen public schools by engaging, educating, and mobilizing parents in their community. To keep up with their events go here. Give Parents For Public Schools of Philadelphia a follow on Twitter if you live in their area. They post updates for education and community events. Parents For Public Schools of Starkvilleis a local organization working to strengthen public schools in Starkville. They promote the great work being done in the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District.
Missouri
Keep up with the Missouri BATs by giving them a follow on Twitter.
Nebraska
This month Stand for Schools celebrated Nebraska’s Teacher of the Year, Lee Perez. Nebraska Loves Public Schools is known for their powerful short films that are focused on the power of public education. You can access all of their films at this link.
Nevada
Educate Nevada NOW is a multi-year campaign aimed at securing school finance reform and improving education outcomes in Nevada. To learn more about their organization go here.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Leaders for Just Schools are NH public school educators dedicated to the mission of creating more equitable and just learning environments. Give them a follow on Twitter to keep up with what they are doing. Barrington Educators Association is the local chapter of the New Hampshire-NEA. You can view updated work here. To contact them about issues happening in NH, go here.
New Jersey
Save our Schools NJ Executive Director Julie Borst took part in a webinar with leaders from other grassroots organizations. The webinar called “Time’s Up: The Urgent Need to Appoint Members to Expired Seats on the New Jersey State Board of Education.” was part of a campaign to remedy an expired SBOE and press Governor Murphy to fulfill his legal obligation to properly manage the state’s public school system. Be sure to visit The Newark Students Union events tab on their Facebook page. The posted events provide an excellent template for student organizing. Delran Education Association thanked the Delran Middle and High School PTA for sponsoring a Soup Bar for their teachers. If you are a resident of Elizabeth, ask to join the Elizabeth Parents, and Students Care closed Facebook group to connect. Give Montclair Cares About Schools a follow on Facebook to find out what is happening in Montclair education. Give Our Children Our Schools a follow on Twitter to keep up with any future events. South Orange-Maplewood Cares About Schools organizes in its closed Facebook group. If you live in this area or know anyone who does, please join the group here. Paterson Education Fund helped to set up and serve a Thanksgiving Luncheon at Al Tambua Moody Academy this month. Parents Educating Parents host events for the Newark community. Be sure to check in with them on Facebook for all their latest events. The New Jersey Community Schools Coalition continue to celebrate the work of their community partners who also work hard to forward the power of community schools.
New York
Class Size Matters Executive Director Leonie Haimson continues to co-host Talk Out of School on WBAI. In this episode, she interviews Jonathan Friedman who is the director of free expression and education programs at PEN America. New York Allies for Public Education and LI Opt-Out continue to educate parents about online assessments. NYC Opt Out is a coalition of parents and educators concerned about high-stakes testing in the City. Their Facebook group provides a supportive space for parents, educators, and citizens to discuss, share and network around this issue. If you live in NYC or know someone who does, here is the link to connect. The Alliance for Quality Education made their historic trip to Ghana this month. To read more about this trip please go here. Change the Stakes has valuable resources on its website about testing and opting out for NYC and NY parents. NY BATs organize in a private group on Facebook. If you are a NY educator or education advocate, ask to join. Give FUSE (New Rochelle Federation of United School Employees) a follow on Twitter to find out how they are navigating the school year. MORE-UFT co-hosted a book talk this month with Joe Burns. Joe spoke about his new book Class Struggle Unionism, and its lessons for building rank and file power. Jackson Heights People for Public Schools has so much information on their discussion Facebook page that you need to head over to see what the community of Jackson Heights is up to. Check it out here. Parents for Public Schools- Syracuse works to support and sustain public schools and promote parents’ involvement in public schools and their children’s education. They reaffirm and work to preserve the American tradition and ideal of free, open, non-discriminatory, publicly funded, democratically governed public schools. You can follow their work here. The Port Washington Advocates for Public Education closed Facebook group is a place to connect and organize if you live in Port Washington, NY. North Country Alliance For Public Education works to end the reliance on high-stakes testing and stop the privatization taking over their schools. If you live in the North Country of New York, consider joining their closed Facebook group to connect. Visit the Rochester Coalition for Public Education Facebook page for all that is happening with Rochester education, meeting schedules, and information.
North Carolina
Public Schools First NC are sharing information about changes in how NC pays and licenses teachers, and changes to how NC will teach reading. North Carolina Families for School Testing Reform are working together to bring legislative change to the NC Public School Testing program. To keep up with their activities go here. Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods are hiring a Cure Violence Program Manager and would love to add another community member to their team. You can find more details on Indeed or on their website. If you know anyone in the Winston-Salem area please share this information. Pastors for North Carolina Children offered a very powerful blessing for when you’re tired of broken systems. To read that blessing go here. Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County Executive Director Kylene Dibble toured some of the district schools and highlighted the wonderful things that PCPS does for children. Go here to see the tour highlights. Every Child NC shared that they are forever grateful for advocates like Susan Book who lead by example and who never wavers in her commitment to their movement. Susan stood up to Moms of Liberty who were taking over Board meetings. Susan said, “I had been submitting public comments online because I was cautious about COVID-19,” but once I started to see the meetings overrun by Moms for Liberty members talking about masks, critical race theory, and other dog whistles, I knew I had to brave the meetings. And I had to bring people with me.”
Ohio
Be sure to keep up with the Ohio BATs on their open Facebook page. It Takes A Village To Tackle HB70, and It Takes A Village celebrated their 4th anniversary this month. Happy Anniversary! Northwest Ohio Friends of Public Education is a citizen-driven, non-partisan movement to inform and engage Northwest Ohioans at the community level to support and strengthen public schools. To keep up with the issues they are working on, go here. Visit the Parents For Public Schools of Greater Cincinnati website for updates on their events and resources. Northeast Ohio Friends of Public Education has a fantastic website full of information that is centered around public education in Ohio. Be sure to follow the #VouchersHurtOhio hashtag on Twitter which is a current campaign most Ohio groups are involved in this month. Public Education Partners (PEP) are asking Ohioans to educate themselves about the Freedom Foundation, which is an anti-union, and an anti-worker front group paid for by the Koch family and billionaires like Betsy DeVos.
Oklahoma
Late last month The Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee joined the Oklahoma PTA in Taking Your Legislator to School Week. This campaign saw OKLAPLAC and Oklahoma PTA reach out to their legislators and invite them to experience some of the activities educators deal with in a school day. It was a great way to help lawmakers see just what our public schools are doing to educate and equip our children. Pastors for Oklahoma Children shared this powerful information on their open Facebook page this month. Did you know one of the names of Jesus was “Rabboni” or rabbi which means teacher? According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, the title teacher was “the most honourable of all the titles.” There’s something special about teachers. We should honor their profession and work. Oklahoma Parents and Educators for Public Education/Oklahomans for Public Education have a private Facebook group of over 31,000 people. If you live in Oklahoma or know someone who does, share this link to connect. Oklahoma Teachers – The Time Is Now organizes in a private Facebook group of over 64,000 members. The purpose of the group is to unite all educators in Oklahoma to come together and educate, collaborate, and discuss what options they have moving forward to improve Public Education. If you know any Oklahoma educators, send them to this group to connect.
Oregon
Community Alliance for Public Education (CAPE)’s goal is to raise awareness and build community around public education issues, as well as support an informed citizenry in having input into public education policies and practices. Oregon Save Our Schools is a group of parents, grandparents, teachers, students, support staff, and community members joining together to defend public education in Oregon. Go to their open Facebook page to get involved with their actions. Oregon BATs organizes in a closed Facebook group. If you are an Oregon teacher or community member, ask to join and connect. Community & Parents for Public Schools of Portland (CPPS) is the Portland chapter of Parents for Public Schools, part of a nationwide network of grassroots organizations focused on increasing parent, family and community involvement in public education. Launched in January of 1999, CPPS is part of the only national organization that actively recruits parents to public schools and advocates for parents taking a role in decision-making, school improvement, and accountability. Visit their website to learn more about their work and upcoming events.
Pennsylvania
The Keystone State Education Coalition publishes a daily PA education policy roundup. Pennsylvania School Board Association congratulated the Deer Lakes School District for being named one of America’s Healthiest Schools by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and was one of only 11 schools across the country to earn the highest award in every category. The Pittsburgh Task Force on the Right to Education promotes important events for the Pittsburgh community, specifically focused on special education and students with disabilities. Go here to share the events or to register for them. Education Voters PA has a fantastic website full of education-related resources for PA citizens. The Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools has two new blog posts on their website. Will New Board Leadership Bring New Priorities? and Funding for Classrooms, Not Consultants gives the reader a view into the important details of the Philadelphia School Board meetings this month. Teacher Action Group Wilmington is a member of the Network of Teacher Activist Groups, a national coalition of grassroots teacher organizing groups. They work together to build an education movement for liberation, locally and nationally, through shared analysis, political education, mutual support and learning, and joint projects. BASD (Bethlehem Area School District) Parents are educating parents and their community about issues that impact their public schools. They hold monthly meetings and post important information on their Facebook page. DASD Parent Partners (Downington, PA) are committed to meeting the needs of all Downingtown students and developing working groups to take action around their set priorities. To learn more about their work and priorities, go here.
Rhode Island
The Providence Student Union will be holding a Youth Conference on January 7th. Young people from across the state will come together to learn about their rights, where they come from, and how to use policy to create change. This is ALL youth facilitated. Go here for more information. To keep up with what is happening in Rhode Island, please visit the Parents Across Rhode Island website.
South Carolina
The Quality Education Project focus groups will begin January 15th and 18th. QEP are asking all their members to consider participating in a focus group for a research project associated with the Quality Education Project on Sunday, January 15th at 8:00PM (EST) and Wednesday, January 18th, 2023, at 8:00PM (EST) This research is in support of a study for a manuscript that will be published in May 2023 by a special issue of the Journal of Diversity Scholarship for Social Change (University of Michigan). If you live in South Carolina and would like to participate go here for more information.
Tennessee
Give Tennesseans Reclaiming Educational Excellence (TREE) a follow on Twitter to keep up with all that is going on in Tennessee education. Be sure to visit the Pastors for Tennessee Children website. It is full of valuable information and resources. Tennessee Strong continues to share articles written in the Tennessee Education Report. To see the latest article, please visit their open Facebook page. Tennessee BATs organizes out of a closed group on Facebook with over one thousand members. If you are a Tennessee teacher or a supporter of public education in Tennessee, go here and ask to join their Facebook group to connect.
Texas
Pastors for Texas Children Executive Director Rev. Charles Foster Johnson will be one of the featured panel speakers at the Jan 6th National Day of Action to Defend Democracy & Public Schools. To learn more about this event and register go here. CFISD Community Leadership Committee are parents, business owners, and community members, partnering with the CFISD and lawmakers to enable the success of all children in their community. Visit their Facebook page to keep up with their events and activities. Members of Texas Kids Can’t Wait are advocates for equitable and adequate funding for Texas public schools and for a sane assessment system. They strongly oppose the corporate takeover of public schools. To follow their advocacy go to their open Facebook page. Check out what RootEd has been up to in their monthly newsletter. Parents For Public Schools of Houston is committed to building a network of diverse parent, family and community voices to ensure a high quality education for all children in the Greater Houston Area. Go here to keep up with their activities and events. Community Voices For Public Education exposed that the Texas Education Agency appointed a convicted felon to train local Texas school boards. To learn more go here. Our Schools San Antonio is a coalition committed to community-driven public education in the San Antonio Independent School District. The Coalition for Equity in Public Education has a fantastic website with resources for Texas parents and advocates. Texas AFT launched their Respect Movement campaign this month which seeks to give all staff raises, limit class size, and define the work year. To read more about this campaign go here. El Paso Alliance for Just Schools believes that public education should be a free, inclusive quality public service. If you live in the El Paso area, please fill out this form and join their organizing work. Public Schools First McKinney met with their new House District Representative Frederick Frazier, Superintendent Dr. McDaniel, and MISD CFO Jason Bird to discuss MISD priorities before the session begins in January. Public Schools First McKinney are happy to report that Frederick remains committed to NO VOUCHERS. The Coalition for Public Schools posted their webinar recording – The Truth About Special Education Vouchers. In this webinar frontline advocates Andrea Chevalier (Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education); Steven Aleman (Disability Rights Texas); and Jolene Sanders (Coalition of Texans with Disabilities) discuss the effects of special education vouchers and what they would mean for Texas children.
Virginia
Virginia Educators United is a grassroots collection of pro-public school people who act to support Virginia Public Schools. They organize in a closed Facebook group. If you are a Virginia educator, please ask to join and connect. Virginia BATs also organizes in a closed Facebook group. If you are a Virginia educator, parent, or community member, please ask to join and connect. Support Our Schools-Shenandoah County organizes to fight for public education in that region. You can connect here. Virginia Public Education Partners is dedicated to supporting and protecting public education. They work to end school privatization maneuvers that undermine democracy and diminish available resources for public schools. Follow their events and actions here. Richmond For All is an independent organization that fights for people-first development, high-quality public education, housing justice, environmental justice, and public safety from police violence. They believe in multiracial, cross-generational, cross-class organizing that centers racial and economic justice. If you live in the Richmond area visit their website for more information on how you can join their movement.
Washington State
WA BATs organizes in a closed Facebook group. Go here to join and connect. Washington’s Paramount Duty has a website full of information and resources on education in Washington state.
West Virginia
West Virginia United Caucus will celebrate the 5 Year Anniversary of their historic statewide strike in February 2023
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Public Education Network will be hosting a one-hour virtual workshop on how to communicate with your community, navigate the challenges facing public schools, build a nonpartisan, pro-public coalition, and more. The virtual workshop will be on January 11th. For more information and to register go here. Schools and Communities United is a coalition of community, educator, student, labor, and religious organizations dedicated to defending and improving our public schools. To learn more and to join their movement, take a look at their website. Parents for Public Schools Milwaukeeis a coalition of MPS parents, students and allies who created a strong, diverse, districtwide network of parent advocates for the children and schools in Milwaukee. They work with teachers, the superintendent, city and state officials to find and implement solutions that will help children receive the high-quality public education they deserve. To learn more about this organization, go here.
NPE Grassroots Education Network – Resources and Graphics
Here is a link to our resources page. It will help you navigate resources covering a variety of topics. This is a live document and will be updated, so check back for new resources.
Here is a link to our graphics page. It will provide powerful visuals for you to share on social media. This is a live document and will be updated, so check back for new graphics.