Grassroots Education Network- December 2023 Newsletter
The NPE Grassroots Education Network is a nationwide network of over 200 grassroots organizations 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 robust network, please go here to sign on.
If you have any questions about the NPE Grassroots Education Network, please get in touch with Marla Kilfoyle, NPE Grassroots Education Network Liaison, at marlakilfoyle@networkforpubliceducation.org
Notes from Marla
Great News for Public Education from Kentucky and More from 2023. Read NPE’s December newsletter which highlights victories from our grassroots education network.
National Organizing
The Network for Public Education Executive Director Carol Burris published this piece in Valerie Strauss’s Washington Post Blog The Answer Sheet. Carol exposes that the Cincinnati Classical Academy (CCA), a Hillsdale College member school, secured a nearly $2 million grant. CCA asked for the “grant on the basis of its claim that it was closing the achievement gap and serving disadvantaged students, never reporting that only 16 percent of its students are economically disadvantaged and that 2 percent are Black — a starkly different student body from the overwhelmingly disadvantaged and majority-Black Cincinnati Public School students, who, CCA says, it wants to save from poverty.” See what Defending the Early Years was up to in their December newsletter published here. In The Public Interest published on their blog how Idaho anti-voucher efforts have paid off. You can read it here. Be sure to keep up with The Journey for Justice Alliance Equity or Else Power Series. To view their calendar of events go here. The Schott Foundation published their grant making calendar this month. Rethinking Schools announced their New Teacher Book is now available in audiobook format on Spotify. The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy was founded in July 2014 by Leonie Haimson of New York and Rachael Stickland of Colorado, two parent advocates who successfully led the battle to stop nine states from disclosing their personal student data to inBloom Inc. InBloom was designed to be a massive student database, with the goal of more easily sharing this information with for-profit data- mining vendors and other third parties without parent notification or consent. The Coalition which includes parents of nearly every state is now co-chaired by Leonie and by Cassie Creswell of Illinois Families for Public Schools. Go to their website for some amazing resources. Parents for Public Schools, Inc. Director of Chapter Services, Kylene Dibble, led their Training of Trainers (TOT) session with Impact Alamance in Burlington, NC this month. Go here to see pictures from that training session. PPS National also shared that this past year, Vanessa Marrero (Executive Director of PPS San Francisco) and Anna Barrett Smith (PEP Graduate of PPS Pitt County, as well as 2 term school board member) were selected to serve on the Regional Action Committees (RAC) for U. S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. Both were selected to serve on the committee within their region and participated in work that will ultimately impact public education within the U.S. During a debrief session, Barrett shared that, “It was just a fascinating experience, and I feel so lucky to have had a chance to be part of it.” Additionally, Marrero stated that, “The experience with the RAC was really nice and fruitful. I facilitated 7 focal groups across the state of California where we learned much about our priorities (opportunity gap, chronic absenteeism, social-emotional learning (SEL), and teacher retention). I was also able to connect with colleagues that I haven’t seen in a while! It was great!” Congratulations to Anna and Vanessa!
Parents Across America has a fantastic website full of resources for parents across the country. The Badass Teachers Association (BATs) expose vouchers with their powerful graphics. Go here to see one particular graphic they created about vouchers. The Trinational Coalition to Defend Public Education (USA) shared that Elfreida Begay, a Navajo teacher in Colorado, is the first Colorado teacher to revive indigenous language in the classroom. The Ontario (Canada) Secondary School Teachers Federation President Karen Littlewood – OSSTF/FEESO published an Op-Ed about what chronic underfunding of Ontario Public Education looks like. Support Our Students Alberta Executive Director Medeana Moussa was quoted in this article in the Calgary Herald about the underfunding of public schools. Uniting to Save Our Schools (USOS) board member Jesse Turner was featured on the Tom Ficklin show which highlighted two educators and their incredible projects. First Focus Campaign for Children is a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. Their organization leads a comprehensive advocacy strategy, with its hands-on experience with federal policymaking and a commitment to seeking policy solutions.
Kinderchat hosts its popular Twitter chat every Monday at 9 PM EST. The chats are informative and provide excellent resources for teaching kindergarteners. Check them out on Twitter at #Kinderchat. Kinderchat also has a fantastic website full of resources. Instituto Nueva Escuela hosted a Montessori Fest 15 years Edition this month. Fairplay’s Executive Director Josh Golin was quoted in this article in the NY Post discussing a lawsuit against Instagram about self harm images provided to students. Early this month Equal Opportunity Schools President, Sasha Rabkin, joined a great discussion this month held by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative focused on unlocking student potential and the chronic challenges facing many teachers. Uniting for Children and Youth (Canada) are concerned citizens of Ottawa-Outaouais. They aim to build awareness of how they can improve life for children and youth. Go here to keep up with all of their events and actions. National Educators United was started by a group of educator leaders of statewide activist groups in over ten states. After launching on December 14, 2019, they now have thousands of members and their nationwide network is growing fast. To learn more about their work, visit their website. Be sure to check out the Saffron Initiative on Link Tree for all their initiative work and media platforms. The Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico continues to defend the $1,000 monthly incentive for master and non-teaching staff of the municipal islands. To learn more about their struggle go here. Defense of Democracy advocates for parents, teachers, students, librarians and all Americans who are fighting every day to protect their civil rights from hate groups. The Education Truth Project mission is to educate the public on real issues facing Public Schools and Boards of Education in an effort to create a more equitable public education system for all students. To learn more about their work visit their website. Power of Knowledge Foundation is an organization that is dedicated to ensuring that public education remains fully funded and safe. To keep up with their events and announcements visit their Twitter feed and their Instagram feed.
State Organizing
Please use this information clearinghouse 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
Arkansas
published a powerful statement about their work and goals on their open Facebook page this month. Be sure to read it for inspiration.
Arizona
Voices for Education is working hard to update the public on the 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. Save Our Schools Arizona published their last Weekly-Ed-Report of the year this month. You can read it here. 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 their social media platforms here and here.
California
California Educators United is a rank-and-file-led network of educators and supporters of public education. They are part of the racial equity and social justice movement, fully funded public education through progressive taxation, and pro-public education and anti-privatization. To follow their activities, go here. The Public Core program, Between Two Teachers, is informative. To view all their archived programs, go here. The Association of RAZA Educators was established to uphold the rights and liberties of the Raza community. Education is essential to the preservation of civil and human rights. It provides the foundation for all political and economic progress and it must be a basic right of all people. Making this right a reality is the fundamental objective of A.R.E. Please visit their website to keep up with their activities. 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. With over 27,000 supporters, Parents Supporting Teachers is the largest Parent-Led Education Advocacy Group in Los Angeles. Their mission is to hold LAUSD accountable through direct action, amplifying the voices of public school families, and advocate for the future of public schools in the LAUSD. Visit their website to learn more about this amazing group. The San Francisco Berniecrats Education Justice Committee congratulated their new board members last month. San Francisco Education Alliance shared that the draft 2-year SFUSD calendar that was shared last month does not include Eid as pledged by Dr. Wayne and the Board of Ed. They are asking community members in San Francisco to please fill out this survey and ask the Board of Ed to fulfill their promise to include Eid under the question, “are there additional days of rest or holidays that you think should be added to the calendar that would impact student attendance?” Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco shared The Insiders Guide to School for Parents and Caregivers by Parent Powered Creator of Ready 4k. The guide offers free weekly tips that are shared via text to parents and caregivers. Tips include strategies to deepen connections with students. Evolve California exposed why the property tax cut given to the 49ers hurts public schools. To learn more go here.
Colorado
Pueblo Education Coalition aims 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. Our Denver, Our Schools shared an article by Mike DeGuire on how it is the goal of billionaires to privatize public education. Advocates for Public Education Policy released a press release regarding how the public was misled as thousands reject standardized testing. Head to their website to read the press release.
Connecticut
Connecticut Public Schools Advocates Children invited their community to join the New Haven Federation of Teachers for a conference that discussed ways to protect and transform public education in Connecticut. Children Are More Than Test Scores is a group that believes No Child Left Behind, Race To The Top, ESSA, and the Common Core are misguided educational reform policies that relies too heavily on standardized test scores and is too focused on punitive measures against children, teachers, and local schools. New London Parent Advocates updates their open Facebook page with all that is happening in the New London Public Schools.
Delaware
Friends of Christina School District are advocating for excellent district schools by ensuring that every child receives needed resources. To keep up with their events and events in their community go here.
Florida
Fund education NOW’s Facebook page is full of information and resources for Florida residents who want to keep up with educational 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 is a non-partisan statewide group of clergy and laity advocating for fully funded public schools. As people of faith, we have come together in recognition of the God-given potential of each child and the promise of the Florida Constitution for high-quality public schools. Be sure to check out their website for more information. In 1947 Christian farmworkers, immigrants, and criminal justice reform committees joined together to establish The Florida Council of Churches. The Council includes the state and regional offices of the same denominations that make up the National Council of Churches in Christ in the USA. These are the mainstream and historic Black churches. They are part of the conciliar ecumenical movement that emerged from the 1910 Edinburgh Conference on World Missions. To learn more about their work please visit their website. Opt-Out Florida Network continues their work in encouraging people to opt out of testing used to grade schools. Pinellas Parents Advocating for Public Schools are working hard to educate the public on the FL book bans. If you live in the area join their closed Facebook page to join the discussion. 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 hold 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 were honored to sponsor Tampa Bay Tech’s new Dress 4 Success closet with HPSA Grants made possible by donors. Grants Chair Norma Maiz has been working with TBT to create a welcoming space for students to find sleek and professional clothes along with hygiene supplies. In the future they hope to be able to add more items to the “Shop” like grab and go food for students. Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida asked their community to consider giving the gift of a banned book. DPECF has cartoons drawn by their State Caucus Board member, Kristine Cimmy (Pasco Chapter). To learn more go here. Help Out Public Education (HOPE) vision is that public schools should be pillars in our communities that help families thrive and where children learn the knowledge and skills necessary to become engaged members of our society and economy. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State Atlantic Coast Chapter (AUACC) was founded in 1947 by a broad coalition of religious, educational and civic leaders, Americans United maintains vigorous programs in litigation, public education, grassroots activism and legislative advocacy. Since its founding, Americans United’s guiding principle has been that all Americans have the Constitutional right to practice the religion of their choice (or refrain from taking part in religion) as individual conscience dictates. Americans United works with Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Humanists and those who profess other religious beliefs or hold no religious beliefs at all. They have a very vibrant public group on Facebook. The National Organization for Women Jacksonville is an intersectional grassroots activist organization–working to promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination and achieve equal rights for all women and girls. To keep up with all of their activities go here. The Florida Freedom to Read Project exposed the Hernando School Board for banning books such as Beloved, The Lovely Bones, Push, and The Hate U Give and moved to remove the titles along with The Handmaid’s Tale (graphic novel) and A Court of Frost and Starlight. Drama and The Bluest Eye were both kept with restrictions. To read more go here. Families for Strong Public Schools sent out an action alert this month for Floridians to contact the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee about recess. Go here to see that action alert and if you live in Florida please send your email today.
Georgia
Public Education Matters Georgia is a statewide organization committed to fostering community support for quality public education in GA through outreach, information, and advocacy. To keep up with their events and activities, go here. Moms and Dads Now Enduring Surrealistic Stupidity (MADNESS) wants to build awareness and support for actual school improvement strategies like community schools and more broadly for the very real and meaningful benefits of an equitable and viable public education system that strives for good schools for all children. Visit their open Facebook page for updates. 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) invited their members to the Sources Conference which had a book talk with Dr. Vincent Willis. Dr. Willis’ new book showcases how Black youth have applied the ideals of democracy to their lived experiences as public school students. The Georgia Youth Justice Coalition for Action stood with Superintendent Woods’s position this month on teacher raises and rewriting the QBE formula. To see their position visit their twitter feed here.
Hawaii
Want to learn about all the amazing things public schools do for children in Hawaii? Visit Parents for Public Schools Hawaii Facebook page.
Idaho
The Boundary County Human Rights Task Force joined the network this month. They are our first Idaho organization and we are so happy to have them join us. To learn more about their work go here.
Illinois
Illinois Raise Your Hand are encouraging their community to attend CPS Community Roundtables. They posted a schedule here. Illinois Families for Public Schools posted a story about a Black educator/parent leader in Skokie and Evanston who is being targeted by rightwing extremists Moms for Liberty and Steven Miller’s legal org for fighting for racial equity in Skokie’s public schools. Please go here to read the story and lend support for teachers who are being targeted by far-right hate groups.
Indiana
The Indiana Coalition for Public Education (ICPE) is exposing their legislature for failing to support our rural communities. Indiana Coalition for Public Schools – Monroe County continues to work hard to expose how high stakes testing does not make good education policy. Go here to read and learn more. The Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education shared their most popular posts of the week on their open Facebook page. Go here to view a sample from October. Northwest Indiana Coalition for Public Education advocates for Indiana’s children and their right to a high-quality public education. To keep up with their actions, events, and news go here. Washington Township Parent Council Network continues their Five Dollar Friday to support their students and community. To learn about Five Dollar Friday go here. Jefferson County Public Schools Advocacy Group organizes in a private group on Facebook. If you know anyone in Jefferson County concerned about the anti-education movement, go here to join.
Iowa
Iowans for Public Education s a grassroots movement to defend and support Iowa’s tradition of high-quality public schools. If you live in Iowa be sure to check out their open Facebook page for events, action, and news.
Kansas
Game on for Kansas Schools is a nonpartisan grassroots effort by a group of parents, teachers, and concerned community members. They believe high-quality public education is a right for all Kansas students. They advocate for Kansas schools to ensure they have the resources necessary to deliver that education to all Kansas students. They inform the community about issues and legislation affecting students in Kansas. Please visit their website for more information. The Personnel Association of Lawrence- Communication Workers of America is a union of public and private sector workers fighting to transform our world for the working class. They are a union made up of custodians, food service workers, paraeducators, school secretaries. For more information please visit their website.
Kentucky
Dear JCPS, Schools Our Schools Kentucky, and Pastors for Kentucky Children were all thrilled when a Kentucky judge ruled that funding charter schools violated the Kentucky constitution. To learn more go here. Council for Better Education joined the network in January. To learn more about them go here.
Louisiana
Step Up Louisiana had the opportunity to attend the last 2023 Orleans Parish School Board meeting of the year this month. They received insight on the school board’s focus, “making lives better for children and families”. They had the opportunity to make a public comment and uplift the many frustrations of the Step Up Louisiana parent union. They reported that two board members expressed to Dr. Avis Williams that they are interested in planning for one or two direct run schools of failing schools. Finally they established a partnership with the Chief of Renew Schools Mr. McCoy. This partnership will allow their member Nia-Hyatt to complete her senior research project that is aimed at “Correcting the student teacher relationship through policy intervention” and closing the achievement gap.
Maryland
Strong Schools Maryland will be holding their Blueprint Day in February. For more information on Blueprint Day go here. 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 celebrated their Unsung Heroes of Public Education this month. Those heroes included the New Bedford Coalition to Save Our Schools, the Concerned Educators of Color, and three extraordinary bloggers and podcasters – Jack Schneider, Jennifer Berkshire and Maurice Cunningham.
Michigan
The Michigan Network for Equity in Education advocates for equitable, democratic public education in Michigan by building coalitions and sharing information and research. To learn more about their work, go here. Save Michigan’s Public School’s goal is to connect parents, students, educators, and communities across Michigan and raise awareness of threats to public education. To communicate with their organization, check out their Facebook page. Be sure to check out Michigan Parents for Schools website for resources on how to fight for public education in Michigan. MI Ed Justice is on Instagram. Check out their Instagram page here. Trusted Voices ED is a non-partisan advocacy group of educators 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) is a 100% FHPS parent volunteer group that supports Forest Hills Public Schools and ALL public education, advancing Public Schools through elections and policy. Their mission is to support and protect public schools from partisan and manufactured attacks, so that educators and elected school board members can focus on their vital roles of providing a safe and inclusive learning environment for students. They believe all kids deserve access to safe, quality, and well-funded public schools.
Minnesota
Parents for St. Paul Schools is a grassroots organization started by parents of public school students. They favor an immediate moratorium on expanding existing charter schools in St. Paul and creating 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 promotes and strengthens public schools by engaging, educating and mobilizing parents to build strong schools and healthier, vital communities to educate their children. Be sure to visit their website for more information. 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.
Missouri
Keep up with the Missouri BATs by giving them a follow on Twitter.
Montana
Montanans Organized for Education are encouraging their communities to attend school board meetings during the winter months. Go here for more information.
Nebraska
Stand For Schools was founded in 2016 to support Nebraska public schools’ history of success and to find innovative ways to make them even stronger — through opportunities like early childhood education, school to career pathways, and before- and after-school and summer programming. Stand for Schools believes Nebraska does best when we come up with Nebraska solutions to Nebraska challenges. Education is no exception. Nebraska Loves Public Schools is known for its influential 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 to secure school finance reform and improve 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 creating more equitable and just learning environments. Please 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 the updated work here. To contact them about issues happening in NH, go here.
New Jersey
Save our Schools New Jersey is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization of parents and other public education supporters who believe that every child in New Jersey should have access to a high-quality public education. 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 is a local organization committed to ensuring excellence in public. To keep up with their actions and events, go here. 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 organize in its closed Facebook group. If you live in this area or know anyone who does, please join the group here. Paterson Education Fund co-sponsored a holiday book bundle to benefit their K-3 children. Parents Educating Parents is a nonprofit grassroots parent organization working out of Newark, New Jersey. Go here to check in on their events and activities. The New Jersey Community Schools Coalition celebrates the work of their community partners who also work hard to forward the power of community schools.
New York
Class Size Matters created a draft resolution for CECs and other community and advocacy organizations to consider passing, urging the DOE to adopt the recommendations in the report of the Class Size Working Group and begin to lower class size in compliance with the class size law. New York Allies for Public Education and LI Opt-Out shared that recommendations have finally come out for the graduation requirements in NYS. While nothing is concrete right now and they have only released the blueprint, it looks as though in the next few years students will have options for graduation beyond just taking and passing high stakes regents exams. NYC Opt Out is a grassroots coalition of parents and educators concerned about the impact of high-stakes testing on New York City’s schools, children, and teachers. Their primary tactic is to organize a boycott of the annual state tests in order to pressure state officials to respond to their concerns and replace high-stakes standardized tests with authentic assessments. For more information please visit their website. The Alliance for Quality Education created an action alert this month urging Governor Hochul to sign decoupling bill A4986A/S5327A passed by the New York State Legislature earlier this year. AQE wants Gov. Hochul to know that New York’s children, families, and the child care programs they rely on are counting on her. Change the Stakes has resources on their open Facebook page about testing and opting out for NYC and NY parents. NY BATs is the public-facing page for the NY BATs, the largest state chapter of the Badass Teachers Association. Check out their public Facebook page to keep up with their events and activities. To find out what FUSE (New Rochelle Federation of United School Employees) is working on, visit their website here. MORE-UFT is a caucus of the UFT that defends members rights, fights for social justice, and empowers workers in schools. 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. 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. To learn more about the Rochester Coalition for Public Education be sure to visit their website.
North Carolina
Public Schools First NC School will be sponsoring a webinar on January 11th with author Jon Hale about the school choice movement, its roots in resistance to segregated schools, and the choices we all face in the coming years. For more information go here. North Carolina Families for School Testing Reform are working to bring legislative change to the NC Public School Testing program. To keep up with their activities, go here. Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods thanked all of their partners featured in their organizers circle series this year. Pastors for North Carolina Children held their final Monthly Leaders Gathering of 2023 this month. Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County will be holding a Kindergarten 101 morning workshop on January 25th.
Ohio
Keep up with the Ohio BATs on their open Facebook page. Congratulations to It Takes A Village To Tackle The Attack on Public Education are parents, educators, community members and leaders who originally united to tackle HB 70 and the attack on public education. To keep up with their events go here. 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. To keep up with the Parents For Public Schools of Greater Cincinnati be sure to visit their website. Northeast Ohio Friends of Public Education has an amazing website that will keep any northeast Ohio citizen up-to-date on what is happening in education. You can visit their website here. Public Education Partners (PEP) shared that Ohio is giving nonpublic schools $73 million this school year for nonpublic administrative cost reimbursement: How do nonpublic schools determine their administrative costs to be reimbursed? To learn more go here.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee shared that after nearly two decades of advocacy, OKPLAC and its local chapters have updated the organization’s acronym. Now known as Oklahoma Parent Legislative Advocacy Coalition (OKPLAC). Oklahoma Parent Legislative Advocacy Coalition (OKPLAC) chairwoman Misty Bradley issued this statement. Pastors for Oklahoma Children are a broad coalition of clergy from across Oklahoma that advocate for local public schools. To follow their work and events go to their website. 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) has a goal to raise awareness and build a community around public education issues and 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, their chapter 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. To learn more about their work visit their website.
Pennsylvania
The Keystone State Education Coalition publishes a daily PA education policy roundup. Pennsylvania School Board Association is a statewide association of public school boards, pledged to the highest ideals of local lay leadership for the public schools of the commonwealth. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association, founded in 1895, has a rich history as the first school boards association established in the United States. Pennsylvania’s 4,500 school directors become members by virtue of election to their local board — the board joins as a whole. Membership in PSBA is by school district or other eligible local education agency such as intermediate unit, vocational school or community college. The Pittsburgh Task Force on the Right to Education held an LTF meeting this month that examined the Pittsburgh Public Schools Strategic Plan. Education Voters PA exposed that Lawmakers just passed a budget that allocates $130 MILLION in additional funding to OSTC/EITC schools that openly discriminate against disabled (and many other) students. To learn more go here. The Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools Philadelphia blog this month challenges the board to do more for public schools in 2024. Humanitarian Social Innovations highlighted BASD (Bethlehem Area School District) on their website this month. 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 co-sponsored an action this month to fund their public transit system. Please visit the Parents Across Rhode Island website to keep up with what is happening in Rhode Island.
South Carolina
The Quality Education Project seeks to empower communities to advocate for change that improves the quality of education for all students. QEP also provides academic and community-engaged research to support and initiate educational policy reform committed to equity, access and excellence. To learn more about them visit their public Facebook page.
Tennessee
Give Tennesseans Reclaiming Educational Excellence (TREE) a follow on Facebook to keep up with all that is happening in Tennessee education. Be sure to visit the Pastors for Tennessee Children website. It is full of valuable information and resources. Tennessee Strong is an action organization that organized after years of TN Ready failures and the over-testing of TN children. They also organize against voucher legislation that takes millions of dollars from TN public schools. To learn more and connect, go here. 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 Charles Foster Johnson was quoted in this article in the Baptist Standard about the defeat of vouchers in Texas. CFISD Community Leadership Committee is a volunteer group of parents, business people, and retirees who believe that having a strong independent school district is important to the economic well-being of the Cypress-Fairbanks community. Members of Texas Kids Can’t Wait advocate for equitable and adequate funding for Texas public schools and a sane assessment system. They strongly oppose the corporate takeover of public schools. To follow their advocacy go to their open Facebook page. RootEd is a parent-led, grassroots organization that promotes neighborhood public schools through storytelling, advocacy, and education. They believe a strong public school system for all children creates a robust economy and well-connected community. Community Voices For Public provided information this month on how to opt out of the STARR. Our Schools San Antonio is a community-led movement for educational justice in San Antonio. To keep up with their actions and events head to their open Facebook page. The Coalition for Equity in Public Education has a fantastic website with resources for Texas parents and advocates. Texas AFT President Zeph Capo was featured in America’s Workforce Union Podcast this month. Go here to listen. El Paso Alliance for Just Schools continues to share information about teachers leaving their district in record numbers. Go here to learn more. Public Schools First McKinney is dedicated to the advancement and support of public education in McKinney. The mission is to champion public education through advocacy, education, and building community. Please visit their website for more information on this very active group. The Coalition for Public Schools has a great website full of resources for Texas public education advocates. Go here to access their website. Access Education RRISD (Round Rock Independent School District) believes that every child has the right to a safe, high-quality, educational experience in Round Rock ISD, and are working to remove barriers that interfere with this opportunity. They believe in the power of a strong community voice, and in centering the experience of students and families in their priorities. They believe in advocating for solutions, working in collaboration with District administration, and in keeping a constructive outlook as we call for change. Grandparents for Public Schools are looking for members ACROSS THE STATE to become liaisons in their community. Please contact them here for more information.
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 click 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. Richmond For All members are an inspiring body of over 500 organizers, families, workers, advocates, students, and residents fighting to ensure grassroots power citywide. Collectively they organize in defense of public resources, in support of a transformed democratic process, and for people-first representation in municipal elections.
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 is a caucus of rank-and-file members in AFT-WV and WVEA. They are proud union members committed to quality public education, strong wages and benefits for all of our state’s education personnel, and a sustainable funding source to fund public education that does not come on the backs of the working class of this state. To learn about their five core principles go here.
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Public Education Network continues to track education-related bills through the capitol at WisconsinNetwork.org/Tracker, launched the Be the Reason Kids Thrive fundraising campaign, and is preparing to offer support to local teams for upcoming elections in 2024. Schools and Communities United is sharing information about book bans in Wisconsin. Go here for more information. Be sure to visit the Parents for Public Schools Milwaukee open Facebook page. They have tons of information for local, state, and national events.
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.