Grassroots Education Network- February 2022 Newsletter
The NPE Grassroots Education Network is a network of over 175 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
NPE’s Conference is Coming Soon!
We are convening in Philadelphia on April 30-May 1. Come and hear what Grassroots Groups like yours across the nation are doing to protect and preserve their public schools. We need to see and hear from each other at this critical time for public education.
If you have not done so, register here. If you are registered, please make sure you secure your hotel room. You can find the link here. NPE must fill those rooms, and the rate is discounted, so please choose the conference hotel.
Full vaccination is required to attend.
A request for a Call to Action! We ask that you reach out and request your members reach out to your House Representative to ask them to cosponsor Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s Green New Deal for Public Schools Act (H.R. 4442). Here is a link to find out who your representative is. If you have a special relationship with your House Representative, please call them today. If they agree to cosponsor, please send them this form to fill out.
Here is a script you can follow when you call and some background information.
February 21-25 was Public Schools Week, Now, I’m reaching out to request that you cosponsor Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s Green New Deal for Public Schools Act (H.R. 4442).
Especially in light of school infrastructure funding being cut from Build Back Better, we must prioritize public education in Congress this year. While the American Rescue Plan was an essential start, public school facilities were in crisis even before the pandemic: over half of districts require major repairs. Schools are dealing with a range of urgent needs related to ventilation, toxic health threats, energy efficiency, climate resilience, structural integrity, and more. The Green New Deal for Public Schools is the only piece of legislation that would meet the full scale of these problems, by funding a comprehensive retrofit for every public K-12 school in the country.
This bill takes a holistic approach, going beyond physical infrastructure: it will invest a total of $1.43 trillion over 10 years in creating safe, healthy, and robust learning environments for students and staff, strengthening our public education system to meet the challenges of the 21st century. This includes a new program to support hiring and social service programming to drastically reduce student-to-staff ratios; strengthen and diversify the educator pipeline; support curriculum development; and better integrate local knowledge and community relationships into high-need schools. The bill would also drastically increase Title I and IDEA funding. Altogether, it will fund the creation of over 1 million jobs per year.
The bill has 62 cosponsors and counting (full list below) from across the caucus – including many who have not co-sponsored other Green New Deal legislation – because they recognize the need to go big when it comes to the future of our children. I would love to see your office on this list.
You can find a summary of the legislation here, and the text here. For any questions, please reach out to Rajiv Sicora at rajiv.sicora@mail.house.gov.
The present Cosponsors are: Ocasio-Cortez, Wilson [FL], Grijalva, Bush, Levin [MI], Velazquez, Vargas, Norton, Tlaib, Raskin, Khanna, Pressley, Espaillat, Garcia [IL], Barragan, Thompson [MS], C. Maloney, Takano, Clarke, Lee [CA], Davis [IL], Suozzi, Meng, Connolly, Carson, Jayapal, Cardenas, Watson Coleman, Welch, Pocan, Nadler, Williams [GA], Schakowsky, Blumenauer, Titus, Boyle, McGovern, Huffman, Cohen, Torres [NY], Correa, Omar, Lieu, DeSaulnier, Gomez, Jackson Lee, San Nicolas, Matsui, Doggett, Lowenthal, Garcia [TX], Yarmuth, Pingree, Napolitano, Payne, Jones, Blunt Rochester, Quigley, Stansbury, Moore, Smith [WA], Rush . If your representative is on the list, just call and say, “thanks.”
National Organizing
Network for Public Education is excited to introduce our new board members at the NPE/NPE Action Conference. We hope you will join us in welcoming them in Philadelphia at our conference. Defending the Early Years went live with the second episode of Kisah Reid’s DEY Podcast. Kisha talks with the founder and director of Backyard Basecamp, a community resource with the mission of reconnecting Black, Indigenous, and People of color to land and nature. Listen in and get inspired! In The Public Interest continues to shine the light on vouchers. Go here to read their latest article. The Journey for Justice Alliance will be hosting a Quality of Life Festival Day in Washington D.C. September 2022. Go here for more information. The Schott Foundation hosted a Justice Delayed webinar late last month. Be sure to keep up with the latest on testing by reading the Fairtest newsletter. Rethinking Schools author Jesse Hagopian published a powerful article in the Seattle Times attacking proposed legislation that would silence discussion about racism and sexism in schools. “Whether these bills pass or not, they are designed to rally forces that deny structural racism and create a chilling effect so that educators fear reprisals for helping youth become racially literate.” The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy and Congressman Jamaal Bowman opposed the College Transparency Act which was voted on early this month. Go here for more information. Parents for Public Schools will be hosting their 30th Anniversary Gala in March. Dr. Pedro Noguera will be the keynote. Go here for information on that event. Also as part of their 30th Anniversary celebration, please watch Marshall Ramsey interview PPS founder, Dick Molpus, as part of Mississippi Today’s Mississippi Stories series. Parents Across America has a fantastic website full of resources for parents across the country.
The Badass Teachers Association (BATs) published their January Bad Apples early this month. 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 worldwide COVID crisis. The Ontario (Canada) Secondary School Teachers Federation released a powerful statement for Black History Month. Support Our Students Alberta are reporting school closures and teacher shortage information on their Facebook page. Wear Red for Ed has an active open Facebook page that tracks the Red for Ed movement nationwide. Uniting to Save Our Schools (USOS) administrator Denisha Jones was quoted in this Truthout article on the right-wing school board attacks. USOS also held a follow-up discussion to their attacks on CRT webinar held in January. First Focus Campaign for Children launched their End Family Separation campaign this month. Kinderchat continues to host its popular Twitter chat every Monday at 9 PM EST. The chats are informative and provide great resources for teaching kindergartners. Check them out on Twitter at #Kinderchat. Kinderchat also has a fantastic website full of resources. Instituto Nueva Escuela is happy to be back to work in person. Go here to read their statement. Don’t miss Fairplay’s upcoming event with Johann Hari. The average teenager believes they can follow six forms of media at the same time. But, what is this doing to their (and our) attention spans? Join Fairplay on Thursday, March 3 at 4 PM ET (1 PM PT) for Action Network Live! as journalist Johann Hari breaks down the “enormous illusion” of multitasking. Register here.
Equal Opportunity Schools Equal Opportunity exhibited at the 37th Annual TASBE Conference in Dallas this month. Uniting for Children and Youth (Canada) are concerned citizens of Ottawa-Outaouais. Their mission is to build awareness of how we can make life better for children and youth. Head over to their open Facebook page to keep up with news, and events, from Canada. The National Educators United hosted Covid Safety and Schools last month. UnKoch My Campus has published an amazing resource that explains how the Koch network has captured K-12 education. Saphron Initiative joined the network this month. To learn about this youth group, go here, here, and here. The Youth-led advocacy organization also began a partnership with writing platform Loop Media for future pieces on education justice in addition to their pre-existing Medium page, saphron.medium.com. Saphron Initiative, a youth-led organization fighting for education justice from the grassroots student-based level, also expanded its tutoring programs and services and participated in Public Schools Week ’22. Learn more and keep updated with the movement on Saphron Initiative’s Twitter and Instagram.
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 on 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) – Terri Michal, a former BFT Representative and former BCS Board Member, issued a statement concerning the Birmingham City Schools Sick Out.
Arkansas
Grassroots Arkansas alerted the community about the pending sale of two schools in their community to charters. Go here for that announcement.
Arizona
Voices for Education are working hard to update the public on news regarding public education in Arizona. Be sure to visit Arizonans for Charter School Accountability website that offers resources that compare charter school and public school spending. Save Our Schools Arizona launched their #NoNewVouchers campaign this month. Here is Beth Lewis, Arizona SOS director, explaining this bad bill. Arizona Educators United held the first meeting of their Red for Ed liaisons this month.
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 is located in Los Angeles. If you live in the area and are interested in joining their monthly meetings go 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 created a COVID dashboard for the LAUSD on their website. The San Francisco Berniecrats Education Justice Committee are working to defeat the insidious big-money recall of their school board!
Colorado
Pueblo Education Coalition’s goal is to represent educators, parents, community members, students, and all stakeholders towards positive change for Pueblo’s public education. To keep up with their movements, go here. Taxpayers for Public Education work hard to stop voucher expansion in Colorado. To keep up with their work be sure to visit their website.
Connecticut
Connecticut Public Schools Advocates Children are Connecticut families and educators advocating for safe, equitable, fully funded public schools. Go to their open Facebook page to see what they are working on. Children Are More Than Test Scores has a vibrant open Facebook page full of discussion and information about the fight for public schools. Head over to join the discussion and to connect. 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.
Florida
Fund Education NOW 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 how the Florida COVID surge is impacting schools. Go here and here for updates. Pastors for Florida Children exists to provide care to local schools, and to advocate for children by supporting a free public education system that promotes social justice for children, and to advance legislation that enriches FL children, families, and communities. To keep up with what they are doing, go here. To keep up with the advocacy of The Florida Council of Churches, visit their website. Opt-Out Florida Network is asking their followers to pay attention to the Florida Senate Committee on Education this year. Pinellas Parents Advocating for Public Schools organizes on a private Facebook page. If you know of anyone in the Pinellas area, have them join to connect. 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 during the COVID-19 crisis, go here. Miami-Dade County Public School District Parents shared that Dr. Jose Dotres would become the new Superintendent of Schools in Miami. UnitED for Florida Children has a website full of resources and information. Go here to check it out. Hillsborough Public School Advocates has a new website! Be sure to visit it to keep up with all their amazing work in Florida. Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida member Laura Hottenstein advocated during National School Counseling Week in testimony before the Hillsborough County School Board.
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 advocacy go here. Moms and Dads Now Enduring Surrealistic Stupidity (MADNESS) shared this powerful letter about standardized testing from an Athens, GA student. 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) was founded in 1990 to bring together individuals from all academic levels and disciplines and from diverse educational institutions and other organizations, occupations, and communities who had an interest in multicultural education. NAME is committed to a philosophy of inclusion that embraces the basic tenets of democracy and cultural pluralism. To keep up with their actions, visit their website. The Georgia Youth Justice Coalition is hiring. If you know of a college or high school student who would like to organize for schools, inclusion, and standing up to book bans send them here.
Hawaii
Parents for Public Schools Hawaii has a website full of great resources for parents in the state of Hawaii.
Illinois
Illinois Raise Your Hand continues to strengthen their LSC program this month with classes that parents can take. Illinois Families for Public Schools are working hard this month on the Too Young To Test Bill. Go here for information on that.
Indiana
The Indiana Coalition for Public Education exposed that the language previously in HB1252 that went away is now back in Senate Bill 2. The coalition noted, “It creates a new form of Education Scholarship Account for remediation. While we’re not against remediation, this language has almost no accountability for how the money is spent.” ICPE also led a day of action campaign called Public Schools Unite Us. Indiana Coalition for Public Schools – Monroe County put up a new podcast for this month highlighting Highland Park Elementary. The Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education has a fantastic blog. Go here to view their stories. The mission of the Northwest Indiana Coalition for Public Education is to advocate for a high quality and equitable public education for every child in NWI. Go here to keep up with what they are working on. Washington Township Parent Council Network shared an important post from a North Central staff member about student, parent, and teacher responsibility.
Iowa
Iowans for Public Education created this powerful graphic about vouchers this month. Please share it!
Kansas
Game on for Kansas Schools shared that their State Treasurer outlined some of the major problems with the latest Kansas voucher bill. Game on for Kansas Schools agrees. The Personnel Association of Lawrence- Communication Workers of America released a statement on potential school closures in their area.
Kentucky
Dear JCPS are working on many fronts. Please go here to see what they have been working on, specifically HB63 and the fight for local control. Kentucky Save Our Schools highlighted Kimberly Mucker-Johnson who is producing a series on Women of Color in the Workplace. Pastors for Kentucky Children issued a Call to Action this month to fund Family Resource personnel. Go here to view that action.
Louisiana
Step Up Louisiana continues to expose the charter school system in New Orleans.
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 wants you to save Thursday, March 17, for a workshop with leaders of the Beyond Test Scores Project, “Building a Better Measure of School Quality.” Go here for more information. Congratulations to The New Bedford Coalition to Save our Schools for successfully fighting back a new charter school proposed for either New Bedford or Fall River. The Charter withdrew their application for state approval and will not open as planned.
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. Be sure to check in with Save Michigan’s Public Schools for the latest in Michigan education news. Michigan Parents for Schools has an extensive website to help Michigan parents and educators. Be sure to check it out here. MI Ed Justice are educators, administrators, parents, students & community members who believe to save our public schools from privatization, we need to humanize our public schools. To learn more about their work go here. Trusted Voices ED advocates extensively for teacher pay on their social media platforms.
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 and creation of existing charter schools in St. Paul.. To keep up with their work, go here. Minnesota Collective for Educational Equity’s white paper, Pursuing Educational Equity in Minnesota Through a Statewide Multi-Tiered System of Support, is a must-read and share for anyone living, or teaching, in Michigan.
Mississippi
Parents for Public Schools – Moss Point supports their community with information about education, meals, vaccinations, and much more. Parents For Public Schools of Greenwood and Leflore County works on strengthening public schools by engaging, educating, and mobilizing parents in Greenwood and Leflore County. Parents For Public Schools of Philadelphia advocates for children and schools in the Philadelphia Public School District. Make sure you give them a follow on Facebook. Parents For Public Schools of Starkville is 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. Columbia Parents for Public Schools promotes parent engagement to improve education and build public support for public schools in Columbia.
Nebraska
Stand for Schools sent out a very important legislative alert this month about teacher lesson plans. Nebraska Loves Public Schools new video Harvesting Hope is an incredible film. Please watch and share. They are presently fighting voucher bills in their state.
Nevada
Educate Nevada NOW thanked school counselors for going above and beyond especially in Nevada where their ratio is 460 students p/counselor. Recommended avg. is 250:1. Our counselors and students deserve better. Northern Nevada Parents and Teachers United was created in 2021 as a response to the growing frustration of parents and teachers about the state of Nevada’s schools. They believe that parents and teachers both want what is best for children, and our schools will only get better when those who work in them are valued and respected. To learn more about their work visit their website.
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 posted information for parents of students with disabilities about a webinar through Rutgers University and the Education Law Center. If you are a parent in New Jersey, go here for more information. Check out The Newark Students Union events tab on their Facebook page. The posted events provide an excellent template for student organizing. The Delran Education Association thanked their PTA/PTO for doing so much for the Delran community. 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 hosted a Virtual Read Across America 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.
New York
Class Size Matters director Leonie Haimson hosts a fantastic radio show, Talk Out of School. Go here for dates and times you can listen in. The Alliance for Quality Education, as part of the NYC Coalition for Educational Justice, joined First Deputy Public Advocate Nick E. Smith on Valentine’s Day to advocate for culturally responsive education. Go here to view that video. Follow New York Allies for Public Education on their website for the latest news on opting out in New York. LI Opt-Out has had a busy school year trying to help parents navigate the pandemic. To keep up with all they are doing to navigate the school year be sure to visit their public Facebook page. NYC Opt Out continues to expose the detriment that testing, specifically the MAP, does to teaching and learning in NYC. Give Change the Stakes a follow on Facebook to keep up with what is happening in NYC education during the COVID crisis. NY BATs is the largest state chapter of the Badass Teachers Association, currently over 3,400 educators strong. Head over to their Facebook page to find out what they are working on. Give FUSE (New Rochelle Federation of United School Employees) a follow on Twitter to find out how they will navigate the upcoming school year. MORE-UFT worked to get the NY Health Care Act passed this month. 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 reminded students and parents to show themselves some grace during these difficult times. Croton Advocates for Public Education (CAPE) advocates for fair assessments, enrichment opportunities, and funding for their schools. 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 website for all that is happening with Rochester education, meeting schedules, and information.
North Carolina
Public Schools First NC and Wake County hosted a webinar for social workers in action this month. Carolina Families for School Testing Reform are working together to bring legislative change to the NC Public School Testing. They are advocating for fewer tests, fairer tests, and fruitful tests. Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods Organizers Circle welcomed retired WSSU Mathematics Professor, former City Council Woman, and Winston-Salem icon, Dr. Virginia K. Newel. If you know anyone who lives in North Carolina, please send them this survey by the Pastors for North Carolina Children. Pastors for NC Children is launching Mission Amplify in North Carolina to support public schools. Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County hosted an event to learn about Kindergarten this month.
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 updated on the redistricting issue impacting Ohio this month. 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. Parents For Public Schools of Greater Cincinnati post upcoming events on their open Facebook page. Northeast Ohio Friends of Public Education has a fantastic website full of information that is centered around public education in Ohio. Public Education Partners (PEP) shared that the State budget bill (HB110) expanded funding of and eligibility for EdChoice Vouchers and more expansion is in the works.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee launched an alert about vouchers in Oklahoma. Pastors for Oklahoma Children Director Pastor Clarke spoke with Claire Grace, who runs an Oklahoma non-profit that teaches SEL concepts in local schools. Claire helped to explain why SB 1442 would harm Oklahoma kids. Go here for that interview. 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 continues their work to end annual standardized testing. Oregon BATs organizes in a closed Facebook group. If you are an Oregon teacher or community member, ask to join and connect.
Pennsylvania
The Keystone State Education Coalition publishes a daily PA education policy roundup. Pennsylvania School Board Association VideoEDition this month focuses on Gov. Wolf’s budget. The Pittsburgh Task Force on the Right to Education Champion Awards recognizes outstanding Pittsburgh Public Schools teachers, paraprofessionals, personal care assistants, therapists, school staff, principals, administrators, and fellow students who, through their work, support or friendship, ensure that children with disabilities are provided equal opportunity and access to quality education. If you know of someone that meets that criteria in Pittsburgh, nominate them here. Education Voters PA Executive Director Susan Spicka was interviewed on PCNTV this month. Susan talked about all things school funding, including an update on the PA school funding lawsuit trial and what was learned from Right to Know responses for cyber charter advertising expenses. Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools published the Philadelphia Board of Education testimonies and remarks from late last 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 continue to share important information on how unfair funding impacts public schools in PA.
Rhode Island
The Providence Student Union continues to mobilize for the removal of SRO’s from school campuses. To keep up with what is happening in Rhode Island, give the Parents Across Rhode Island Facebook page a follow.
South Carolina
The Quality Education Project Director Dr. Kendall Deas was featured in the story of the week by Public Voices for Public Schools. You can read his powerful story about community voice here.
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. Also, Pastors for Tennessee Children Executive Director Amy Frogge had a fantastic viral tweet about the ten things wrong with TN charters this month. Tennessee Strong continues to share articles written in the Tennessee Education Report. The latest article has educator Ellen Dahlke discuss her experience teaching this year. Tennessee BATs organize 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 appeared on Y’all-itics podcast to discuss the playbook to takedown Texas public schools. CFISD Community Leadership Committee are parents, business owners, and community members, partnering with the CFISD and area lawmakers to enable the success of all children in the CFSID community. 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 was up to this month in their newsletter. If you know of anyone in the Houston community, please have them connect with Parents For Public Schools of Houston. They do fantastic work in Houston. Community Voices For Public Education is a local group of parents, students, teachers, and community members working to improve public education in Houston. Go here to keep up with their actions and activity. 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 works to uphold democratic community schools by evaluating education policy and communicating findings to the public. Founded in 2017, they have been determined to make an impact for the betterment of local ISDs. To keep up with their work, go here. Be sure to check out Texas AFT’s charter schools and privatization resource on their website. El Paso Alliance for Just Schools are streaming a live Accountability Session for TX State Board of Education Candidates this month.
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 organize 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.
Washington State
WA BATs organizes in a closed Facebook group. Go here to join and connect. Washington’s Paramount Duty is a non-partisan, grassroots group of parents and allies working to compel the state to amply fund basic education and swiftly fulfill its paramount duty. They envision a future where every child has equitable access to an amply funded basic education.
West Virginia
West Virginia United Caucus is a caucus of rank-and-file members dedicated to helping create a more democratic, member-run union, whose purpose is to help empower communities and workers around a common set of ideas. Visit their website to learn more about their work.
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Public Education Network is posting their education legislation watch this month. If you live in Wisconsin, or know someone who does, send them here for updates. Schools and Communities United continue to share important information that impact Milwaukee schools. Be sure to like them on Facebook if you live in Milwaukee, or if you know someone who does send them there. If you live in the Milwaukee community join Parents for Public Schools Milwaukee. They are an organization that is focused on finding and implementing solutions that will help children receive the high-quality public education they deserve.
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.