Grassroots Education Network- June 2023 Newsletter
The NPE Grassroots Education Network is a nationwide network of over 195 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
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. 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.
If you go to our conference site, you will find links to the following:
· Register for the conference.
· Reserve your hotel room.
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 October as we celebrate our tenth anniversary.
National Organizing
The Network for Public Education latest report A Sharp Turn Right found that Roger Bacon Academies, Hillsdale charters, and other Christian nationalist charter schools masquerade as public schools but operate like right-wing faith schools. They blur and even erase the line between church and state. Read, and be sure to share, our new report. Defending the Early Years have released information on their 5th annual summer institute, which will be online this year. Go here for more information. Anatomy of a Victory: How a coalition that included community members, teachers, school employees, and education leaders fought a California charter petition—and won is the latest installment of In The Public Interest’s blog. The Journey for Justice Alliance Equity or Else campaign is back at it with their weekly Twitter Storms. Go here for more information. The Schott Foundation provided an #EdJustice Update this month. Look at all the amazing work that is being done for education and social justice. Rethinking Schools provided materials for the Teach the Truth campaign this month. 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. Read the latest blog on parent engagement from Parents for Public Schools, Inc.
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 US about how communities are navigating the attempt to privatize public education. The Ontario (Canada) Secondary School Teachers Federation provided their staff with resources to build inclusive and safer schools for our students during Pride Month. Congratulations to Support Our Students Alberta who received the 2023 Special Contribution to Public Education: Media Award from Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta – PSBAA. Uniting to Save Our Schools (USOS) hosted a Demoralization vs. Burnout webinar in early 2023. You can view that video here. First Focus Campaign for Children promoted Children’s Week 2023 this month. Go here to get information on this wonderful campaign.
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 shared that Montessori School Juana Rodriguez Mundo in Canóvanas celebrated the transition of students from the Children’s Houses, Ceiba Tree, Oak Tree and Flamboyan Tree. Fairplay launched a new resource this month called Be Tech Wise with Preschoolers. Equal Opportunity Schools can help you to get a clear understanding of student interest and make informed decisions about advanced course programming. Go here to get more information. 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 educate the public in Puerto Rico about charter schools. Defense of Democracy created a great video titled The Faces of Extremism: Mom’s for Liberty Summit Speakers. The Education Truth Project hosted a Roundtable Discussion this month. The title of the discussion was Ending Books Bans and their guests were Illinois Rep. Nabeela Syed and Illinois School Board Member for D211, Kim Cavill.
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
Grassroots Arkansas asked the Arkansas community to sign a petition saying no to the Governors LEARN Act. Go here to see a video for information and share it with anyone you know who lives in Arkansas.
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 provided a fact sheet as to why Arizona schools are in a state of emergency due to ESA legislation. 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 sponsored two art and history workshops for youth/students in their area late last month. 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 took part in a counter protest against parents who were protesting a book about all different kinds of families. Go here to see the video. The San Francisco Berniecrats Education Justice Committee joined the fight to restore ESL classes to the City College of San Francisco campus. Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco held a roundtable discussion this month about attendance. If you live in San Francisco be sure to check out their Facebook page for upcoming events they will be holding throughout the summer. The San Francisco Education Alliance joined the network this month. To learn more about their work visit their website.
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 asked the Denver community to email the State Board of Education on Student Data Privacy and Ed Reform. Go here for more information.
Connecticut
Connecticut Public Schools Advocates Children are Connecticut families and educators advocating for safe, equitable, fully funded public schools. To keep up with their posts, actions, and activities go here. 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 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. The Florida Council of Churches offered a prayer this month to counter violent nationalism. Go here to read that prayer. Opt-Out Florida Network is asking Floridians impacted by book bans, the WOKE Act, or any other K-12 censorship to contact the ACLU. 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 will be holding their gala fundraiser on September 27th. If you live in the Hillsborough area, or know someone who does, please attend and support an amazing organization that supports public schools. Go here for more information. Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida advocates for better public education policies by educating voters through data driven messaging, challenging false narratives, and helping elect pro public education candidates to local, state, and federal offices. 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. Families for Safe Schools’ unfortunately disbanded in April as members of their leadership will be exiting the state. Go here for an article on that. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State Atlantic Coast Chapter (AUACC) is a chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. AU 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. To learn more about the Atlantic Coast Chapter go here. Support our Schools strongly believes in the power of true public education. They believe that all children, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or religion are entitled to a modern education in a safe and inclusive environment. They support teachers, administrators, and school boards as they work together to provide the highest quality education to all children. The National Organization for Women Jacksonville mourned the loss of journalist, activist, and civil rights leader Ben Frazier this month. The Florida Freedom to Read Project sponsored a booth at Pride Weekend in St. Petersburg this month. Families for Strong Public Schools’ Tampa Bay Regional Organizer Nikki Rivera joined parents, students, community leaders, and LGBTQ community advocates at the Polk County School Board Meeting supporting the continuation of the annual Pride Month Proclamation.
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) 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 has been working hard to stop the building of cop city in Atlanta. Go here for more information.
Hawaii
Want to learn about all the amazing things public schools do for children in Hawaii? Visit Parents for Public Schools Hawaii Facebook page.
Illinois
Illinois Raise Your Hand released a survey asking the community to give input on what it would take for every neighborhood school to be fully funded and thriving. Illinois Families for Public Schools shared their Pride Month guide and asked their community to continue to contact their legislators and ask them to be year-round allies for the LGBTQ+ community by taking a public stance in opposition to the IL Invest in Kids voucher program that funds LGBTQ+ discrimination.
Indiana
The Indiana Coalition for Public Education (ICPE) posted a letter from Russell Phillips who is a ICPE member, friend and long-time educator that addresses the waning of K-12 public education. Indiana Coalition for Public Schools – Monroe County advocates for all children to have high quality, equitable, well-funded schools that are subject to democratic oversight by their communities. Visit their website for more information. 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 June. 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 shared the slate of 2023-2024 Executive Officers that was passed unanimously by their voting members. Go here to view their new slate. 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 is 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 made history this month. Go here to read the exciting news.
Kentucky
Be sure to visit Dear JCPS’ website for updates on what is happening in Jefferson County. Schools Our Schools Kentucky is Kentucky’s longest-running statewide advocacy group stopping well-funded privatizers and outside special interests from destroying our public schools. To keep up with their events and actions go here. Sharing from last year, the Pastors for Kentucky Children had their name on an amicus brief supporting public schools in a lawsuit. This is a great example for other groups to follow in defending their public schools, communities, and families.
Louisiana
Step Up Louisiana celebrated Juneteenth with a live performance play by Mrs Barbara Hunter. The Readers Are Leaders participated by reciting a Poem and giving a presentation on what Juneteenth is about. Go here to see their amazing Reel.
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 thanked Teacher of the Year Danielle Charbonneau for sharing her wisdom on how to improve things for MA high school students, including passing the Thrive Act. The New Bedford Coalition to Save our Schools is a grassroots organization primarily made up of New Bedford families, students, and educators in New Bedford and the Greater New Bedford area. Be sure to visit their website to keep up with monthly meetings and activities.
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) shared that the Moms for Liberty in Kent County and other “parents rights” groups that continue to attack their local schools were added this week to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s list of extreme hate groups.
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
The entire grassroots network offers our love and prayers to the Moss Point community and Parents for Public Schools – Moss Point as they recover from horrific tornadoes in their area. Go here to see how the Moss Point community and schools are assisting in the clean up. 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.
Nebraska
Stand for Schools provided an update on LB 753 (voucher/tax credit) late last month. 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 asked their community to submit slips in support of A4639 (bill to end high school exit testing) this month. 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 supported giving a child in Paterson the gift of reading this summer. Go here for more information. 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 founder and executive director Leonie Haimson hosted Michael Mulgrew UFT – United Federation of Teachers President this month on her show Talk Out of School. Go here to see more information on the show. New York Allies for Public Education are a network of organizations who support public education and oppose the current excessive test. To keep up with their events visit their website. LI Opt-Out led the largest testing opt out movement in the country in 2015. To learn about their strategies and activities go to their website. 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 is hiring a communications associate. If you would like to join their team, please apply using this link. 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 listed the reasons why they do not support the proposed contract for their union. 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 launched their campaign about why vouchers are not good for NC. Go here to see the graphics and information. 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 held an in person workshop this month for community organizing. To keep up with the Pastors for North Carolina Children be sure to check out their Linktree platform. Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County shared the Pitt County Schools School Nutrition Services Free Summer Meals for children ages 18 & under. Click this link for site locations, dates and times.
Ohio
Keep up with the Ohio BATs on their open Facebook page. 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) is the leading volunteer advocacy group for public education in Ohio. PEP is a statewide coalition of parents, grassroots citizen groups, school board members, educators, and school administrators that advocate for high quality public education. For more information on this organization visit their website.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee had a meet-up this month at Social Capital OKC. District Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, Principals and their amazing parent advocates gathered to have fun and explore new avenues for advocacy for public education. Pastors for Oklahoma Children executive director Clark Frailey was quoted in this article in the Tulsa World about the state greenlighting the first Catholic charter school. 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 opposed lifeline scholarships in state budget negotiations this month. PSBA felt this approach is counterproductive to discussions on the school funding decision and efforts to ensure students receive an opportunity to succeed. The Pittsburgh Task Force on the Right to Education continues to hold monthly meetings. If you live in Pittsburgh be sure to connect and join them in their advocacy for public education. Education Voters PA has a fantastic website full of education-related resources for PA citizens. Lisa Haver and Lynda Rubin from The Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools Philadelphia latest website blog explores the impact of the board in the last five years. BASD (Bethlehem Area School District) shared important information about lifeline scholarships (vouchers) 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 congratulated their co-director Eugenie Rose Belony for receiving the Emerging Leader Award. 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 their work go here.
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 #TNReady 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 is a ministry that serves Texas’ neighborhood public schools through prayer, service, and advocacy. They support their schools by initiating school assistance programs with local congregations, promoting social justice for children, and advancing legislation that puts the needs of Texas children, families, and communities first. To keep up with this amazing organization visit their website. CFISD Community Leadership Committee attended the latest CLC meeting this month in the new Mark Henry Administration Building. Following bill updates and committee recaps, they concluded with a tour of the beautiful new facility. 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. Check out RootEd’s latest newsletter The Branch to see what they have planned for the summer. Community Voices For Public published the powerful testimony by Julia Ortiz, a student from HISD who said, “What I found the most interesting was the chart showing us kids as market share for charters. This is basically equating us to candy bars sold at the gas station. By the way, I do not like being called market share. What I also don’t like is being equivalent to a STAAR test result.” 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 published all the resolutions that passed at their state convention this month. El Paso Alliance for Just Schools is a coalition of local community members, grassroots and labor. Head over to their open Facebook page to keep up with all their events. 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) published a powerful Reel on Juneteenth 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 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 saluted Roscoe Burnem for calling attention to vendors that serve RPS. Mr. Burnem has waited a long time for money to pay participants at a poetry slam. For more on this story go here.
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 is fighting non-stop against the expansion of vouchers in their state. They have highlighted Sen. Kelda Roys as their public school champion this month. To learn more go here. To learn about the values of Schools and Communities United be sure to visit their website. Parents for Public Schools Milwaukee joined a rally this month in Madison to stand up to the Evers budget and to demand that better funding for public schools and no expansion of vouchers.
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.