Grassroots Education Network- March 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.
Applications for the Phyllis Bush Memorial Award for Grassroots Organizing are due May 1st. The Phyllis Bush Memorial Award for Grassroots Organizing is an annual award that includes a monetary prize. It is given to a grassroots group that best exemplifies the ideals of Phyllis Bush. We are looking for a grassroots group that has made a substantial difference in fighting the privatization of public education during 2022 and or 2023. The award will be given at our annual conference on October 28 and 29 in Washington, DC. The winner of the award will be announced at the conference. Awardees must have at least one member in attendance at the conference in order to receive the award.
We can’t wait to see you this October as we celebrate our tenth anniversary.
National Organizing
The Network for Public Education’s Executive Director Carol Burris thanks Darcie Cimarusti for her years of service to NPE. “Since I began as Executive Director of NPE in 2015, I have had the pleasure of working with a wonderful artist and public education advocate, Darcie Cimarusti. I could always count on Darcie to create the perfect graphic that transmitted exactly what we wanted to say. Known as Mother Crusader in her home state of New Jersey, Darice is a superb researcher who scours the internet and connects all the dots, “digging up the dirt” on school privatizers from coast to coast. She is relentless, brave, and kind. It is now time for Darcie to move on to other challenges, so she is retiring from NPE. We wish her the best and thank her for her untiring service and devotion to public education and NPE.” Defending the Early Years is a non-profit organization working for a just, equitable, and quality early childhood education for every young child. DEY advocates for substantial economic and social safety nets for all children because equitable education can only occur when society meets children’s basic needs for whole health and well-being. Be sure to visit their website for some fantastic resources. Be sure to visit In The Public Interest’s website, specifically their section on charter schools. The Journey for Justice Alliance alliance builds on more than 20 years of work designing and implementing “full-service community schools” in high-poverty neighborhoods. To see their template for community schools, go here. The Schott Foundation, Race Forward, and NYU Metro Center are pleased to announce the latest round of H.E.A.L. Together grantees in response to increased attacks on public education. Rethinking Schools mourned the loss of the disability rights activist Judy Heumann. They published a review of her magnificent, student-friendly young adult version of her autobiography, Rolling Warrior. The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy shared that Louisiana legislated student protections from digital device health risks. Louisiana is the fourth state to create health and safety guidelines for schools. Congratulations to Parents for Public Schools, Inc., recently awarded a $25,000 sponsorship from Amerigroup. The sponsorship will allow PPS to partner with public schools throughout Mississippi to improve student health outcomes. PPS National Policy Analyst Becky Glover wrote a superb essay for the PPS National website. Why We Chose the Public School Path: A Family’s Experience is a must-read and share.
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 President Karen Littlewood spoke at the Annual Meeting of the Provincial Assembly about the vibrant and passionate OSSTF/FEESO community that makes public education possible in Ontario. Support Our Students Alberta posted a video about the dangers of school choice in Canada. Wear Red for Ed is a grassroots movement started by parents and teachers to stand up for Public Education. To learn more about their work, go here. Uniting to Save Our Schools (USOS) hosted a Demoralization vs. Burnout webinar in late January. You can view that video here. In February, they also hosted a webinar on Examining the Moral Injuries and Oppressive Impacts of High Stakes Tests; Dialogue on Alternatives and Actions. We will post that video in our April newsletter. First Focus Campaign for Children published an issue brief this month on the expedited process for immigrant children and their families. You can read that brief here.
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 announced that the first public Montessori festival would be held in May in Tao Baja, Puerto Rico. Fairplay launched their Screen Aware Early Childhood Action Kit this month. Equal Opportunity Schools launched their Student Insight Card, which identifies readiness indicators for advanced courses and barriers that could prevent students from enrolling. 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. The Saphron Initiative, in partnership with several other organizations, launched a campaign this month to tell Congress to pass the DREAM Act. Go here for more information. Congratulations to the Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico, who inaugurated a new office in Mayagüez to serve all the federated tuition in the west. Defense of Democracy shared a powerful video that noted a donation by any extremist group should be met with a school board’s *PRECISE* response. In this video, the Hudson Valley, NY chapter presented the Arlington CSD with evidence of Moms for Liberty’s bigotry, hatred, censorship, and hate. The school board didn’t blink an eye in seeing the donation of “pocket constitutions” as a Trojan horse. Our Schools USA joined the network this month. To learn about their work go here.
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 information.
Arkansas
Grassroots Arkansas supported students in Arkansas who are standing up to the Governor’s LEARNs Bill, which will expand school choice in the state.
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 launched its Arizona Classroom Crisis Campaign this month. Arizona Educators United held a monthly community meeting to discuss praise for Governor Hobbs and a snapshot of what is currently happening at the Arizona Department of Education- vouchers, SEL, and more attacks on educators. They also issued a Call to Action to support public school educators.
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 sent a letter to the West Covina Mayor and Council Members, sharing a deep disappointment that a community member was denied the right to recite a land acknowledgment before their meeting. 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 helped Valerio families get 1,000 signatures to stop Charter co-location on their campus this month. 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 asked community members to join them because SFUSD is considering changing the transitional kindergarten (TK) application process. Go here for more information.
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 Dr. Mike DeGuire on why billionaires are investing in districts like Denver Public Schools.
Connecticut
Connecticut Public Schools Advocates Children shared a critical article about the Connecticut teacher shortage. Author, activist, and educator Jesse Hagopian published his article, Legalize Black History on the Children Are More Than Test Scores Facebook page. You can access that post here. 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 with all that is happening in the New London Public Schools.
Delaware
This month, the Friends of Christina School District held a school board candidate forum.
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 hosted a Prayer Breakfast this month. The theme was: Uniting in Spirit for Public Education in Florida. NPE President Diane Ravitch and Pastor Wendell Griffin were the guest speakers. To read more about the event, go here. The Florida Council of Churches Executive Director, The Rev. Dr. Russell L. Meyer, wrote a powerful piece on the role of ecumenical Christianity in Florida today. Opt-Out Florida Network shared an article by Tom Edwards, a Sarasota school board member. Tom is standing tall for public education, even though it means he’s in the crosshairs of DeSantis and the Moms for Liberty. Pinellas Parents Advocating for Public Schools are working hard to educate the public on the FL book bans. Go to their open 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. Give Hillsborough Public School Advocates a follow on Twitter at @HPSAdvocates to amplify FL parent voices to legislators, news agencies, and fellow public school supporters around the country. Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida has opened up its 2023 conference registration to be held in April. 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. If you live in Florida, join Families for Safe Schools’ community Facebook page. Americans United for the Separation of Church Atlantic Coast Chapter had a successful Separation Chat this month. Go here to see pictures from that event. Support our Schools, USA with League of Women voters sponsored a community forum this month. Go here to see the video of that event. The National Organization for Women Jacksonville blog has excellent updates on all the actions and events that JAX NOW conducts for public education in Florida. The Florida Freedom to Read Project sponsored a Let Florida Read campaign this month. The Florida Freedom to Read Project was also mentioned for their hard work on book banning in the NY Times and WUSF Public Media. Families for Strong Public Schools are asking Floridians to take action on HB1 and HB 202 this month. The campaign is asking the public to defeat universal vouchers in FL.
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) shared an article about another bad voucher bill popping up in GA. Go here to read that article. 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 shared on Twitter that the Georgia House Rules Committee met this month, earlier than expected, and rushed SB140 to the house floor, fast-tracking a transphobic bill.
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 is working hard to educate the community about what Mayoral control of public schools means. Illinois Families for Public Schools, with a coalition of more than 50 state and national organizations, called for an end to the Illinois school voucher program. IFPS also exposed dark money organizations on the ground in school board races in Illinois. Finally, IFPS Director Cassie Creswell and IFPS Board Member Diane Horwitz wrote this piece for the Washington Post on why the race for the Mayor of Chicago is high stakes for Chicago schools.
Indiana
Members of The Indiana Coalition for Public Education (ICPE) published a blog to allow Indiana residents to see if their district will lose money in Fiscal Year 2025. Indiana Coalition for Public Schools – Monroe County published the losses that Monroe County and Monroe County schools accrued due to vouchers. The Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education shared that the Ft. Wayne community schools project is advancing. Be sure to visit the Northwest Indiana Coalition for Public Education Facebook page for updates on what is happening in NW Indiana. Washington Township Parent Council Network hosted a forum on safety and security measures in their school district. 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 administrator Randy Richards provided feedback on education bills passed this month in Iowa. Go here to read his comments.
Kansas
Game on for Kansas Schools published a letter in opposition to SB83 (voucher bill). The Personnel Association of Lawrence- Communication Workers of America mailed a powerful letter late last month in response to district budget cuts.
Kentucky
Dear JCPS stood in solidarity with truck drivers who deliver food to schools. The truck drivers are thinking of striking for better wages and work conditions. To learn more, go here. Schools Our Schools Kentucky shared information about a horrible anti-trans bill passed by the Kentucky state legislature. If you live in Kentucky, please be sure to give Pastors for Kentucky Children a follow on Facebook.
Louisiana
Step Up Louisiana stood with dollar store workers fighting for better pay and safe working conditions this month.
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 hosted a free in-person Family2Family Conference this month. The theme this year was Creating Safe and Welcoming Schools. The New Bedford Coalition to Save our Schools shared photos of their monthly meeting and invited anyone who lives in the New Bedford area to attend.
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 creating more resources to adapt to Michigan’s evolving advocacy landscape. Go here to check out all the help they have to offer.
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 hosted a Call the Capitol Day this month. Go here to see that campaign. Parents For Public Schools of Greenwood and Leflore County strengthen public schools by engaging, educating, and mobilizing parents in their community. To keep up with their events, go here. Give Parents For Public Schools of Philadelphia a follow on Twitter if you live in their area. They post updates for education and community events. Parents For Public Schools of Starkville is a local organization working to strengthen public schools in Starkville. They promote the extraordinary work in the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District.
Missouri
Keep up with the Missouri BATs by giving them a follow on Twitter.
Nebraska
Stand for Schools continued to work hard to stop LB753. Stand for Schools posted that the bill is the wrong choice for Nebraska, but Senator Lou Ann Linehan and Governor Jim Pillen threatened to withhold $2.5 billion in funding for Nebraska’s K-12 public schools. To read more about this bill and its progress, go here. 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 NJ announced this month that Assemblyman Caputo’s bill to end high school exit testing has passed out of Committee unanimously. NJSOS appreciates the bipartisan support. 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’s work to bring Restorative Practices to Paterson Public Schools is featured in a national report. Follow the link to access Co-governing toward multiracial democracy. Parents Educating Parents will be co-hosting a community Easter Party next month. The New Jersey Community Schools Coalition celebrate the work of their community partners who also work hard to forward the power of community schools.
New York
Class Size Matters published a briefing on why the charter cap should NOT be raised in NYC. The briefing discusses the need for significant amendments to the law to reduce NYC’s financial burden and require more charter accountability. New York Allies for Public Education & LI Opt-Out launched their #OptOut 2023 campaign this month. NYC Opt Out also began its opt-out drive with a Zoom webinar on how to opt out of testing and a teach-in covering the grades 3-8 testing program. The Alliance for Quality Education rallied this month to demand that the state legislature reject Gov. Hochul’s billionaire budget and instead invest in working-class communities. Change the Stakes has resources on their open Facebook page about testing and opting out for NYC and NY parents. NY BATs are asking NY citizens to support the City University of New York from budget cuts and tuition increases. To find out what FUSE (New Rochelle Federation of United School Employees) is working on, visit their website here. MORE-UFT hosted a People’s Forum 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 supports and sustains public schools and promotes parents’ involvement in public schools and their children’s education. They reaffirm and work to preserve the American tradition and ideal of free, open, non-discriminatory, publicly funded, democratically governed public schools. You can follow their work here. The Port Washington Advocates for Public Education closed Facebook group is a place to connect and organize if you live in Port Washington, NY. North Country Alliance For Public Education works to end the reliance on high-stakes testing and stop the privatization taking over their schools. If you live in the North Country of New York, consider joining their closed Facebook group to connect. The Rochester Coalition for Public Education co-sponsored an important in-person education conference called Motivation for Your Journey: Opportunities for Self-Reflection and Growth last month.
North Carolina
Public Schools First NC published a powerful Reel on Facebook highlighting legislative voucher updates. 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 met with residents of Northwood Estates in collaboration with Piedmont Environmental Alliance and Yadkin Riverkeeper to discuss some of the soil erosion that happened along Brushy Fork Creek. Pastors for North Carolina Children and Every Child NC held a prayer vigil for children this month. The vigil was before the Leandro Hearing with Judge Ammons in Wake County Superior Court. Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County ended their school tours this month. PPS Pitt County had 18 adult participants and 11 youth participants. PPS Pitt County also thanked its sponsors for their spring tour series.
Ohio
Keep up with the Ohio BATs on their open Facebook page. It Takes A Village To Tackle The Attack on Public Education put out an action alert asking Ohioans to ask their lawmakers to vote no on SB1. 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 kicked off their parent education program this month. To learn more, or apply if you are in the area, visit their website. Northeast Ohio Friends of Public Education listed their 2024/2025 budget priorities. You can read their priorities at this link. Public Education Partners (PEP) shared that the Columbus City Schools Board of Education said this month that the district would lose $5 million in tax revenue if proposed legislation passes in the Ohio General Assembly. The board also opposed the two school funding bills currently receiving hearings in the Ohio House and Senate, saying, “Ohio taxpayers and local communities will bear the brunt of having to subsidize parent choice for those parents who choose never to enroll their children in Ohio’s quality public schools.”
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee noted that an advisory opinion from the Attorney General’s Office indicates State Superintendent Ryan Walters may not have the authority to pursue controversial new state agency rules on school library books and sexual education materials. OKPLAC is also busy tracking legislation that further privatizes OK public schools, including a $300 million refundable tax credit for all private and homeschooled kids and expansion of the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship. Add into the mix organizing against St. Isidore’s Statewide Virtual Charter School Application submitted by the OKC and Tulsa Archdiocese. If this is approved, it will be the country’s first outwardly religious charter school. OKPLAC is working with Americans United for the Separation of Church and State to fight this. The March meeting of the board was canceled, so they expect a vote on this on April 11. Pastors for Oklahoma Children launched their newly updated resource center this month. Go here to check it out. 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) are working with the national Parents for Public Schools and other West Coast chapters to enhance their parent education program. They held an informational meeting this month. If you live in the area, please check out their website for upcoming meetings.
Pennsylvania
The Keystone State Education Coalition publishes a daily PA education policy roundup. Pennsylvania School Board Association announced that very soon, their Member Outreach Team will be available on a regular weekly basis for office hours. The Pittsburgh Task Force on the Right to Education held their annual Champions Award this month. We will have the results in our April newsletter. Education Voters PA has a fantastic website full of education-related resources for PA citizens. The Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools published an update on the Southwest Leadership Academy Charter non-renewal hearing. BASD (Bethlehem Area School District) Parents will hold an advocacy day on April 26. Go here for more information. DASD Parent Partners (Downington, PA) are committed to meeting the needs of all Downingtown students and developing working groups to take action around their set priorities. To learn more about their work and priorities, go here.
Rhode Island
The Providence Student Union will create a comprehensive wellness space in the basement of their offices. This would provide a safe, supportive after-school space for all PPSD students to unwind, reflect and learn new self-care skills. PSU envisions hiring a licensed wellness advocate to support students through workshops, one-on-one meetings, and group opportunities. To learn more about this new project, go here. Please visit the Parents Across Rhode Island website to keep up with what is happening in Rhode Island.
South Carolina
Congratulations to The Quality Education Project administrator Dr. Kendall Deas for being awarded the 2023 Social Justice Award from the University of South Carolina.
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 continues to share articles written in the Tennessee Education Report. The latest article discusses the statewide agenda to privatize public education. 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 headed to the capitol this month to give testimony against vouchers. CFISD Community Leadership Committee conducted a campaign asking Texas citizens to stand against voucher legislation. Go here to see that campaign. 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, with Raise Your Hand Texas, stood firm against voucher legislation this month. Parents For Public Schools of Houston is committed to building a network of diverse parent, family, and community voices to ensure a high-quality education for all children in the Greater Houston Area. Go here to keep up with their activities and events. Community Voices For Public Education co-founder Ruth Kravetz wrote this powerful article in the Texas Observer about the state takeover of the Houston school district. Our Schools San Antonio encouraged Texans to attend the Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition town hall on how to protect Texas public schools. The Coalition for Equity in Public Education has a fantastic website with resources for Texas parents and advocates. Texas AFT held a successful public education advocacy day this month and, like all Texas groups, launched a massive anti-voucher campaign. El Paso Alliance for Just Schools posted that the State takeover of the Houston school district that is based on standardized test outcomes in a SINGLE school of the 200,000 student district is both a legislative AND bureaucratic action to push charter schools among other agendas. Public Schools First McKinney talked with the former principal of McKinney, Isiah Joshua, this month. The Coalition for Public Schools has a great website full of resources for Texas public education advocates. Go here to access their website.
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 encouraged Virginia citizens to attend the monthly public meeting to discuss the history and social studies learning standards. Richmond For All’s Disability Rights Caucus and Katie Sponsler sponsored a public forum this month about the intersection of disability rights and the struggle against police violence.
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 marched this month to save PEIA (their health insurance benefits).
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Public Education Network has launched information about its excellent summer institute. Go here for information and registration. Schools and Communities United are asking Milwaukee community members to join in an art build next month. They are creating art to support more significant funding in the state budget for Wisconsin public schools. Parents for Public Schools Milwaukee shared a powerful resource on their Facebook page by the Southern Poverty Law Center. This resource shows the consequences of private school 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.