Grassroots Education Network- March 2024 Newsletter
The NPE Grassroots Education Network is a nationwide network of over 200 grassroots organizations that have joined together to preserve, promote, improve, and strengthen our public schools. If you know of a group that would like to join this robust network, please go here to sign on.
If you have any questions about the NPE Grassroots Education Network, please get in touch with Marla Kilfoyle, NPE Grassroots Education Network Liaison, at marlakilfoyle@networkforpubliceducation.org
Notes from Marla
NPE Releases New State-By-State Report Card!
Neighborhood public schools remain the first choice of the overwhelming majority of American families. Yet despite their popularity, or perhaps because of their popularity, there are well-funded extremists who are fighting to destroy them. These extremists want to take away your freedom to elect who governs your schools, replacing elected school boards with corporations, churches or no supervision at all.
But it is not too late. NPE’s new state-by-state report card, Public Schooling in America connects the dots between the growing number of laws and policies designed to disparage and underfund public schools and the privatization goals of the far-right. We identify the best and the worst State Houses for supporting public schools and their students. Our report identifies the laws and policies that can change in order to secure a brighter future for our nation’s children—the banning of corporal punishment, protections for homeschooled children, adequate funding, qualified teachers, and the freedom to teach and learn without fear.
Be sure to watch NPE Executive Director Carol Burris on NPE’s TikTok discuss the report. In this short video Carol said, “We don’t have a public school “problem” in America, we have a state house problem.”
You can read and share our new report here.
National Organizing
Network for Public Education founding board member and scholar Julian Vasquez Heilig submitted testimony on the flaws and fallacies associated with the contemporary charter school movement. You can watch Julian’s testimony here. Defending the Early Years launched the registration for their summer institute. In The Public Interest privatization report focused on public dollars funding Christian Nationalist Schools. To read this report go here. The Journey for Justice Alliance will be holding their Racial Equity Summit this August. For more information and registration go here. The Schott Foundation launched their Public School Grad campaign this month. Go here to check out this powerful campaign that celebrates the value of public education. Rethinking Schools published a fantastic article about how community building is world building this month. The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy released a statement last month about the announcement of consent decree between the NYS Attorney General’s office and College Board. Parents for Public Schools, Inc. latest Clearinghouse edition narrows the focus on vouchers down to one state – Texas – and how the hard push to force school privatization (sending public tax dollars to private schools) unfolded there last fall.
Parents Across America has a fantastic website full of resources for parents across the country. The Badass Teachers Association (BATs) expose vouchers with their powerful graphics. Go here to see one particular graphic they created about vouchers. The Trinational Coalition to Defend Public Education (USA) is a non-profit coalition of educators that organized against NAFTA at Evergreen College in Washington in 1993. Teachers at all educational levels, from Canada, including British Columbia and Ontario, and different states in Mexico, and the US formed the Trinational to protect public education from corporate predators. To keep up with all of their work visit their open Facebook page. The Ontario (Canada) Secondary School Teachers Federation celebrated their provincial award winners this month. Support Our Students Alberta is wondering what happened to the $118 million of public funds paying for the Calgary Charter Hub. One year ago, the Alberta government announced it would be funding the first boutique ‘Charter Hub’ to the tune of $118 million in Budget 2023. Since the announcement, one of the involved charter schools pulled out of the collaboration citing problems from the start. Clearly, “school Choice” means public funds diverted to private ventures. To learn more go here. Uniting to Save Our Schools (USOS) conducted a powerful action dialogue on the Struggle for Liberty last month. Go here for more information and the video of that dialogue. First Focus Campaign for Children podcast Speaking for Kids is fantastic. In this episode hosts Bruce Lesley and Messellech “Selley” Looby chat with poverty experts Megan Curran and Sophie Collyer about the Child Tax Credit.
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 over 5,000 people participated at the Montessori Fest, an event that celebrated 15 years of the New School Institute (INE) accompanying schools from the country’s public system. Fairplay is hiring a communications director! For more information on this position go here. Equal Opportunity Schools shared their three favorite things about AASA’s National Conference on Education. 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 spokesperson Pedro Pastrana was interviewed about the campaign “Increase in my pension due to inflation.” Defense of Democracy advocates for parents, teachers, students, librarians and all Americans who are fighting every day to protect their civil rights from hate groups. The Education Truth Project mission is to educate the public on real issues facing Public Schools and Boards of Education in an effort to create a more equitable public education system for all students. To learn more about their work visit their website. Power of Knowledge Foundation is an organization that is dedicated to ensuring that public education remains fully funded and safe. To keep up with their events and announcements visit their Twitter feed and their Instagram feed.
State Organizing
Please use this information clearinghouse to inform people in the various states about the NPE Grassroots Education Network organizations. Please encourage people to join them and support their work! Call family, friends, and colleagues to join the fight to save public education. This section is also a place to get great ideas on organizing and actions.
Alabama
SOS (Support our Students) shares information about the Corporate Education Reform movement and Common Core. Be sure to visit their Facebook page for updated
Arkansas
Grassroots Arkansas s a coalition of activists dedicated to fighting for an equitable Central Arkansas. They want to bring an end to social, economic, political injustice and inequality by transforming the power relations and structures that create and hold them in place. They place education at the democratic center of this struggle that reaches every aspect of our lives. To learn more about their work visit their open Facebook page.
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 continue their powerful #VoucherWatch campaign this month. Arizona Educators United #RedForEd movement is about educators coming together in solidarity for students, schools, colleagues, and communities to fight for the schools our students deserve. Be sure to give them a follow on their social media platforms here and here.
California
California Educators United is a rank-and-file-led network of educators and supporters of public education. They are part of the racial equity and social justice movement, fully funded public education through progressive taxation, and pro-public education and anti-privatization. To follow their activities, go here. The Public Core program, Between Two Teachers, is informative. To view all their archived programs, go here. The Association of RAZA Educators was established to uphold the rights and liberties of the Raza community. Education is essential to the preservation of civil and human rights. It provides the foundation for all political and economic progress and it must be a basic right of all people. Making this right a reality is the fundamental objective of A.R.E. Please visit their website to keep up with their activities. Bay Area Collective Keeping Privatizers Away from Community Schools (BACKPACS) is an organization dedicated to strengthening and protecting public education in the Bay Area. Go here to follow what they are working on. Educators for Democratic Schools-Oakland open Facebook page reports all that is happening in the Oakland Unified School District. With over 27,000 supporters, Parents Supporting Teachers is the largest Parent-Led Education Advocacy Group in Los Angeles. Their mission is to hold LAUSD accountable through direct action, amplifying the voices of public school families, and advocate for the future of public schools in the LAUSD. Visit their website to learn more about this amazing group. The San Francisco Berniecrats Education Justice Committee congratulated their new board members. San Francisco Education Alliance are parents, educators, students, elected officials, candidates, and leaders who believe in our public schools and community college and are fighting to ensure that our places of learning are fully funded, inclusive, and not privatized. Go here to learn more about their work. Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco hosted a “Opportunity Gap Learning Session” this month. Evolve California is hosting informative webinars. Be sure to visit their open Facebook page for upcoming events and webinars.
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 exposed that Advanced Colorado is working with Americans for Prosperity to try and kill a charter accountability bill. Go here to read that article. Advocates for Public Education Policy shared board member Mike DeGuire’s Colorado’s PK-12 Enrollment Declines While Billionaires Fund Charter Schools article which outlines how billionaires are trying to destroy public education in Colorado.
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 and events in their community go here.
Florida
Fund Education NOW’s Facebook page is full of information and resources for Florida residents who want to keep up with educational news. Florida BATs and Broward BATs post the latest updates on what is happening in education. Go here and here for updates. Pastors for Florida Children is a non-partisan statewide group of clergy and laity advocating for fully funded public schools. As people of faith, we have come together in recognition of the God-given potential of each child and the promise of the Florida Constitution for high-quality public schools. Be sure to check out their website for more information. In 1947 Christian farmworkers, immigrants, and criminal justice reform committees joined together to establish The Florida Council of Churches. The Council includes the state and regional offices of the same denominations that make up the National Council of Churches in Christ in the USA. These are the mainstream and historic Black churches. They are part of the conciliar ecumenical movement that emerged from the 1910 Edinburgh Conference on World Missions. To learn more about their work please visit their website. Opt-Out Florida Network continues their work in encouraging people to opt out of testing used to grade schools. Pinellas Parents Advocating for Public Schools are working hard to educate the public on the FL book bans. If you live in the area join their closed Facebook page to join the discussion. Protect Our Public Schools, Manasota believes that free, quality public education is a right for all children and is necessary for the optimal functioning of a democratic society. To keep up with their movements, go here. Miami-Dade County Public School District Parents is a grassroots group giving a voice to parents of students in any Miami-Dade County Public School. Go here to keep up with any events they hold in the Miami-Dade area. UnitED for Florida Children has a website full of resources and information. Go here to check it out. Hillsborough Public School Advocates shared an action alert for their community to include education in the Hillsborough Community Investment Tax. Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida attended the March for Public Education this month. Help Out Public Education (HOPE) vision is that public schools should be pillars in our communities that help families thrive and where children learn the knowledge and skills necessary to become engaged members of our society and economy. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State Atlantic Coast Chapter (AUACC) was founded in 1947 by a broad coalition of religious, educational and civic leaders, Americans United maintains vigorous programs in litigation, public education, grassroots activism and legislative advocacy. Since its founding, Americans United’s guiding principle has been that all Americans have the Constitutional right to practice the religion of their choice (or refrain from taking part in religion) as individual conscience dictates. Americans United works with Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Humanists and those who profess other religious beliefs or hold no religious beliefs at all. They have a very vibrant public group on Facebook. The National Organization for Women Jacksonville is an intersectional grassroots activist organization–working to promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination and achieve equal rights for all women and girls. To keep up with all of their activities go here. The Florida Freedom to Read Project is dropping a lot of receipts on their attempts to share their concerns with FLDOE regarding censorship of LGBTQ+ books. Families for Strong Public Schools shared a Public School Strong training that was being conducted this month. Go here for more information. The Purple Group of Lee County are residents who believe high-quality public schools should welcome all students and their families as the bedrock of our multicultural, multi-ethnic democracy. They organize in a closed Facebook group here. Public School Defenders: Duval County joined the network this month. To learn more about them go here. Citizens for Truth and Justice in Education also joined the network this month. They work out of Ormond Beach, FL. If you are from that area please ask to join their private group on Facebook.
Georgia
Public Education Matters Georgia is a statewide organization committed to fostering community support for quality public education in GA through outreach, information, and advocacy. To keep up with their events and activities, go here. Moms and Dads Now Enduring Surrealistic Stupidity (MADNESS) wants to build awareness and support for actual school improvement strategies like community schools and more broadly for the very real and meaningful benefits of an equitable and viable public education system that strives for good schools for all children. Visit their open Facebook page for updates. Opt-Out Georgia organized the opt-out movement in Georgia via a closed Facebook group of over 8,000 members. If you live in Georgia or know someone who does, encourage them to connect with this group. The Georgia Chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) invited their members to the Sources Conference which had a book talk with Dr. Vincent Willis. Dr. Willis’ new book showcases how Black youth have applied the ideals of democracy to their lived experiences as public school students. The Georgia Youth Justice Coalition for Action spent the end of the month at the Capitol engaging in Days of Action.
Hawaii
Want to learn about all the amazing things public schools do for children in Hawaii? Visit Parents for Public Schools Hawaii Facebook page.
Idaho
The Boundary County Human Rights Task Force exists to protect the quality of life and affirm human rights in Boundary County, Idaho. To follow their events and activities go here.
Illinois
Illinois Raise Your Hand hosted LSC certified module training this month. For future training go here. Illinois Families for Public Schools provided a news round-up for the end of this month. Everything from no more SAT’s to horrible bills introduced by lawmakers.
Indiana
The Indiana Coalition for Public Education (ICPE) supported the Washington Township Parent Council by publicizing an opportunity to speak out about the proposed charter school at a rezoning hearing this month. Go here for more information. Indiana Coalition for Public Schools – Monroe County listed five items for a Call to Action this month as the legislative session ends.. The Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education shared their most popular posts of the week on their open Facebook page. Go here to view a sample from October. Northwest Indiana Coalition for Public Education advocates for Indiana’s children and their right to a high-quality public education. To keep up with their actions, events, and news go here. 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 is a union of public and private sector workers fighting to transform our world for the working class. They are a union made up of custodians, food service workers, paraeducators, school secretaries. For more information please visit their website.
Kentucky
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. To connect with Pastors for Kentucky Children please visit their open Facebook page. Council for Better Education released a statement on a proposed amendment to the Kentucky Constitution that would give private schools public funding.
Louisiana
Step Up Louisiana joined a broad workers coalition this month in New Orleans to organize and fight back against the legislature attack on worker rights.
Maryland
Strong Schools Maryland launched their Fair Share videos this month. Go here to view these amazing videos. 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 held a “Testing the Graduation Requirement” workshop this month. At this workshop they took the MCAS and had a discussion, moderated by former MA Board of Education Chair Margaret McKenna. The New Bedford Coalition to Save Our Schools community organizer Dr. Cynthia Roy wrote this fantastic article in the New Bedford Light about ending the test and punish approach to education.
Michigan
The Michigan Network for Equity in Education advocates for equitable, democratic public education in Michigan by building coalitions and sharing information and research. To learn more about their work, go here. Save Michigan’s Public School’s goal is to connect parents, students, educators, and communities across Michigan and raise awareness of threats to public education. To communicate with their organization, check out their Facebook page. Be sure to check out Michigan Parents for Schools website for resources on how to fight for public education in Michigan. MI Ed Justice is on Instagram. Check out their Instagram page here. Trusted Voices ED is a non-partisan advocacy group of educators focused on building collaborative partnerships among teachers, administrators, and policy-makers to ensure every Michigan learner receives the highest quality of education. To learn more about them and to connect with their organization, visit their website. Support FHPS (Forest Hills Public Schools) is a 100% FHPS parent volunteer group that supports Forest Hills Public Schools and ALL public education, advancing Public Schools through elections and policy. Their mission is to support and protect public schools from partisan and manufactured attacks, so that educators and elected school board members can focus on their vital roles of providing a safe and inclusive learning environment for students. They believe all kids deserve access to safe, quality, and well-funded public schools.
Minnesota
Parents for St. Paul Schools is a grassroots organization started by parents of public school students. They favor an immediate moratorium on expanding existing charter schools in St. Paul and creating any new charter schools in St. Paul. To learn more about their organization, go here. Minnesota Collective for Educational Equity is a grassroots group of passionate educators and researchers who have organized to promote educational policy and practice that will address the alarming opportunity gaps in Minnesota.
Mississippi
Parents for Public Schools – Moss Point promotes and strengthens public schools by engaging, educating and mobilizing parents to build strong schools and healthier, vital communities to educate their children. Be sure to visit their website for more information. Parents For Public Schools of Greenwood and Leflore County strengthen public schools by engaging, educating, and mobilizing parents in their community. To keep up with their events, go here. Give Parents For Public Schools of Philadelphia a follow on Twitter if you live in their area. They post updates for education and community events.
Missouri
Keep up with the Missouri BATs by giving them a follow on Twitter.
Montana
Montanans Organized for Education has rallied community members and parents to send public comments to our legislature regarding persistent funding inadequacies that are deeply affecting our public schools. They also have been busy supporting local communities to get levies passed in this spring’s school elections.
Nebraska
Stand For Schools was founded in 2016 to support Nebraska public schools’ history of success and to find innovative ways to make them even stronger — through opportunities like early childhood education, school to career pathways, and before- and after-school and summer programming. Stand for Schools believes Nebraska does best when we come up with Nebraska solutions to Nebraska challenges. Education is no exception. Nebraska Loves Public Schools is known for its influential short films that are focused on the power of public education. You can access all of their films at this link.
Nevada
Educate Nevada NOW is a multi-year campaign to secure school finance reform and improve education outcomes in Nevada. To learn more about their organization go here.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Leaders for Just Schools are NH public school educators dedicated to creating more equitable and just learning environments. Please give them a follow on Twitter to keep up with what they are doing. Barrington Educators Association is the local chapter of the New Hampshire-NEA. You can view the updated work here. To contact them about issues happening in NH, go here.
New Jersey
Save our Schools New Jersey is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization of parents and other public education supporters who believe that every child in New Jersey should have access to a high-quality public education. Be sure to visit The Newark Students Union events tab on their Facebook page. The posted events provide an excellent template for student organizing. Delran Education Association is a local organization committed to ensuring excellence in public. To keep up with their actions and events, go here. If you are a resident of Elizabeth, ask to join the Elizabeth Parents and Students Care closed Facebook group to connect. Give Montclair Cares About Schools a follow on Facebook to find out what is happening in Montclair education. Give Our Children Our Schools a follow on Twitter to keep up with any future events. South Orange-Maplewood Cares About Schools organize in its closed Facebook group. If you live in this area or know anyone who does, please join the group here. Paterson Education Fund co-hosted a parent advocacy night this month. Go here to see all the amazing work they did. 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 organized a rally in NYC for smaller class sizes. Go here to see the video of that rally. New York Allies for Public Education and LI Opt-Out reported that almost 200,000 students boycotted tests in NYS this year. 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 continues their campaign to address the ongoing crisis in child care and provider wages in this year’s budget. They continue to fight to raise wages for the child care workforce and are encouraging New Yorkers to write a letter to Governor Hochul voicing support for a permanent investment in New York State’s child care workforce. Change the Stakes has resources on their open Facebook page about testing and opting out for NYC and NY parents. NY BATs is the public-facing page for the NY BATs, the largest state chapter of the Badass Teachers Association. Check out their public Facebook page to keep up with their events and activities. To find out what FUSE (New Rochelle Federation of United School Employees) is working on, visit their website here. MORE-UFT is a caucus of the UFT that defends members rights, fights for social justice, and empowers workers in schools. Jackson Heights People for Public Schools has so much information on their discussion Facebook page that you need to head over to see what the community of Jackson Heights is up to. Check it out here. The Port Washington Advocates for Public Education closed Facebook group is a place to connect and organize if you live in Port Washington, NY. North Country Alliance For Public Education works to end the reliance on high-stakes testing and stop the privatization taking over their schools. If you live in the North Country of New York, consider joining their closed Facebook group to connect. To learn more about the Rochester Coalition for Public Education be sure to visit their website.
North Carolina
Public Schools First NC School hosted Professor Derek Black this month in a webinar to talk about Leandro v. State— litigation which he continues to support to this day. They discussed the case and his most recent book, Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy, which explains the threat that current trends pose not just to public education, but to democracy itself. 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 support and share a number of events in their community of Winston-Salem, NC. If you know anyone in that area connect them with NBN’s open Facebook page for news and events in that area. Pastors for North Carolina Children was excited to be at the CBF North Carolina Annual Gathering in Greensboro this month. Go here to view pictures from their day. Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County held a Community Conversation at Northwest Elementary school this month.
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) introduced us to a dynamic new group in Ohio. Be sure to give Vouchers Hurt Ohio a follow on social media. Go here for more information.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee hosted a recap of what happened in public education at the Capitol in early March. Go here to see their Nightcap Recap of the Cap. Pastors for Oklahoma Children are a broad coalition of clergy from across Oklahoma that advocate for local public schools. To follow their work and events go to their website. Oklahoma Parents and Educators for Public Education/Oklahomans for Public Education have a private Facebook group of over 31,000 people. If you live in Oklahoma or know someone who does, share this link to connect. Oklahoma Teachers – The Time Is Now organizes in a private Facebook group of over 64,000 members. The purpose of the group is to unite all educators in Oklahoma to come together and educate, collaborate, and discuss what options they have moving forward to improve Public Education. If you know any Oklahoma educators, send them to this group to connect.
Oregon
Community Alliance for Public Education (CAPE) has a goal to raise awareness and build a community around public education issues and support an informed citizenry in having input into public education policies and practices. Oregon Save Our Schools is a group of parents, grandparents, teachers, students, support staff, and community members joining together to defend public education in Oregon. Go to their open Facebook page to get involved with their actions. Oregon BATs organizes in a closed Facebook group. If you are an Oregon teacher or community member, ask to join and connect. Community & Parents for Public Schools of Portland (CPPS) is the Portland chapter of Parents for Public Schools, part of a nationwide network of grassroots organizations focused on increasing parent, family and community involvement in public education. Launched in January of 1999, their chapter is part of the only national organization that actively recruits parents to public schools and advocates for parents taking a role in decision-making, school improvement, and accountability. To learn more about their work visit their website.
Pennsylvania
The Keystone State Education Coalition publishes a daily PA education policy roundup. Pennsylvania School Board Association is a statewide association of public school boards, pledged to the highest ideals of local lay leadership for the public schools of the commonwealth. The Pennsylvania School Boards Association, founded in 1895, has a rich history as the first school boards association established in the United States. Pennsylvania’s 4,500 school directors become members by virtue of election to their local board — the board joins as a whole. Membership in PSBA is by school district or other eligible local education agency such as intermediate unit, vocational school or community college. The Pittsburgh Task Force on the Right to Education hosted Dr. Rodney Necciai at their February meeting. Dr. Necciai discussed PPS’s Code of Conduct and solicited feedback from the community. Education Voters PA announced this month that they are proud members of the new PA-WInS coalition. PA WInS dreams of a Pennsylvania where lawmakers and school officials will support and promote inclusive school environments that reflect and celebrate the diversity of Pennsylvania’s student population and are safe and welcoming spaces for all students to grow, learn, and thrive. The Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools Philadelphia blog this month discussed the Philadelphia school board rejection of Global Leadership Academy’s charter. BASD (Bethlehem Area School District) had Dr. Lesson at their monthly meeting. He shared what the funding in the governor’s budget would mean for BASD. 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 MET High School chapter hosted a Women’s History Month Trivia and Game Night this month. Please visit the Parents Across Rhode Island website to keep up with what is happening in Rhode Island.
South Carolina
The Quality Education Project seeks to empower communities to advocate for change that improves the quality of education for all students. QEP also provides academic and community-engaged research to support and initiate educational policy reform committed to equity, access and excellence. To learn more about them visit their public Facebook page.
Tennessee
Give Tennesseans Reclaiming Educational Excellence (TREE) a follow on Facebook to keep up with all that is happening in Tennessee education. Be sure to visit the Pastors for Tennessee Children website. It is full of valuable information and resources. Tennessee Strong is an action organization that organized after years of TN Ready failures and the over-testing of TN children. They also organize against voucher legislation that takes millions of dollars from TN public schools. To learn more and connect, go here. Tennessee BATs organizes out of a closed group on Facebook with over one thousand members. If you are a Tennessee teacher or a supporter of public education in Tennessee, go here and ask to join their Facebook group to connect.
Texas
Pastors for Texas Children honored Rep. Stan Lambert as their 2024 Hero for Children for his gallant stand for the public education of ALL Texas schoolchildren. To learn more go here. CFISD Community Leadership Committee is a volunteer group of parents, business people, and retirees who believe that having a strong independent school district is important to the economic well-being of the Cypress-Fairbanks community. Members of Texas Kids Can’t Wait advocate for equitable and adequate funding for Texas public schools and a sane assessment system. They strongly oppose the corporate takeover of public schools. To follow their advocacy go to their open Facebook page. RootEd is a parent-led, grassroots organization that promotes neighborhood public schools through storytelling, advocacy, and education. They believe a strong public school system for all children creates a robust economy and well-connected community. Community Voices For Public Education continues to answer questions about the state takeover of the Houston school district. They are providing information on how the takeover happened, timeline of changes, impact, why NES is bad for kids, and what the community can do to end the takeover. 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 released a statement on the Texas State Board of Education Chair Aaron Kinsey’s decision to divest $8.5 billion in public school funds from BlackRock. El Paso Alliance for Just Schools is a coalition of local community members, grassroots & labor organizations dedicated to organizing for the purpose of seeking justice in all aspects of our education system. Public Schools First McKinney is dedicated to the advancement and support of public education in McKinney. The mission is to champion public education through advocacy, education, and building community. Please visit their website for more information on this very active group. The Coalition for Public Schools has a great website full of resources for Texas public education advocates. Go here to access their website. Access Education RRISD (Round Rock Independent School District) believes that every child has the right to a safe, high-quality, educational experience in Round Rock ISD, and are working to remove barriers that interfere with this opportunity. They believe in the power of a strong community voice, and in centering the experience of students and families in their priorities. They believe in advocating for solutions, working in collaboration with District administration, and in keeping a constructive outlook as we call for change. Grandparents for Public Schools are looking for members ACROSS THE STATE to become liaisons in their community. Please contact them here for more information. You can also follow their activities and events on Instagram.
Virginia
Virginia Educators United is a grassroots collection of pro-public school people who act to support Virginia Public Schools. They organize in a closed Facebook group. If you are a Virginia educator, please ask to join and connect. Virginia BATs also organizes in a closed Facebook group. If you are a Virginia educator, parent, or community member, please ask to join and connect. Support Our Schools-Shenandoah County organizes to fight for public education in that region. You can click here. Virginia Public Education Partners is dedicated to supporting and protecting public education. They work to end school privatization maneuvers that undermine democracy and diminish available resources for public schools. Richmond For All members are an inspiring body of over 500 organizers, families, workers, advocates, students, and residents fighting to ensure grassroots power citywide. Collectively they organize in defense of public resources, in support of a transformed democratic process, and for people-first representation in municipal elections.
Washington State
WA BATs organizes in a closed Facebook group. Go here to join and connect. Washington’s Paramount Duty has a website full of information and resources on education in Washington state.
West Virginia
West Virginia United Caucus is a caucus of rank-and-file members in AFT-WV and WVEA. They are proud union members committed to quality public education, strong wages and benefits for all of our state’s education personnel, and a sustainable funding source to fund public education that does not come on the backs of the working class of this state. To learn about their five core principles go here.
Wisconsin
Registration is open for The Wisconsin Public Education Network 10th Annual Summer Summit to be held in Madison July 30th and 31st. If you know anyone in Wisconsin send them this link to register for this fantastic summit. Schools and Communities United continued their Say Yes for MPS campaign this month. The hope with this campaign is to get more money for public schools. To learn more go here. Be sure to visit the Parents for Public Schools Milwaukee open Facebook page. They have tons of information for local, state, and national events.
NPE Grassroots Education Network – Resources and Graphics
Here is a link to our resources page. It will help you navigate resources covering a variety of topics. This is a live document and will be updated, so check back for new resources.
Here is a link to our graphics page. It will provide powerful visuals for you to share on social media. This is a live document and will be updated, so check back for new graphics.