October 30, 2021 1:39 pm

Grassroots Education Network- October 2021 Newsletter

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The NPE Grassroots Education Network is a network of over 175 grassroots organizations nationwide who have joined together to preserve, promote, improve, and strengthen our public schools. If you know of a group that would like to join this powerful network, please go here to sign on. 

If you have any questions about the NPE Grassroots Education Network please contact Marla Kilfoyle, NPE Grassroots Education Network Liaison at marlakilfoyle@networkforpubliceducation.org  

Notes from Marla

Often when I create our network newsletter, I look for trends and themes.  The work that this network does on a monthly basis is inspiring.  What I want to share with you is the power of social media to spread YOUR work.  It is free media that can be impactful.  Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are three social media outlets that can be used effectively and for free. The key to successfully using social media is consistency.  If you need assistance in getting a social media platform created or want to chat about how to use it effectively, please send me an email.  I will be happy to get on a Zoom or phone call with you.  

National Organizing

The Network for Public Education Executive Director Carol Burris wrote a point/counterpoint piece with Nina Rees, president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, on whether charters run for profit should receive federal funds.  Read Carol’s here.  Late last month Defending the Early Years shared an early childhood education Advocacy update – the State of Washington has a program for Early Achievers to support families, educators, and children.  Check out their Advocacy Map for more details. In the Public Interest’s Jeremy Mohler wrote a powerful article on how school choice policies are segregating our public schools. The Journey for Justice Alliance held an Environmental Justice Town Hall this month. It was  powerful! The Schott Foundation discussed the movement for school discipline reform and the push for Police Free Schools in their newsletter this month. Be sure to keep up with the latest on testing by reading the Fairtest newsletter. Rethinking Schools book, Rethinking Columbus –– packed with teaching ideas for kindergarten through college –– is the most widely used resource that offers strategies to help students think critically about Columbus’s arrival in the Americas, along with ways to honor the Indigenous people who were here first. The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy has privacy toolkits for parents and educators on their website. Parents for Public Schools celebrated National Hispanic American Heritage Month by sharing the Library of Congress Reading Room virtual celebration. Also to keep up with all that PPS is doing be sure to subscribe to their clearinghouse.  Parents Across America has a fantastic website full of resources for parents across the country.

The Badass Teachers Association (BATs) community Facebook page is full of graphics to share and read.  Go here to see what they created in October. Trinational Coalition to Defend Public Education (USA) has a public Facebook group that features information from Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. about how communities are navigating the worldwide COVID crisis. The Ontario (Canada) Secondary School Teachers Federation President Karen Littlewood  appeared on 570 News to discuss asymptomatic COVID testing in schools. Wear Red for Ed has an active open Facebook page that tracks the Red for Ed movement nationwide. Uniting to Save Our Schools (USOS) works to create a public education system that is equitable, democratic, humane, and nurturing. Go to their website to see what they are working on this month. First Focus Campaign for Children highlighted child care this month.  Go here for information and resources. Kinderchat continues to host its popular Twitter chat every Monday at 9 PM EST. The chats are informative and provide great resources for teaching kindergartners. Check them out on Twitter at #Kinderchat. Kinderchat also has a fantastic website full of resources. Instituto Nueva Escuela Executive Director Ana Maria Garcia Blanco was published in El Nuevo Día about the importance of transparency in education. Fairplay (formerly known as Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood) executive director Josh Golin and Joann Bogard, co-chair of their Cyberbullying and Online Safety Work Group, are quoted in this Strait Times article discussing issues with treating 13 year-olds as adults online, and why Big Tech (not kids and families) needs to change.

Equal Opportunity Schools Equal Opportunity Schools seeks an Executive Assistant who is socially responsible, in tune with race and diversity in education, and is drawn toward equality. Go here for more information. When Public Schools Reopen co-founder Peter Rawitsch wrote North Carolina Belongs to Children this month.  To hear the song go here.  When Public Schools Reopen is also promoting the global Youth Rights Day. It takes place on November 20th and is the day the United Nations celebrates its Convention on the Rights of the Child. More information is at this link. Uniting for Children and Youth (Canada) are concerned citizens of Ottawa-Outaouais. Their mission is to build awareness of how we can make life better for children and youth.  Head over to their open Facebook page to keep up with news, and events, from Canada. National Educators United joined Ethnic Studies educators, and educators from the national Black Lives Matter at School for a Town Hall to discuss a national day of action this month. The event was sponsored by the Zinn Education Project and Black Lives Matter at School, to “#TeachTruth about structural racism and oppression.”

State Organizing

Please use this clearinghouse of information to inform people in the various states about the NPE Grassroots Education Network organizations.  Please encourage people to join them and support their work! Call on family, friends, and colleagues to join the fight to save public education. This section is also a place to get great ideas on organizing and actions. 

Alabama

SOS (Support our Students)  keeps Alabama up-to-date on what is happening with the corporate education reform movement.  Go here to subscribe and to keep updated.  

Arkansas

Grassroots Arkansas is an incredible resource for the Little Rock community.  They provide resources for community members on voting, vaccination, and so much more.  Head over to their open Facebook page to view these resources. 

Arizona 

Voices for Education are working hard to update the public on news regarding masks in schools.  Be sure to visit Arizonans for Charter School Accountability website that offers resources that compare charter school and public school spending. Congratulations to Save Our Schools Arizona  Co-Founder & Director Beth Lewis for being named an Arizona Capitol Times Leader of the Year. One of Arizona Educators United amazing leaders, Keegan Conrad, is going to represent AEU on a national panel with the National Council of Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) of educators organizing for safety. Arizona Educators United also teamed up with the Arizona Council of Occupational Safety & Health (AZCOSH) this month to provide training and resources to help educators, and all workers, organize for safety and health in the workplace.  They also put together a school ventilation toolkit.  You can access it here. Keep up with what the Friends of Public Schools-Scottsdale are doing here

California

California Educators United is a rank and file-led network of educators and supporters of public education.  They are part of the movement for racial equity and social justice, fully funded public education through progressive taxation, and pro-public education and anti-privatization.  To follow their movements, go here. The Public Core program, Between Two Teachers, is informative. To view all their archived programs, go here.  The Association of RAZA Educators is located in Los Angeles.  If you live in the area and are interested in joining their monthly meetings go here. Bay Area Collective Keeping Privatizers Away from Community Schools (BACKPACS) is an organization dedicated to strengthening and protecting public education in the Bay Area. Go here to follow what they are working on. Educators for Democratic Schools-Oakland open Facebook page reports all that is happening in the Oakland Unified School District.  Parents Supporting Teachers fully supports a vaccine mandate for all eligible LAUSD students. It is so important that in conjunction with this mandate, the district commits to educating and informing reluctant families about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. Read their statement here. Also, check out Parents Supporting Teachers Twitter feed for a tweet-by-tweet reporting of the latest LAUSD Board meeting. 

Colorado

Pueblo Education Coalition’s goal is to represent educators, parents, community members, students, and all stakeholders towards positive change for Pueblo’s public education.  To keep up with their movements, go here. Taxpayers for Public Education continues to tweet information about Prop 119. Go here for the latest information.  

Connecticut

The members of Connecticut Public Schools Advocates Children are Connecticut families and educators advocating for safe, equitable, fully funded public schools. Please follow their activity here. Children Are More Than Test Scores founder, Jesse Turner, and two CCSU literacy teachers read Stellaluna this month. Re: public Ed informs Connecticut residents about the state, local, and federal education policies that impact teaching and learning. New London Parent Advocates updates their open Facebook page weekly with all that is happening in the New London Public Schools.

Florida

Fund Education NOW continues to inform the public on the Governor and Department of Education policies surrounding masks. Florida BATs and Broward BATs post the latest updates on how the Florida COVID surge is impacting schools. Go here and here for updates. Pastors for Florida Children exists to provide care to local schools, and to advocate for children by supporting a free public education system that promotes social justice for children, and to advance legislation that enriches FL children, families, and communities. To keep up with what they are doing, go here. Florida Council of Churches Executive Director, Rev. Russell Meyer, was quoted in Florida Politics encouraging State Rep. Stephanie Murphy to vote for the multi trillion dollar budget bill because of the health care provisions within it. Opt-Out Florida Network posted this month that FSA retakes are in full swing. They let parents know that if they don’t agree with how the FSA is used against their child, their teachers and schools don’t allow them to take it. OPT OUT. They provided resources for parents to do so. Pinellas Parents Advocating for Public Schools organizes on a private Facebook page. If you know of anyone in the Pinellas area, have them join to connect. Protect Our Public Schools, Manasota believes that free, quality public education is a right for all children and is necessary for the optimal functioning of a democratic society. To keep up with their movements during the COVID-19 crisis, go here. Miami-Dade County Public School District Parents are informing the public about redistricting and how that can impact school board members. UnitED for Florida Children shared a story about the Florida teacher shortage as well as shortage of substitutes for teacher absences. Hillsborough Public School Advocates were very busy in October. They appeared on ABC Action News to discuss why Hillsborough County schools need more funding. Go here to see that interview.  After being accepted into the NEA Institute in partnership with Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association (HCTA) they collectively had their inaugural kick-off with Kyle Serrette of the NEA. They discussed the need to start community engagement especially in the areas where community schools will be selected. HPSA/HCTA was also assigned a CS Mentor out of LA and will have a kick-off session with him next week. After their group’s numerous calls to action and constant reminders, the HCPS School Board approved the formation of a financial Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) and their second meeting was this month. The committee consists of 15 members all appointed by current school board members. The group is currently looking into how to overcome the nearly $28 million of funding being lost due to students transferring to private schools and charters, and the bus driver shortage which is making it difficult for students to get to school. More information can be found in this related news article. HPSA met with the HCPS School board regarding limiting high stakes testing. The team consists of a retired teacher and several HPSA members. Part of the challenge is accommodating the many students with 504’s or IEP’s requiring additional time to test or more isolated environments to be proctored with the shortage in teachers. The other issue is the need for additional computers so that testing schedules are not lengthened to accommodate all students. The result of this conversation was the proposed action by Superintendent Davis to collectively approach the state legislators with a proposed common sense testing plan that will reduce testing time and increase instructional time for all students. HPSA also issued a few Calls to Action. HPSA has issued several calls to action to statewide parents and taxpayers to ask our state and federal representatives to apply for ESSER III funds. After the consistent pressure that their group put on elected officials, the state of Florida finally applied for these funds. (FYI – Florida was the LAST state to apply for these funds). All state of Florida parents and taxpayers need to keep the sense of urgency on state officials to immediately disburse these funds once received. HPSA second call to action was  to its local and statewide members to contact Senator Baxley (Chair of the Ethics and Elections Committee) and Representative Latvala (Chair of the Education and Employment Committee) to calendar both SJR192 and HJR77 respectively. The goal of this is to once again elect the State Board of Education Commissioner to ensure that this position is an elected official and NOT appointed. Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida asked Floridians to call in for public comment regarding the election of the Commissioner of Education. They recommend comments be based on the fact that an unelected Commissioner and Florida Board of Education should not be making it harder for local school boards to keep students healthy and in school.

Georgia

Public Education Matters Georgia is a statewide organization committed to fostering community support for quality public education in GA through outreach, information, and advocacy. To keep up with their advocacy go here. Moms and Dads Now Enduring Surrealistic Stupidity (MADNESS) shared this powerful letter about standardized testing from an Athens, GA student. Opt-Out Georgia organized the opt-out movement in Georgia via a closed Facebook group of over 8,000 members. If you live in Georgia or know someone who does, encourage them to connect with this group. The Georgia Chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) was founded in 1990 to bring together individuals from all academic levels and disciplines and from diverse educational institutions and other organizations, occupations, and communities who had an interest in multicultural education. NAME is committed to a philosophy of inclusion that embraces the basic tenets of democracy and cultural pluralism. To keep up with their actions, visit their website. The Georgia Youth Justice Coalition  released a statement this month about the USG Board of Regents vote to abolish tenure protections. 

Hawaii

Parents for Public Schools Hawaii hosted a school community council late last month. 

Illinois

Illinois Raise Your Hand is hiring! Go here for more information. Illinois Families for Public Schools hosted a webinar this month on the play and privacy laws that were passed in Illinois.   

Indiana

The Indiana Coalition for Public Education – If you missed their Sept. 30th webinar on Yusuf Canbolet’s research documenting the long-term negative effect of vouchers on public schools, you can now watch the video at this link. Indiana Coalition for Public Schools – Monroe County shared the latest episode of their podcast. The Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education friend and retired educator, Sue Beerman reflects on her school experiences and shares her insights on “indoctrination” in public and private parochial schools. Northwest Indiana Coalition for Public Education gave their support to Portage Township teachers this month. Washington Township Parent Council Network held an important meeting this month on School Safety. 

Iowa

Iowans for Public Education is a grassroots movement to protect Iowa’s tradition of quality public schools. To keep up with their activities go here

Kansas

Game on for Kansas Schools have been keeping up with all the school board races this month. The Personnel Association of Lawrence- Communication Workers of America will be holding a rally next month for a living wage and fully staffed schools. 

Kentucky

Dear JCPS and Kentucky SOS partnered in launching an #AllHistoryMatters campaign this month. Go here to see that campaign. Pastors for Kentucky Children added their name to an amicus brief that opposed the Kentucky state vouchers. Go here to read it.  

Louisiana

Step Up Louisiana participated in a rally this month to declare the Phase III jail proposal dead.

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 congratulated CPS Board Member (and past President) Ruth Rodriguez Fay for being recognized by the Worcester Historical Museum for her work in the Latino community. The New Bedford Coalition to Save our Schools has an Instagram account you can follow to keep up with their work.  Go here to give them a follow. 

Michigan

The Michigan Network for Equity in Education advocates for equitable, democratic public education in the state of Michigan by building coalitions and sharing information and research. To learn more about their work, go here. Be sure to check in with Save Michigan’s Public Schools for the latest in Michigan education news.  Michigan Parents for Schools has an extensive website to help Michigan parents and educators.  Be sure to check it out here. MI Ed Justice are educators, administrators, parents, students & community members who believe to save our public schools from privatization, we need to humanize our public schools. To learn more about their work go here. Trusted Voices ED advocates extensively for teacher pay on their social media platforms.  

Minnesota 

Parents for St. Paul Schools is a grassroots organization started by parents of public school students. They are in favor of an immediate moratorium on the expansion and creation of existing charter schools in St. Paul.. To keep up with their work, go here. Minnesota Collective for Educational Equity’s white paper, Pursuing Educational Equity in Minnesota Through a Statewide Multi-Tiered System of Support, is a must-read and share for anyone living, or teaching, in Michigan.  

Mississippi

Parents for Public Schools – Moss Point supports their community with information about education, meals, vaccinations, and much more. Parents For Public Schools of Greenwood and Leflore County works on strengthening public schools by engaging, educating, and mobilizing parents in Greenwood and Leflore County. Parents For Public Schools of Philadelphia advocates for children and schools in the Philadelphia Public School District. Make sure you give them a follow on Facebook. Parents For Public Schools of Starkville is a local organization working to strengthen public schools in Starkville. They promote the great work being done in the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District.

Missouri

Keep up with the Missouri BATs by giving them a follow on Twitter. Columbia Parents for Public Schools promotes parent engagement to improve education and build public support for public schools in Columbia. 

Nebraska

Stand for Schools asked Nebraskans to stand for public schools late last month.  Go here for more information. All of Nebraska Loves Public Schools films are free and available to stream online.  Go here for more information. 

Nevada

Educate Nevada NOW is asking Nevada citizens to sign the pledge to support full funding of their schools. Northern Nevada Parents and Teachers United was created in 2021 as a response to the growing frustration of parents and teachers about the state of Nevada’s schools. They believe that parents and teachers both want what is best for children, and our schools will only get better when those who work in them are valued and respected. To learn more about their work visit their website

New Hampshire

New Hampshire Leaders for Just Schools are NH public school educators dedicated to the mission of creating more equitable and just learning environments. Give them a follow on Twitter to keep up with what they are doing.  Barrington Educators Association is the local chapter of the New Hampshire-NEA.  You can view updated work here.  To contact them about issues happening in NH, go here

New Jersey

Save our Schools NJ heard that some school districts are telling parents that the NJSLA science tests are mandatory for graduation. This is FALSE. To read more on this go here. Check out The Newark Students Union events tab on their Facebook page. The posted events provide an excellent template for student organizing. The Delran Education Association congratulated their Superintendent Dr. Brotschul for being selected as one of the Regional Superintendents of the Year. If you are a resident of Elizabeth, ask to join the Elizabeth Parents and Students Care closed Facebook group to connect. Give Montclair Cares About Schools a follow on Facebook to find out what is happening in Montclair education. Give Our Children Our Schools a follow on Twitter to keep up with any future events. South Orange-Maplewood Cares About Schools organizes in its closed Facebook group. If you live in this area or know anyone who does, please join the group here. Paterson Education Fund held a Zoom Candidates meeting this month. 

New York

Class Size Matters testimony on the city’s refusal to use any of the billions of dollars of additional state and federal funds where they’re needed the most can be found hereFollow New York Allies for Public Education on their website for the latest news on opting out in New York. LI Opt-Out has had a busy school year trying to help parents navigate the pandemic. To keep up with all they are doing to navigate the school year be sure to visit their public Facebook page. NYC Opt Out exposed what  kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms in NYC look like on MAP and iReady computerized standardized assessment day. The Alliance for Quality Education were honored by Midwest Academy during their 2021 Midwest Academy Awards this month. Give Change the Stakes a follow on Facebook to keep up with what is happening in NYC education during the COVID crisis. NY BATs is the largest state chapter of the Badass Teachers Association, currently over 3,400 educators strong.  Head over to their Facebook page to find out what they are working on. Give FUSE (New Rochelle Federation of United School Employees) a follow on Twitter to find out how they will navigate the upcoming school year. MORE-UFT noted that educators can do something about school segregation! Join the next MORE Integration working group meeting. Details to come on the MORE website homepage calendar. 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 hosted a family forum to learn more about Parents for Public Schools of Syracuse and how the community can work together to support students and staff in Syracuse’s public schools this month.  Croton Advocates for Public Education (CAPE) advocates for fair assessments, enrichment opportunities, and funding for their schools. The Port Washington Advocates for Public Education closed Facebook group is a place to connect and organize if you live in Port Washington, NY. North Country Alliance For Public Education works to end the reliance on high-stakes testing and stop the privatization taking over their schools. If you live in the North Country of New York, consider joining their closed Facebook group to connect. Visit the Rochester Coalition for Public Education website for all that is happening with Rochester education, meeting schedules, and information.

North Carolina

Public Schools First NC and Wake County participated in a rally to fully fund NC public schools. Carolina Families for School Testing Reform are providing updates on testing from the State Board of Education. Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods conducted an important Organizers Circle this month centered on collaboration.  Pastors for North Carolina Children held a prayer vigil this month in Raleigh to encourage lawmakers to fully fund public schools. Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County held a webinar this month for students and parents to hear from experts on how to write a winning college essay.   

Ohio

Be sure to keep up with the Ohio BATs on their open Facebook page.   It Takes A Village To Tackle HB70 and It Takes A Village thanked those who continue to fight for public education on their Facebook page.  Northwest Ohio Friends of Public Education is a citizen-driven, non-partisan movement to inform and engage Northwest Ohioans, at the community level, to support and strengthen public schools. To keep up with the issues they are working on, go here. Parents For Public Schools of Greater Cincinnati post upcoming events on their open Facebook page. Northeast Ohio Friends of Public Education have a fantastic website full of information that is centered around public education in Ohio. Public Education Partners (PEP) Board Member Denis Smith published a powerful essay in the Ohio Capital Journal on vouchers, privatization, and school choice. 

Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee announced that last spring’s state test results were recently released. These scores normally factor heavily into the annual School Report Cards. Since the tests weren’t administered in 2020, there isn’t comparative data to create a school’s grade for 2021. It’s a good time to consider whether School Report Cards are compiling the information needed to truly inform a community about the success of its schools. Pastors for Oklahoma Children posted a powerful article on Christians and public education. 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) posted a Call to Action regarding board members being able to ask staff questions. Go here for more information. Oregon Save Our Schools continues their work to end annual standardized testing. Oregon BATs organizes in a closed Facebook group.  If you are an Oregon teacher or community member, ask to join and connect.

Pennsylvania

The Keystone State Education Coalition publishes a daily PA education policy roundup. Pennsylvania School Board Association held a virtual School Leadership Conference this  month. The Pittsburgh Task Force on the Right to Education held parent chats this month. Go here to see upcoming chat dates. Education Voters PA asked Pennsylvania citizens to send a letter to the PA Secretary of Education to demonstrate public support for regulations that will improve accountability, equity, quality, and transparency in the charter school industry. Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools report on the two meetings held by the Board this month. The first one was a Special Action Meeting with scant details on the website and the next one was a hearing in which several speakers were cut off and several did not appear. Teacher Action Group Wilmington is a member of the Network of Teacher Activist Groups, a national coalition of grassroots teacher organizing groups. They work together to build an education movement for liberation, locally and nationally, through shared analysis, political education, mutual support and learning, and joint projects. BASD (Bethlehem Area School District) Parents published a summary and a history of their work this month.  You can read it here

Rhode Island

The Providence Student Union Youth Leadership Team Co-Directors, Demi Egunjobi and Eugenie Rose Belony discuss the importance of diversity in teaching on Rhode Island PBS this month. To keep up with what is happening in Rhode Island, give the Parents Across Rhode Island Facebook page a follow. 

South Carolina

Quality Education Project’s held their general monthly virtual meeting on September 26th.  If you live in South Carolina please check in with them here as they continue planning for their next public forum on addressing racial disparities in PK-12 education.

Tennessee

The Momma Bears have a fantastic blog that covers all issues surrounding Tennessee education. Give Tennesseans Reclaiming Educational Excellence (TREE) a follow on Twitter to keep up with all that is going on in Tennessee education. Be sure to visit the  Pastors for Tennessee Children website. It is full of valuable information and resources. Tennessee Strong continues to share articles written in the Tennessee Education Report.  The latest article highlights privatization PACs. Tennessee BATs organize out of a closed group on Facebook with over one thousand members.  If you are a Tennessee teacher or a supporter of public education in Tennessee, go here and ask to join their Facebook group to connect. 

Texas

Pastors for Texas Children published a commentary called Supporting public school boards can be a ministry in the Baptist Standard this month. CFISD Community Leadership Committee are parents, business owners, and community members, partnering with the CFISD and area lawmakers to enable the success of all children in the CFSID community. Members of Texas Kids Can’t Wait are advocates for equitable and adequate funding for Texas public schools and for a sane assessment system. They strongly oppose the corporate takeover of public schools. To follow their advocacy go to their open Facebook page. Be sure to give RootEd a follow on Twitter.  They are busy all over the San Antonio area working hard for public schools. If you know of anyone in the Houston community, please have them connect with Parents For Public Schools of Houston. They do fantastic work in Houston. Community Voices For Public Education is a local group of parents, students, teachers, and community members from Houston working to improve public education. To keep up with what they are doing, go here. Our Schools San Antonio is a coalition committed to community-driven public education in the San Antonio Independent School District. The Coalition for Equity in Public Education works to uphold democratic community schools by evaluating education policy and communicating findings to the public. Founded in 2017, they have been determined to make an impact for the betterment of local ISDs. To keep up with their work go here. Texas AFT conducted a #KnowYourRights campaign for teachers so that they can plan lessons effectively for their students.  El Paso Alliance for Just Schools joined the network this month.  To learn more about them go here

Virginia

Virginia Educators United is a grassroots collection of pro-public school people who act  to support Virginia Public Schools. They organize in a closed Facebook group. If you are a Virginia educator, please ask to join and connect. Virginia BATs also organize in a closed Facebook group.  If you are a Virginia educator, parent, or community member, please ask to join and connect. Support Our Schools-Shenandoah County organizes to fight for public education in that region. You can connect here. Virginia Public Education Partners is dedicated to supporting and protecting public education. They work to end school privatization maneuvers that undermine democracy and diminish available resources for public schools. Follow their events and actions here

Washington State

WA BATs organizes in a closed Facebook group.  Go here to join and connect.  Washington’s Paramount Duty is a non-partisan, grassroots group of parents and allies working to compel the state to amply fund basic education and swiftly fulfill its paramount duty. They envision a future where every child has equitable access to an amply funded basic education.

West Virginia

West Virginia United Caucus is a caucus of rank-and-file members dedicated to helping create a more democratic, member-run union, whose purpose is to help empower communities and workers around a common set of ideas. Visit their website to learn more about their work. 

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Public Education Network thanked their school board members this month. Read the latest Schools and Communities United newsletter here. If you live in the Milwaukee community join  Parents for Public Schools Milwaukee, students and allies to create a strong, diverse, districtwide network of parent advocates for children and their schools. Working with teachers, the superintendent, city and state officials, they are focused on finding and implementing solutions that will help children receive the high-quality public education they deserve. 

NPE Grassroots Education Network – Resources and Graphics

Here is a link to our resources page. It will help you navigate resources covering a variety of topics.  This is a live document and will be updated so check back for new resources. 

Here is a link to our graphics page. It will provide powerful visuals for you to share on social media. This is a live document and will be updated so check back for new graphics.