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. The Summer 2024 Newsletter covers the months of June, July, and August and provides information about each of the organizations in the network. Find your state and connect with an organization doing great work for public education.
If you have any questions about the NPE Grassroots Education Network, please get in touch with Marla Kilfoyle, NPE Grassroots Education Network Liaison, at ma***********@ne***********************.org
Notes from Marla
Registration is now open for NPE/NPE Action’s 2025 national conference, Public Schools: Where All Students Are Welcome. We can’t wait to see you in Columbus, Ohio on April 5-6! We have booked our keynote speakers and they are amazing. Use this form to register, and book your discounted hotel using this link. We are proud to announce our fabulous keynotes: NPE/NPE Action President Diane Ravitch, President/CEO of The Schott Foundation Dr. John H. Jackson, Texas State Representative Gina Hinojosa, 2022 National Teacher of the Year Kurt Russell, and Rural Communities and Public School Advocate Jess Piper.
National Organizing
The Network for Public Education’s National Center for Charter School Accountability released a new report this month. Doomed to Fail: An Analysis of Charter Closures from 1998-2022 can be found on the NCCSA website here. Defending the Early Years shared that Love Our Children, an organization founded by Peter Rawitsch and Veronica McLaurin-Brown, achieved its goal of ending out-of-school suspensions for 4, 5, 6, and 7 year old children, except for guns, drugs, or an assault, in New Hanover County, NC. Love Our Children was awarded a $500 DEY mini grant in June, 2021. To learn more about their work go here. The Public Interest conducted a Q & A with Prof. Josh Cowen who published a new book called The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers this month. The Journey for Justice Alliance called on a potential Kamala Harris administration to maintain the level of funding that came about due to the pandemic-era Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. The Schott Foundation’s Loving Cities Index assesses the degree to which cities are addressing systemic inequities in efforts to ensure that children and families can thrive regardless of race or ethnicity. Schott looks at twenty-four indicators to assess a Loving City — and is currently working on the next Loving Cities Index report. The Fall issue of Rethinking Schools is out. You can find it here. The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy was founded in July 2014 by Leonie Haimson of New York and Rachael Stickland of Colorado, two parent advocates who successfully led the battle to stop nine states from disclosing their personal student data to inBloom Inc. InBloom was designed to be a massive student database, with the goal of more easily sharing this information with for-profit data- mining vendors and other third parties without parent notification or consent. The Coalition which includes parents of nearly every state is now co-chaired by Leonie and by Cassie Creswell of Illinois Families for Public Schools. Go to their website for some amazing resources. Parents for Public Schools, Inc. published an urgent need for action as it relates to school safety.
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 shared that the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is capping off their 11-city town hall tour with a virtual province-wide RALLY to build the Ontario all Canadians need. Support Our Students Alberta Executive Director Medeana Moussa explains on 630 CHED why it is inequitable and unethical for public education dollars to be siphoned away to pay for private companies’ building construction projects. Uniting to Save Our Schools (USOS) conducted a webinar this summer with Dr. Christinia Christian. The webinar titled Beyond the Box: Unpacking Curriculum Overwhelm in Education can be viewed here. First Focus Campaign for Children Director of Education Policy Lily Klam was interviewed by The Humanist about Project 2025. Go here to read her interview.
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 collaborated this month with Fields of Joy Foundation on the Second Youth Mental Health Summit which connects, helps people learn about and promotes the importance of Mental Health in our children and young people. Fairplay launched their new Online Harms Prevention Harms Toolkit this month. Equal Opportunity Schools can help you to get a clear understanding of student interest and make informed decisions about advanced course programming. Go here to get more information. Uniting for Children and Youth (Canada) are concerned citizens of Ottawa-Outaouais. They aim to build awareness of how they can improve life for children and youth. Go here to keep up with all of their events and actions. National Educators United was started by a group of educator leaders of statewide activist groups in over ten states. After launching on December 14, 2019, they now have thousands of members and their nationwide network is growing fast. To learn more about their work, visit their website. Be sure to check out the Saffron Initiative on Link Tree for all their initiative work and media platforms. The Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico announced this month that they are now on Spotify. 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 launched their Project 2025 Truths campaign this month. The Education Truth Project shared this month that Project 2025 targets college students too. All future Federal Student Loans will be privatized and subject to market interest rates. This will raise the cost of a college education and make it significantly harder for low-income students to go to college. 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. HEAL Together conducted a webinar on advancing racial equity in education this month. Be sure to check in with them monthly for future webinars and events.
State Organizing
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 is 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 published a new blog to learn the impacts of the 13 propositions on Arizona ballots. 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 is a nonprofit volunteer run organization based in the city of San Francisco. 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. To learn more about this organization go here. Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco continue their work on fighting school closures. They are asking the San Francisco community to show up to school meetings that involve school closures. Evolve California shared stories about families and children who will be impacted by school closures. Go here to read their comments and stories.
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 is a nonprofit organization that works hard in communities throughout Denver to strengthen and support public schools. During the summer Advocates for Public Education Policy advisory committee member Karen Francisco wrote an opinion piece in the Colorado Sun on why Colorado citizens need to vote NO on Amendment 80.
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. The Florida Council of Churches have a mini grant available to any Florida citizens willing to a community event that addresses Christian Nationalism. For more information go here. Opt-Out Florida Network represents a community of opt out groups and administrators from across the state of Florida. To keep up with all of their work and actions please visit their open Facebook page. 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 is a non-partisan, grassroots group formed to educate, equip, and empower parents, teachers, and community members to advocate for fully funding traditional public schools both locally and throughout the state of Florida. Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida is asking Florida citizens to vote NO on Amendment 1. 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) is a chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. AU was founded in 1947 by a broad coalition of religious, educational and civic leaders, Americans United maintains vigorous programs in litigation, public education, grassroots activism and legislative advocacy. Since its founding, Americans United’s guiding principle has been that all Americans have the Constitutional right to practice the religion of their choice (or refrain from taking part in religion) as individual conscience dictates. Americans United works with Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Humanists and those who profess other religious beliefs or hold no religious beliefs at all. To learn more about the Atlantic Coast Chapter go here. Support our Schools strongly believes in the power of true public education. They believe that all children, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or religion are entitled to a modern education in a safe and inclusive environment. They support teachers, administrators, and school boards as they work together to provide the highest quality education to all children. The National Organization for Women Jacksonville 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 shared that despite the EQFL settlement, which clarified that limits on instruction do not apply to libraries, the Escambia district continued to withhold access to books facing objection due to representation, social justice, and discrimination. Those titles are now returned while the district works its way through the review process. Families for Strong Public Schools gave a big shoutout to their amazing parent volunteers who have been hitting the streets to canvas in support of Hillsborough’s millage referendum, spreading the word about the importance of supporting our schools. 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 is an organization of Duval County, FL parents, students, teachers, and community members for the principles of public education and against extremism. Citizens for Truth and Justice in Education works out of Ormond Beach, FL. The organization aspires to restore intellectual freedom inside public school libraries and classrooms by monitoring book challenges, removals and bans in Florida’s districts. They organize in a closed Facebook page. If you are from that area, or know someone who is, please tell them to join and connect.
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 link tree for all their social media platforms.
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 encouraged all CPS Parents & School Communities to submit written comments to the Chicago school board on finances and budget. To learn more go here. Illinois Families for Public Schools are a grassroots advocacy group that represents the interests of Illinois public school families. They are the voice in Springfield for systemic policy change to defend and improve Illinois public schools. Their efforts are key to giving public ed families a real, regular presence and influence in Springfield.
Indiana
The Indiana Coalition for Public Education (ICPE) conducted a campaign this month where they asked their lawmakers to sign pledges to support Indiana public schools. Indiana Coalition for Public Schools – Monroe County encouraged Indiana citizens to examine the HS Diploma draft that was being written this month and to submit a comment. The Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education shares their most popular posts on Facebook that highlight what is happening in Indiana and on the national front. Northwest Indiana Coalition for Public Education advocates for Indiana’s children and their right to a high-quality public education. To keep up with their actions, events, and news go here. Washington Township Parent Council Network held a meeting this month of elected officials who represent Washington Township. 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 are warning the Kansas community that legislative leaders and their dark money funders are trying to bring vouchers to Kansas in 2025. The forces behind this movement don’t want to improve education-they want to privatize it, and discrimination isn’t a bug, it’s a feature. 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
Dear JCPS, Schools Our Schools Kentucky, Pastors for Kentucky Children, and Council for Better Education have all spent the last several months encouraging Kentucky citizens to vote NO on Amendment 2. To learn more go here.
Louisiana
Step Up Louisiana released a statement this month on the East Baton Rouge Parish schools new policy of eliminating public comment on motions or substitute motions. To read that statement go here.
Maryland
Strong Schools Maryland has been building momentum and continuing their community engagement through the fall by canvassing for Fair Share MD, and providing presentations and workshops on ways to advocate for full funding of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future at community events around 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 continue to work hard this month to get a YES vote on 2. The New Bedford Coalition to Save our Schools is a grassroots organization primarily made up of New Bedford families, students, and educators in New Bedford and the Greater New Bedford area. Be sure to visit their website to keep up with monthly meetings and activities.
Michigan
The Michigan Network for Equity in Education advocates for equitable, democratic public education in Michigan by building coalitions and sharing information and research. To learn more about their work, go here. Save Michigan’s Public School’s goal is to connect parents, students, educators, and communities across Michigan and raise awareness of threats to public education. To communicate with their organization, check out their Facebook page. Be sure to check out Michigan Parents for Schools website for resources on how to fight for public education in Michigan. MI Ed Justice is on Instagram. Check out their Instagram page here. Trusted Voices ED is a non-partisan advocacy group of educators focused on building collaborative partnerships among teachers, administrators, and policy-makers to ensure every Michigan learner receives the highest quality of education. To learn more about them and to connect with their organization, visit their website. Support FHPS (Forest Hills Public Schools) provided a summary covering some of the misinformation about updates to Title IX. Support FHPS Community Action are concerned about the spread of false information that is leading to increased attacks on school boards during public feedback. Like their sister organization they are answering questions about Title IX for their community.
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
This month, Montanans Organized for Education has continued to work with community members to support library collection policies that maintain intellectual freedom for students. We have also organized a “School Funding Advocacy” group that will be focusing on protecting public tax dollars from corporate charter interests and supporting changes to the state school funding formula for the next legislative session.
Nebraska
Stand For Schools highlighted the importance of keeping students safe as they travel to and from school this month. Nebraska Loves Public Schools is known for its influential short films that are focused on the power of public education. You can access all of their films at this link.
Nevada
Educate Nevada NOW is a multi-year campaign to secure school finance reform and improve education outcomes in Nevada. To learn more about their organization go here.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Leaders for Just Schools are NH public school educators dedicated to creating more equitable and just learning environments. Please give them a follow on Twitter to keep up with what they are doing. Barrington Educators Association is the local chapter of the New Hampshire-NEA. You can view the updated work here. To contact them about issues happening in NH, go here.
New Jersey
Save our Schools New Jersey 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. Our Children Our Schools posted their policy priorities for this year on their X account. Go here to see all of their priorities for 2025. 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 is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to stimulate community action for change so that the Paterson Public Schools ensure that all Paterson children achieve high standards. To learn more about PEF visit their website. 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. Our Children Our Schools is a statewide network of education, children’s rights and civil rights advocates and organizations throughout New Jersey. The purpose of OC/OS is to advocate on behalf of public school children.
New York
Class Size Matters shared some serious concerns regarding the NYC DOE’s proposed weakening of their student privacy regulations. Go here to learn more. New York Allies for Public Education wants to remind everyone that in June of 2024 the NYS Board of Regents announced the plan to make regents exams optional. Go here to read their June post and for any updates. LI Opt-Out Director Jeanette Deutermann reminds parents at the start of the school year that they have the power to advocate and push for changes in their child’s classroom, their school, and the district. 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 will be holding their Champions of Education celebration on November 14. They will honor advocates including Senator Shelley Mayer, Chair of NYS’ Committee on Education; NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams; NYC Council Education Chair Rita Joseph; the legacy of Norm Fruchter, co-founder of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity; and dedicated NYC parents—Adriana Alicea, Tracy Jordan, and Tajh Sutton—who are championing equitable education. 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 hosting numerous events for educators this month and next month. Go here to learn more. 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 is a statewide organization focused solely on pre-K–12 public education issues. They collaborate with parents, educators, business and civic leaders, and communities across North Carolina to advocate for one unified system of public education that prepares every child for productive citizenship. 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 is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 by the Winston-Salem Foundation and neighborhood residents as a program to support the local community. Their fundamental focus is on human resources and the importance of it being reclaimed. They also focus on the development of healthy neighborhood leadership while acknowledging that both physical and human assets contribute to the vitality of the entire community. To keep up with the Pastors for North Carolina Children attended a conference this month with PS1NC and the NC PTA where they had a surprise visit from NC Gov. Cooper. Go here to view their Reel on Facebook. Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County mission is to strengthen Pitt County Public Schools by engaging, educating and mobilizing our community.
Ohio
Keep up with the Ohio BATs on their open Facebook page. It Takes A Village To Tackle The Attack on Public Education are parents, educators, community members and leaders who originally united to tackle HB 70 and the attack on public education. To keep up with their events go here. Northwest Ohio Friends of Public Education is a citizen-driven, non-partisan movement to inform and engage Northwest Ohioans at the community level to support and strengthen public schools. To keep up with the issues they are working on, go here. To keep up with the Parents For Public Schools of Greater Cincinnati be sure to visit their website. Northeast Ohio Friends of Public Education has an amazing website that will keep any northeast Ohio citizen up-to-date on what is happening in education. You can visit their website here. Public Education Partners (PEP) is the leading volunteer advocacy group for public education in Ohio. PEP is a statewide coalition of parents, grassroots citizen groups, school board members, educators, and school administrators that advocate for high quality public education. For more information on this organization visit their website.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee believes Oklahoma students deserve a public education system that is competitive regionally in teacher pay, teacher quality, per-pupil expenditures and class sizes in accordance with the Oklahoma Constitution’s mandate of a state-funded system of public schools which are free and open to all students. They believe all schools receiving taxpayer funds should have the same levels of accountability and transparency. 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 continues to hold monthly meetings. If you live in Pittsburgh be sure to connect and join them in their advocacy for public education. Education Voters PA will be hosting a webinar on how Pennsylvania citizens can become education voters. The event will be on October 3rd. Go here for more information. The Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools Philadelphia shared a piece on their blog on how charter schools have built a profitable patronage network in Philadelphia. Go here to read that blog. The mission of BASD (Bethlehem Area School District) is to educate parents and their community about issues that impact their public schools and to empower parents, students and neighbors to make their voices heard. 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 hosted a Students Ignite Change Forum 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 their work go here.
Tennessee
Give Tennesseans Reclaiming Educational Excellence (TREE) a follow on Facebook to keep up with all that is happening in Tennessee education. Be sure to visit the Pastors for Tennessee Children website. It is full of valuable information and resources. Tennessee Strong is an action organization that organized after years of 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 hosted a celebration of public schools this month in Waco, Texas. 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’s 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 hosted a “Haunt the Polls” Halloween Costume Parade/Protest this month. To learn more go here. 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 continued work on their Educator Bill of Rights this month. El Paso Alliance for Just Schools is a coalition of local community members, grassroots and labor. Head over to their open Facebook page to keep up with all their events. Public Schools First McKinney is dedicated to the advancement and support of public education in McKinney. The mission is to champion public education through advocacy, education, and building community. Please visit their website for more information on this very active group. The Coalition for Public Schools has a great website full of resources for Texas public education advocates. Go here to access their website. Access Education RRISD (Round Rock Independent School District) 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
The Wisconsin Public Education Network unites public school champions statewide to demand and deliver the conditions every student needs to thrive in every public school. Learn more here. The Network has an ambitious, aspirational 2024-2025 Vote Public Action Plan: From the Ballot Box to the Budget campaign. For details on other virtual and in-person events, check out their event tab. To learn about the values of Schools and Communities United be sure to visit their website. Be sure to visit the Parents for Public Schools Milwaukee open Facebook page. They have tons of information for the start of school, events, and activities.
