The National Opportunity to Learn Campaign and the Dignity in Schools Campaign Launch National Initiative on School Discipline
Things aren't looking great for public education in Pennsylvania, particularly in Philadelphia where budget cuts and a push for privatization are threatening the mere existence of the city's public schools. City education officials are currently considering a restructuring plan that would close 64 schools, downside the central district offices, and restructure the remaining schools into "achievement networks," some of which would be handed over to charter management organizations.
With public schools in Pennsylvania taking blow after blow from budget cuts and policymakers bent on privatizing the state's education system, the state needs strong advocates for its schools now more than ever. Education Voters of Pennsylvania, an OTL Campaign ally, will be hosting an all-day Advocate Summit on Sept. 22nd. Come to the event and learn about education policy in PA and how to organize in your local community.
The Dignity in Schools Campaign Model Code on Education and Dignity presents a set of recommended policies to schools, districts and legislators to help end school pushout and protect the human rights to education, dignity, participation and freedom from discrimination. The Code is the culmination of several years of research and dialogue with students, parents, educators, advocates and researchers who came together to envision a school system that supports all children and young people in reaching their full potential.
In her annual Message on Public Education, Jan Resseger, Minister for Public Education and Witness at the United Church of Christ Justice, denounces the privatization of public education as the abdication of our responsibilities as citizens of a democratic nation to provide all children with a fair and substantive opportunity to learn.
This report analyzes data from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights on school discipline and suspensions in the 2009-10 school year to reveal the unconscionable disparities regarding which students are pushed out of the classroom through out-of-school suspensions.The source data covers 7,000 school districts and represents 85 percent of all public school students, making this report the first and most comprehensive analysis of the impact of out nation's school discipline policies.
17 percent of all African-American students received out-of-school suspensions in the 2009-2010 school year compared to 7 percent of Latino students and just 5 percent of White students. Even more shocking, 25 percent of African-American students with disabilities were suspended the same year.
Far too many states continue to deny public schools the essential resources they need to provide every child with a fair and substantive opportunity to learn. The Second Edition of Education Law Center's Is School Funding Fair?
The Second Edition of the National Report Card on public school funding, Is School Funding Fair?, shows that far too many states continue to deny public schools the essential resources they need to meet the needs of the nation's 53 million students and to boost academic achievement. The National Report Card rates the 50 states on the basis of four "fairness indicators" - funding level, funding distribution, state fiscal effort, and public school coverage. The Report provides the most in-depth analysis to date of state education finance systems and school funding fairness across the nation. How does your state measure up?
