March 2008 - E-Newsletter            

 

The Schott Foundation for Public Education seeks to develop and strengthen a broad-based and representative movement to achieve fully-resourced, high quality pre-kindergarten to grade 12 public education.

Message from the President/CEOWe live in politically historic times. The first African-American Governor of New York was just sworn into office, and in 2007 the first African-American was inaugurated as Governor of Massachusetts. And for the first time a woman and an African-American man are finalists vying to be the U.S. presidential nominee for the Democratic Party. While they represent significant milestones, these accomplishments should not deceive people. As a nation, we still have not achieved gender and racial equity. We cannot let our pleasure in the political success of a few allow us to forget the sad plight of many. In particular, hundreds of thousands of boys and girls of color and from low income neighborhoods are daily denied the quality education they need to succeed and thrive in society. When students are denied access to a good quality education, attrition and delinquency rates soar. This leads to overall underachievement and disenfranchisement. In most urban, high minority and poor neighborhoods, more than 50 percent of the students, especially boys of color, drop out of school before graduation. So while we may rejoice about the recent gains of a few female and minority politicians, much work remains to be done, especially in providing high quality public education to our neediest and most neglected children.

- Dr. John H. Jackson

 

Washington, DC - A report from The Pew Charitable Trust offers suggestions on how to fund universal Pre-Kindergarten.

Tax credits have been used in a variety of policy areas to encourage increased investments in programs seen as “social goods,” such as clean energy and charitable donations. Entitled "Using Tax Credits to Promote High Quality Early Care and Education Services," this report explores financing strategies for early childhood programs and proposes recommendations about how tax credit might best be used.

Click here to read more.

 

 

New York, NY - The Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) releases report describing the negative consequences for students if promised school aid is cut.

AQE recently released a report detailing how cuts in promised aid disproportionately hurt poor students, students of color and English language learners.  Called  "Will Education Promises be Broken?" the report's title echoes the growing concern among New York students, parents and teachers that government officials will renege on promised, much needed school budget increases.

Click here to read more.

 

Boston, MA - The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center releases "Understanding Our Tax System: A Primer for Active Citizens."

A very useful tool for community leaders and organizers, this primer on taxes in Massachusetts provides an overview of the Commonwealth's tax system as well as clear information and analysis of how Massachusetts compares to other states and how our state's tax system has changed over time.

Schott’s representative leadership development work depends on the expert knowledge and information of Schott grantee Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MBPC).  MBPC expertise and resources are essential in our effort to build a strong representative leadership voice for MA public policy.

Click here to read more.

 

 

 

Chicago, IL - The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) releases a report showing that 1 in 4 young women ages 14 to 19 have sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

A CDC study released on March 11, 2008 estimates that one in four (26 percent) U.S. young women between the ages of 14 and 19 – or 3.2 million teenage girls – is infected with at least one of the most common STDs (human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus, and trichomoniasis). The study, presented at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference, is the first to examine the combined national prevalence of common STDs among adolescent women in the United States, and provides the clearest picture to date of the overall STD burden in adolescent women.

Click here to read more.

 

The Schott Foundation currently has openings for an administrative assistant (click here for the full job description), a program coordinator (click here for the full job description) and an accountant (click here for the full job description).

www.schottfoundation.org

 

617.876.7700 ph

 

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The Schott Foundation for Public Education | 678 Massachusetts Avenue | Suite 301 | Cambridge | MA | 02139