Dr. John H. Jackson
Schott President & CEO
The guilty verdict in the Chauvin trial is a step forward in police accountability and a hopeful sign of progress toward dignity and humanity for all Americans. We give our thanks to the millions of young people, parents and activists who took to the streets after the murder of George Floyd – building a movement and making this verdict possible.
For all the pressing education matters facing students, parents, and educators, the proposed American Jobs Plan (often referred to as “the infrastructure bill”) can at first glance appear to be unimportant: what does highway and bridge construction have to do with the classroom? But if the contents of the proposed bill are carried out, it would be one of the most transformative education bills in a generation. Let’s walk through some of the details to learn how.
Thanks to grassroots organizing and a lawsuit by a coalition of community groups, the city of Worcester, Massachusetts has agreed to change the way it elects its school committee members. As MassLive reports.
Change takes time. Change takes trust.
It takes sticking with a grassroots organization, building their capacity over time, continuing to fund courageous organizers through the inevitable ups and downs.
Schott was founded at the beginning of a 30-year battle that just won a landmark victory for the children of New York.
The 2021-22 New York State budget meets a thirty-year-old demand and thirteen-year promise: equitably fund New York State’s public schools so that no matter what zip code a child resides in, there is a baseline of quality their public schools can afford to meet.
The Schott Foundation launched the Proud #PublicSchoolGrad campaign to highlight the positive outcomes from our nation’s public schools and students. As a member of the class of 2021 you are facing extraordinary challenges of a global pandemic, closed schools, remote learning, while likely missing the in-person graduation ceremony you and your family have been looking forward to for years.
Even before the deadly COVID-19 pandemic swept America, the Black-white wealth gap remained stubbornly vast. The crisis is driving the gap to historic levels.
Certainly, the recently passed $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan is a watershed moment. That such legislation has become law — that our federal government acted decisively with a bill targeted to aid low and middle-income families — evokes equal parts inspiration and relief in its radical departure from previous trickle down approaches that have increased inequality and racial injustice.
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, passed by both houses of Congress and signed by President Biden, is a watershed moment. That such legislation has become law — that our federal government acted decisively with a bill targeted to aid low- and middle-income families — evokes equal parts inspiration and relief in its radical departure from previous trickle-down approaches that have increased inequality and racial injustice. The Rescue Plan is a desperately needed life preserver for countless Americans, but what does it mean to be pulled from treacherous waters onto a leaking ship?
Just 0.8% of education philanthropy dollars were directed to racial justice from 2017 to 2019, according to research recently released by the Schott Foundation for Public Education and Candid. In an op-ed summarizing the results, the Schott Foundation’s Leah Austin and Edgar Villanueva calculated that “the philanthropic investment in racial justice works out to less than $2 per student.”
A defining theme of 2020 was the nationwide increase in grassroots activism. Across the country, people young and old took to the streets to challenge racial injustice. Whether it was in action on the climate crisis, or in demonstrations in response to fatal police shootings, communities have proven time and again that they care, they are connected, and they are a driving force for change. In the movement to ensure a future and nation that works for all, community organizers have emerged as the real MVPs.
While Black and Brown organizers have modeled extreme heroism and dedication, much of their work has occurred with limited or nonexistent financial support. They are fighting for justice, yet they do so without significant philanthropic investment.
