Community Voices

Students are leading the way; they “need and deserve” the support of educators, say US teachers of the year.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/03/02/teachers-of-the-year-urge-educators-to-do-the-uncomfortable-advocate-for-safe-schools/?utm_term=.fea3098b27ba

How the extra-curriculars at Stoneman Douglas HS prepared them for this fight.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/02/the-student-activists-of-marjory-stoneman-douglas-high-demonstrate-the-power-of-a-full-education.html

“Massachusetts will continue to receive accolades for its public education system, as it enables some students to thrive. However, to be a truly great system, we must be great for all… From my time in both districts, I perceive large differences in resource allocation, especially in terms of access to classroom materials, class size, elective classes, and access to support staff such as counselors.”

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/outdated-formula-yields-not-schools/

Chicago fighting against closure of more schools. Following the 2013 closures, “Some neighborhoods lost nearly all of their public schools, and many children were forced to attend schools far from home. Nearly 12,000 students changed schools; 88 percent of them were black, and a disproportionate number were considered ‘vulnerable.’

But it didn’t work. Even when students transferred to higher-performing schools, they experienced an achievement drop in the first year and minimal gains afterward, the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, found last year.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/12/opinion/save-chicago-public-schools.html

Since 2013 Chicago has closed 50 of its public schools. Here’s the story of one Chicago grandmother’s fight to save her community’s school.

http://www.ourkingsandqueens.com/