Rally for Public Education set for May 20 will show unity against assaults on schools
From Marc McGovern, May 7, 2017: Thousands of Massachusetts parents, educators and students will rally May 20 on the Boston Common to support public education. Together we will be standing up for our public schools, which are under attack by the Trump regime, including Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos – possibly the most unqualified appointee in history.
Even here in Massachusetts, regularly rated as having the top public schools in the United States, we see consistent efforts to move Massachusetts toward privatization. Whether it’s a culture of testing funded by for-profit companies or the influx of out-of-state money to support charter schools, Massachusetts public schools are also under attack. But it’s not just out-of-state influences that are affecting our public schools. The nonpartisan Foundation Budget Review Commission found Massachusetts public schools are underfunded by about $1 billion a year. We need Gov. Charlie Baker to step up and do the right thing.
Massachusetts should be funding affordable, high-quality early childhood education. So much time is spent thinking about how our schools can close the achievement gap when, in reality, the gap starts before children enter the school system. We need to strengthen our community college system to bring it up to par with those in other states and move toward debt-free higher education. We need equitable funding in our public schools so students in lower-income communities have the same opportunities as those in wealthier cities and towns.
On May 20, I will be joining others who care deeply about public education. The Rally for Public Education is about coming together and building a movement in our state to invest in and work for the future or education that all children, regardless of ZIP code, deserve. I hope to see many other Cantabrigians there as well.
Marc McGovern is vice mayor of Cambridge.
Peace and Sanity be unto You,
TIME SENSITIVE Request: Sign ons, Anjali Thakur-Mittal
Dear Education Supporter,
As you may have heard, the Administration is proposing to eliminate a question in the 2017 National Survey of Children’s Health regarding whether a child between ages 3-5 was suspended or expelled in preschool. This is the only question they are proposing to eliminate. This data is especially important because it fills a gap in the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) data, which only covers children in public preschool programs. See the second attachment for additional background on the issue (with helpful links).
1) We are sending a comment letter for sign-ons (see first attachment). Responding to the requests we have received; this letter is available for sign-ons from both national and local/state organizations. We recognize that many organizations have approval processes and apologize for the late notice. We also know that some state and local affiliates do not sign on to letters on their own behalf, but are instead represented by their national organization. If appropriate, and if you are so inclined, please sign-on your organization to this letter on the google form HERE by 9:00 AM ET tomorrow, Thursday, May 11. Comments are due on May 11.
2) If your organization would like to submit your own comment or would like to send a comment on behalf of a state/local affiliate of a national organization, please do so! You are welcome to borrow as much of the attached letter for your comment as you would like. You can submit comments to [email protected] before midnight tomorrow, Thursday, May 11.
3) Lastly, we have developed an action alert that we are circulating (see below). The action alert summarizes the issue at hand and provides a template comment any individual can copy, personalize, and email to OIRA before midnight tomorrow, Thursday, May 11.
Please feel free to forward to your local networks.
Thanks,
The Leadership Conference Education Team, Take Action:
Tell the Administration to Keep the Preschool Discipline Question. Personalize this sample comment and email it before midnight Thursday, May 11, to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) urging them to retain the preschool suspension and expulsion question in the 2017 National Survey of Children’s Health. This public data is essential for creating equitable supports for, and ensuring equitable treatment of, all children.
The Trump administration is proposing to remove a question on the 2017 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) regarding whether children between the ages of 3-5 were suspended or expelled from preschool. This data is especially important because it fills a gap in the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), which only surveys public schools.
Data Exposes Racial Disparities
The data collected by the Department of Education exposes a shocking racial disparity. While Black students make up only 19 percent of public preschool enrollment, they constitute 47 percent of those suspended more than once. These disparities are more often the result of educator bias and not different rates of child misbehavior. There is clear evidence that suspensions and expulsions in preschool have a negative impact on child development, health and education. The removal of a question from the NSCH to collect this important data would deny parents, advocates, researchers and policymakers critical information to ensure that early childhood settings are developmentally appropriate and nondiscriminatory.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights will continue the fight to ensure that all children have access to safe and nurturing learning environments, from preschool throughout the end of their educational journey.
Take Action: Tell the Administration to Keep the Preschool Discipline Question. Personalize this sample comment and email it before midnight Thursday, May 11, to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) urging them to retain the preschool suspension and expulsion question in the 2017 National Survey of Children’s Health. This public data is essential for creating equitable supports for, and ensuring equitable treatment of, all children.
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2 attachments
CommentLetterNSCHpreschoolSusp051017.pdf
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Additional Background Info- NSCH- 5-10-17.docx
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https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=deba20e98b&view=pt&search=inbox&th=15bf986b21d91b75&siml=15bf346a25b3df25
http://www.civilrights.org/about/contact_us/
https://www.cctvcambridge.org/node/477335
Yours In Peace and Sanity,
Mr. Hasson Rashid
Cambridge,MA