The OTL Campaign's official blog

AR OTL Opposes Charter Expansion That Undermines Public Education
Wednesday January 30th, 2013

The Arkansas Opportunity to Learn Campaign and other education groups in the state held a press conference this week to voice their opposition to several bills introduced in the state legislature that would expand the state's charter school network and undermine the principles of equity and adequacy that have guided the state's progress in public education over the past decade.

Read more / Comment

Don't Close Schools, Invest in Them!
Wednesday January 30th, 2013

Education organizers and advocates from 18 cities across the country made a "Journey for Justice" to the nation's capitol this week to make their case in person against school closures. They testified at a hearing before the US Department of Education and even met with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan! They protested that the DOE's policies that favor closing underperforming schools rather than investing in them is doing irreparable harm to students by disrupting their communities and discriminating against schools serving primarily Black and Latino students.

Read more / Comment

Raising the Stakes: Investing in a Community School Model
Tuesday January 29th, 2013

New York City's Community School District 16 (CSD16), in the heart of Central Brooklyn, is the center of a bold new approach to grassroots, community-based reform. A new report from the Brooklyn Community Foundation, Brooklyn Movement Center and the Black Male Donor Collaborative lays out a blueprint for collaboration between school leadership, community stakeholders and philanthropic parters to support local schools and ensure access to educational opportunities for all students.

Read more / Comment

End School Closures! Journey for Justice Testifies at US Dept. of Ed
Monday January 28th, 2013

Our grassroots allies from Journey for Justice are taking their fight to end school closures to the US Department of Education! Representatives from 18 cities across the country will testify at a hearing before the US DOE in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, January 28th, 2013. See this press release for more details. And follow Journey for Justice on Twitter @J4J_USA!

Read more / Comment

"Equal Treatment for Children in Unequal Situations Is Not Justice"
Monday January 28th, 2013

California Governor Jerry Brown has made education equity a priority this year, what with his budget increase for education and a proposed weighted funding formal that sends more money to low-income districts. In his State of the State address Brown made a strong case for fair funding and equitable access to opportunity (what the OTL Campaign calls supports-based reform) and criticized the high-stakes testing and accountability that are hallmarks of today's standards-based reform movement.

Read more / Comment