OTL Highlights
Poverty is not a learning disability, writes Pedro Noguera, Executive Director of Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, in a guest post for the OTL Campaign blog. Poor kids can achieve, poor kids can thrive, under the right conditions. Our challenge as a nation is to make sure that they put those learning conditions in place. Read more>.
The National OTL Campaign applauds Education Nation host Brian Williams for noting that the Education Nation agenda said all children start with the same opportunity. Before addressing his panelists for the session, What’s in a ZIP Code? A Look at Inequity Across Our Public Schools, he said, “All children do not start with opportunity.” Read more>.
In their statewide effort, “School Cuts Hurt: Week of Action,” the Alliance for Quality Education and Citizen Action of New York are calling on communities across the state to send Gov. Andrew Cuomo the unmistakable message that slashing education funding is already having a detrimental effect on children. Read more>
It’s time for federal policymakers to stop addressing education policy piecemeal or using waivers to push favored but unproven approaches to school reform, writes John H. Jackson, President and CEO of The Schott Foundation for Public Education, in this guest blog for The Hill. We must learn from nations that still have their AAA rating and commit to a vision for public education and investment that creates the opportunity for all children to attend high-quality schools. Read more>.
“Zero tolerance has outlived its shelf life and is often inappropriately and inconsistently applied,” John Jackson, the police chief for Greenwood Village, wrote as part of a team of lawmakers and police officials who are urging a better definition for what’s considered a “dangerous weapon” on school grounds. Read more>.
Despite decades of research documenting the need to address school inequity and the conditions of childhood poverty, the media and leaders in both political parties continue to rely on test-and-punish reform strategies, writes Jan Resseger, Minister for Public Education and Witness with the United Church of Christ. Read more>.
To help ensure all children of Buffalo, N.Y., have an opportunity to learn, Citizen Action of New York joined other activists to push for fewer out-of-school suspensions for nonviolent offenses. Research shows that an over-reliance on out-of-school suspensions has led to an increased likelihood that these children will not graduate on time or will drop out altogether. This recent report bolsters that evidence. Read the full story about the effort underway in Buffalo to change suspension practices.
Susan Gobreski, Executive Director of Education Voters Pennsylvania, urges the City of Brotherly love to come up with a vision for improving educational opportunity for all students rather than rush to hire a new schools chief. In this Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed, Gobreski urges communitywide conversations about the district’s priorities around early childhood education, teacher quality and other essential ingredients of a high-quality and equitable education. Read more>
Of course not! Funds for public education are being slashed, teachers are being laid off, and services that help struggling students succeed are being dismantled. The nonpartisan Center on Education Policy recently reported that 84 percent of school districts anticipate funding cuts in the 2011-12 school year. To compensate, states and school districts are relying more and more on philanthropy to fund basic education services. The generosity is appreciated, but policymakers should not get off this easily. Read more>
In the fight to guarantee an opportunity to learn for all children, it’s critical that our federal leaders invest in public education. That’s why organizations such as the Forum on Educational Accountability, the National Council of Churches, the Advancement Project, 21st Century School Fund and the Public Education Network have been making recommendations to the federal educational Equity and Excellence Commission about how to improve school funding equity across the nation. Read more>
