This is important for the future of our children.

For the past few years, there has been a great push by politicians, mostly Republicans but also Democrats, to "reform" the education system. Many people that have never stood in front of a class or even been part of a school system, decided that the problem of our schools are the teachers. In New Jersey, governor Chris Christie have joined hands with others, who don't really have the interest of the students in mind, in an attempt to privatize public schools and destroy teachers and their union, the NJEA. Christie refuses to raise taxes on the rich people of New Jersey, but has no problem of requiring teachers to pay more for their health insurance and pension. He is also attempting to change the evaluation of teachers to include results of test scores and is trying to eliminate tenure. Teachers around the world are usually held in high esteem. It used to be like this in The U.S. and in New Jersey. Today, many experience teachers, administrators and superintendents of schools are retiring, living a big gap in education. Please help change the trend, so the education in the U.S. and especially in New Jersey would not be compromised.

Kool Herc founded the international phenomenon called hip hop. It was created to foster peace, respect, and unity in his neighborhood. The culture was to serve as an alternative to gang life that plagued his community, the South Bronx. Hip hop has been misused by corporate greed to sell products, promote violence, and self-worthlessness. We are here to take back the name hip hop, reinstate its original purpose, and honor its founder, Kool Herc.

My petition is about educating our children in another language. We have many languages in our world today. In our schools, we have to learn some of them to graduate. I want to make American Sign Language one of these languages our children have to learn. As a mother of a deaf child, I know first hand what happens when people don't take the time to try to understand him. Many problems can and have occurred. It's not like, " you live in America, so learn English! " Deaf Americans don't have a choice to learn another language ! Please sign my petition to have American Sign Language taught to our children in our schools .

Governor Nixon outlined a goal in the 2011 summit on higher education to give greater weight to revise funding to give greater weight to measurement and performance from institutions of higher education. Budget cuts have forced universities to reorganize their operating models to meet this new standard. The Missouri Academy of Science Mathematics and Computing is a high performing institution that deserves funding to operate at this excellent level of performance.

Another American school-aged child died at school because there was no way to use the lifesaving EpiPens that were being held for other students at her school. (She had an allergic, life-ending episode.) We as a nation should enact requirements that there be a few of these available in every school, and also, that school personnel not be held responsible if they must administer one, to either a student or a school employee, and something goes wrong.

The Track & Field and Cross Country programs at Millersville University have been a valuable and competitive part of the University for almost 60 years. On February 14th around 2:00 P.M. the coaching staff was notified that Men's Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track & Field as well as the contract of Head Coach, Scott Wieser, would all be terminated at the completion of the 2012 outdoor season. The University gave no warning, as well as no alternative financial plan for the already cost-effective teams. This is about more than one program at a D2 institution; this is about the budget cuts being made all over the country. These cuts to state universities inhibit us, as paying college students, from experiencing everything that college has to offer. Sign this petition not only if you support the re-institution of the Men's Cross Country and Track & Field programs, but also if you believe that cutting money from state universities and education is unjust and unfair.

Our Lady of Fatima High School in Warren, RI is not only a safe and faith-filled educational facility, but a home-away-from home for all the students, parents and alumni that walk through its doors. However, the Sisters of Saint Dorothy have decided to close these doors for good due to what they claim as "lack of funds." In a recent interview, assistant principal Mr. Ascoli has said otherwise. "The principal actually had a budget going forward for next year, a budget that would have enabled us to open the school in September. However, the council that governs the affairs of the Sisters of Saint Dorothy nationally felt as though it might have been a band-aid," he says. This petition is to show the Sisters that Our Lady of Fatima means too much to too many people to simply give up.

About provideing everychild that can meet the standards with free tuition.

capitalizing on individual's talents during school years

Governor Andrew Cuomo of NYS has RAMMED through a new Teacher Evaluation plan that has nothing to do with educating our children. His bullying tactics have been nothing less than repulsive. This plan is ill-conceived and puts the future of education in NYS and the rest of the United States are at risk due to the way federal funding is now handled through Race to the Top....

Currently the Federal Government limits the amount of tax-free Education Assistance that an Employee can be provided by his or her Employer. The 2011 limit was $5,250. If the goal is to increase education in this country, and particularly to drive corporate-sponsored education & training programs, an increase in this limit will incentive Employees to take advantage of such benefits, and Employers to increase their funding to such programs. Sign on to this petition to tell our President and Congress to increase this tax-free limit to $10,000 for 2012; thereby allowing Employees to take further advantage of such corporate Educational Assistance programs tax-free. Also, sign on to this petition to tell our President and Congress to provide corporations with tax breaks for those organizations that contribute to such Educational Assistance Programs, which will incentivize them to increase their funding levels of these programs.