There is proven scientific evidence that starting middle and high school before the sun rises is out of sync with the biological clocks of young people (people ages 12-25, which includes young teachers). Many school districts in central Ohio have made the adjustment to school start times for the health and safety of their students, but Hilliard City Schools has not. It is time for that to change.

My name is Petula Higgins and I am a grandparent of two children who attend I CAN SCHOOLS. I have worked in homecare my whole life, and the reason I do that is because I can help to take care of people who cannot care for themselves. Teachers are apart of our families and help children grow each year. My hope is that I CAN teachers and staff can gain a collective voice to advocate for the best interest of our children. Teachers and Staff at I CAN SCHOOLS are forming their teachers union to: reduce turnover, strengthen the voice of educators, and create a partnership between families, administration, and teachers. In 2014, I CAN fired seven teachers who had spoken up to advocate for more resources for our students and for a voice in curriculum. Eventually, the NLRB found merit in 17 charges against I CAN for the wrongful terminations, surveillance and intimidation. In 2016, I CAN is again under federal investigation for trying to silence teachers who want to advocate for students without fear of being fired for speaking up. Teachers are joining together with I CAN parents, faith leaders and community organizations in calling on I CAN SCHOOLS stop the intimidation and listen to the needs of the Cleveland community. We demand that I CAN SCHOOLS cease their illegal intimidation and interference of their teachers and staff and remain neutral with respect to their teachers' right to form a union.

Any cuts will negatively impact Boston students, especially those with special needs who are our most vulnerable students. I am a teacher at Young Achievers School in Mattapan and I am deeply concerned that we will not be able to provide the support our children need if these cuts go through. In fact, we need more resources, not less.

While RNTHS is a technology school, there are many benefits to reading paper novels and magazines. Print materials should not be on the "dying art" list. Not all materials are available in electronic format, and so we are missing out on opportunities to read.

We must do more to protect students. President Obama has implemented rules to stop federal student aid from going to career training programs that bury students in debt with poor job prospects. The new rules hold schools accountable and require them to tell students the truth about what they’ll pay and what they can expect when they graduate. Unbelievably, there are some in Congress that want to repeal these critical new rules, putting the for-profit schools back in charge. No way. Add your name: Tell Congress to reject any efforts to repeal President Obama's rule, and stand up for our students!

We, the students of Baltimore, are being denied access to culturally relevant education. The punitive system of standardized testing hinders our ability to learn.

Wheaton College in Illinois put political science professor Dr. Larycia Hawkins on leave for wearing a hijab, WGN News reports. [1] Dr. Hawkins, who is Christian and has taught at Wheaton College since 2007, was wearing the headscarf to show solidarity for Muslim women in America. Wheaton College has claimed that it is not punishing Dr. Hawkins for wearing the hijab, but for failure to "faithfully represent the college’s evangelical Statement of Faith,” [2] because she wrote on her Facebook page that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. Regardless of what one thinks of this theological question, it's obvious that Dr. Hawkins' intentions were humane and that punishing her for this act of solidarity is unjust. Urge President Ryken to reflect on and rethink the college's position by signing our petition. 1. http://wgntv.com/2015/12/16/wheaton-college-professor-put-on-leave-for-wearing-hijab/ 2. http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2015/december/wheaton-college-hijab-professor-same-god-larycia-hawkins.html

Jose's response: “District administrators are desperately attacking me because I have been demanding accountability for our elementary schools and students in Escondido. Our district has one of the lowest test scores in the county, and I was elected to change that. Voters should be outraged by the use of a 'legal thicket' that is designed to protect the cozy privileges of administrators. As the only elected Latino on the board, I find it astounding that more is not being done to help our students who are English Learners. The only workplace intimidation has been against me for attempting to vigorously promote the interests of students and parents. Stop the legal maneuverings and stand up for students and parents. Administrators should not have such a thin skin, and they do not need to align themselves with those who want to overturn past elections. Administrators should be encouraging robust discussion at the School Board level, not repressing it. The community and our students deserve more than that.” Please sign this petition and pass it on. Show Jose and our community that we will not be bullied by administrators and board members with a political agenda! Read more here: Restraining Order Offers Glimpse into Escondido School Board Follies http://sandiegofreepress.org/2015/12/restraining-order-offers-glimpse-into-escondido-school-board-follies/ and here: Escondido board may have violated open meeting law http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/dec/11/fragozo-escondido-banned-order-ibarra/?fbshare=1918790

The children of the United States are the future of our country. There are many challenges faced in the K-12 grades for these children and the main challenge is funding. Many of these schools have poor funding and poor student performance, with the future promising more cuts for education. The States’ budgets are providing less funding for kindergarten through 12th grade than they did six years ago.[1] Our schools rely heavily on this funding and these budget constraints are detrimental to our children's education. Instead of putting money into our next generation’s education, funds are being spent elsewhere and instead being used to balance deficits. Our children are paying for the mistakes that others have made. Many schools all over the country are facing difficult budget cuts, losing valuable teachers along the way. Even though in 2012, the Obama administration began to offer more flexibility for spending under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), children are still struggling due to the funding. There needs to be a new law that helps to improve the quality of instruction and help to increase outcomes for all students. We urge members of Congress to support our efforts of helping our children with advances in funding for education. The signatures attached to this letter express the support for our issue. We organized this letter petition through the course we are currently attending. The course is Race and Ethnic Relations and is being taught by Professor Paul Lopez. We are urging you to hear our concerns. Sincerely, Erin Hagerty Brittany Oliphint Sheena Sandoval Amanda Pokriots Christina Tooley Bibliography 1. Leachman, M. (2014, May 20). Most States Funding Schools Less Than Before the Recession. 2. Yettick, H (2014, May 29). School Spending Increases Linked to Better Outcomes for Poor Students http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/05/29/33finance.h33.html 3. http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9461/index1.html 4. Madland, D and Bunker, N (2011 Nov) Middle-Class Societies Invest More in Public Education. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED535649.pdf 5. http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-the-u-s-spend-more-on-education 6. Darinling-Hammond, L (2015 Mar 26) Society Benefits When We Spend More on Education http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/03/26/is-improving-schools-all-about-money/society-benefits-when-we-spend-more-on-education 7. Ehrenfreund, Max (2015, Jan 20) When public schools get more money, students do better https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/01/20/when-public-schools-get-more-money-students-do-better/

My Education sucks and it is the State of Pennsylvania's Fault

CAPA should cancel plans to produce the racist musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” There should be no place in our public schools for productions that devalue and debase any group of people. The musical is offensive. It features characters who are racist caricatures and in yellow-face, as well as a subplot focused on a "white slavery" ring kidnapping women for the sex trade in Asia. Administrators plan to edit the play, but this does not solve the problem. The racism of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” cannot be edited out. Cosmetic changes do not alter the play’s history. Modifying some elements of a racist production will not make the play acceptable. Producing a sanitized version of “Millie” is a way of sanctioning racism—saying that it is OK if we hide it. We are calling for CAPA to DROP PLANS TO PRODUCE MILLIE. CHOOSE ANOTHER PLAY.

Children are not getting the education they need. The information they obtain in the classroom from teachers and textbooks is only half of the learning spectrum. The other half is experience and the way students get this is from participating in field trips. In the U.S. however, school field trips are in a decline that is as bad as 40-60%. There are organizations and programs in place now that are offered from the private sector to stop this decline, but they cannot meet the demand that they need to. These programs can allocate only so much money and it is not enough for all the schools in the nation that are being hurt in this situation. The U.S. government needs to implement a policy that will keep field trips in the curriculum for students, and also will create a team that is dedicated to finding out ways to make field trips live up to their full potential so that the students can benefit in the greatest way possible from them. By creating this team and having them in place it will ensure that the bill passed forth will stay on track even into the local sector, and will also research new ways for students to obtain the experiential learning they require. Having this program in place will greatly heighten children’s education because of the field trips that they will be experiencing.