The practice of government-mandated high-stakes testing is harmful to our children, their teachers and our public education system and must be stopped in its tracks, because they are not scientifically based; foster test-driven education; foster coercion over cooperation; support complicity of corporate interests; promote a culture of lying, cheating and exploitation within the school community; present a racial and economic bias that is detrimental to second language students, impoverished students, and students of color; put at risk, by personal data collection, our children’s constitutional right to privacy, and blatantly manifest the over-reach of the federal government into the lives of our children, teachers and public education systems in Idaho.

There is concern for making college affordable, there are people I know that would like to go to college but money is an issue. My sister is in college and she works two jobs just to stay in school. My parents help us but they can only do so much. Why do some go to college free and many others struggle just to afford it? Make college affordable now!

The brain research is in--children's brains learn and grow best in supportive, cooperative environments in which they can actively participate, not in demanding, competitive environments in which they must passively receive and regurgitate state-dictated knowledge. Their futures and the future of our society is at stake!

Holyoke, MA is a district that serves a high percentage of students who live in poverty and whose first language is not English. In Massachusetts, schools and districts are ranked on a scale of 1-5 based on data taken from high stakes standardized test scores and other data such as dropout rates, all of which are directly correlated with income. Level 5 districts face the severe sanction of being placed into state receivership. Because of the misuse of this data, Holyoke has been rated a Level 4 district and is currently facing the possibility of a Level 5 rating and losing control of its schools to a state-appointed receiver. Removing local control will do nothing to address the real issue affecting student achievement, which is economic injustice. Holyoke needs state support for its schools and students, not a state takeover. Read more: http://www.massteacher.org/issues_and_action/ongoing_issues/holyoke.aspx

For the past 15 years, Parents for Public Schools has been lobbying our elected officials to make fair school funding a priority. With an ever decreasing tax base and an increase in the number of children living in poverty in Syracuse, the impact of funding inequity has reached crisis proportions. The Syracuse City School District is dependent on the state for the majority of the school funding and the residents do not vote for a school budget. It’s time to take the politics out of funding education and make sure all schools receive the resources their students need.

The current state of New York’s 2015 executive budget reinforces doubt about the state legislature’s dedication to keeping New York’s state colleges accessible and properly funded. Student activist groups, such as New York Students Rising and Democracy Matters, as well as teacher’s unions, have been calling on the state legislature to make good on their promises about higher education. At 1.2 trillion dollars and growing, the youngest generation of this country holds more debt than any other group in history. This is unacceptable and it is the responsibility of our state government to begin addressing the situation.

On March 17, the House unveiled a new plan which slashes billions of dollars from the program that does the most to help hungry kids, and we need to push back. For decades, Republicans and Democrats have come together to support these programs, but thanks to repeated cuts, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) currently only provides $1.38 per meal, barely enough to buy a pack of gum. SNAP benefits are currently around $125 per person, per month -- which works out to about $1.38 per meal. It might seem like a small benefit -- and to be sure, SNAP benefits are the lowest they’ve been in five years -- but to those struggling to put food on the table, it makes a critical difference. Together we can make sure America's kids are getting enough to eat and have a fair shot at a better life. We need to let Rep. Coffman knows that we expect better than a budget which leaves kids hungry.

On March 17, the House unveiled a new budget plan which slashes billions of dollars from the program that does the most to help hungry kids, and we need to push back. For decades, Republicans and Democrats have come together to support these programs, but thanks to repeated cuts, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) currently only provides $1.38 per meal, barely enough to buy a pack of gum. The truth is, when kids are hungry they struggle to learn. Ending childhood hunger is not only the right thing to do, it’s a smart investment in our future. SNAP benefits are currently around $125 per person, per month -- which works out to about $1.38 per meal. It might seem like a small benefit -- and to be sure, SNAP benefits are the lowest they’ve been in five years -- but to those struggling to put food on the table, it makes a critical difference. Together we can make sure America's kids are getting enough to eat and have a fair shot at a better life. We need to let Rep. Roskam knows that we expect better than a budget which leaves kids hungry.

Teachers, counselors, and health and human service professionals at Alliance College-Ready Public Schools (Alliance) announced on March 13, 2015 that in order to achieve the highest quality learning environment for their students and working environment for themselves they are organizing a union at their schools. With 550 teachers, counselors, and health and human service professionals, Alliance serves 11,000 students at 26 schools and is the largest charter operator authorized by the Los Angeles Unified School District. Educators at Alliance have decided to form a union to achieve an effective voice in the decision making process and ensure student-focused, teacher-led collaboration. They are calling on the Alliance to respect their collective decision, to not exercise influence or interference, and to come to an agreement with them for a fair and neutral process to organize their union.

Starting school early presents several dangers, including impaired children's health, poor academic performance, and loss of physical safety. The safety and education of our young people should be top priorities. Pushing the start times for all public schools in the Great State of Florida to 8am at the earliest would ensure better health, improved academic performance, and significantly less danger to all children in the public school system.

Last week, Republicans unveiled budgets in the House and Senate that are devastating to American families. The cuts to student aid programs are especially vicious, with a proposed $150 billion in cuts to the Pell Grant, subsidized loan program, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and income-based repayment. This is easily the biggest attack on student aid in the 21st century. The US Student Association believes that public higher education should be free! And this budget is clearly headed in the opposite direction. We need individual members of Congressional leadership to reject the drastic cuts to student aid included in this year's budget. Sign here to send an email to Senate Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Reid, House Speaker Boehner, and Minority Leader Pelosi.

Bernie Sanders was born in Brooklyn and benefited from the public school system. Today, public college tuition rises each year, students struggle to pay their debt, and after graduation struggle to obtain jobs. We are asking Bernie Sanders for solutions to revive the public education system in this country and how we the students can shape the future.