My son is enrolled in Reno County Parents as Teachers. Rep. Peggy Mast suggested cutting the program statewide to offset the state's deficit. I think this is a bad idea. Parents as Teachers helps families prepare their children for school and identify any barriers the child may be facing, such as health or developmental disorders, and develop strategies to deal with them.

Common Core is stripping our students and teachers of their creativity and individuality. This is not an appropriate way to educate any child and the teachers become data collectors.

Dear Provost Dai: I am a graduating senior majoring in African American Studies, and I support the right of my professors—including adjunct faculty—to vote to form a union. I urge you to allow the approximately 1,300 adjunct faculty at Temple University to proceed with a fair and timely election by dropping the legal challenges Temple has brought before the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board. Temple’s adjunct faculty should be able to exercise their right to make a choice about unionization. I urge you to let them vote. Every student who has attended Temple has been taught by at least one adjunct faculty member. After all, adjuncts make up half of the faculty at Temple. They are a valuable part of our university community. Their commitment to our education is compensated with low pay, few benefits and no assurances that they will be able to teach future classes beyond the current semester. This is unfair not only to faculty but to students as well. For example, a professor I make a connection with one semester may not be around the next semester, in spite of excellent teaching and student support. I believe that adjunct faculty, like all workers, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect by the Temple administration, and I strongly support their organizing to form a collective bargaining unit with the union they have chosen, the Temple Association of University Professionals. I call on you to allow Temple’s adjunct faculty to hold a fair and transparent election, and I demand that you not use any tuition funds or other resources to hinder their efforts. Sincerely, Sarah Giskin, African American Studies Temple University

Mayor Emanuel, seeking the endorsement of Chicago labor unions, told them that he supported the unionization of hundreds of educators at charter schools in 2013. Today, more than one hundred courageous educators at the Urban Prep and North Lawndale College Prep charter school networks are standing up to be heard, to advocate for the needs of their schools and their students, and to be treated fairly. They seek to join Chicago ACTS Local 4343, which already represents 800 members working at 29 schools covered by union contracts. Along with Chicago ACTS Local 4343, these educators are calling for commitments from their schools’ executives not to interfere with the staff’s right to organize, and to accept the decision of the majority of over 200 teachers and staff at these schools. And we are asking Mayor Emanuel to stand with us. These educators are dedicated to the mission of their schools and seek to build a climate of mutual respect and cooperation in order to better serve and support their students’ growth. In order to reduce staff turnover and provide students with greater consistency, they seek to ensure fair and equal treatment of all employees. These educators risked retribution for organizing. It is illegal for an employer to retaliate against employees for participating in union organizing. However, charter school managers have campaigned to discourage their staff members from unionizing. The leaders of this effort call on their schools’ executives to demonstrate their respect and trust in their employees by pledging not to interfere with their right to organize, and by accepting the decision of the majority of teachers and staff. Along with ChiACTS, they also call on public officials who oversee Chicago’s schools, starting with the Mayor, to endorse the same respect and fairness for any and all educators who seek to unionize in charter schools. We are asking Mayor Emanuel to call on the executives of these and all charter schools to commit to a fair process that ensures the right of educators to organize free from fear. Please join us.

Please fund the $34 million for MLK that is shown in the MNPS Capital Improvement Budget.

We parents value excellence in our teachers. We value their ability to effectively teach and to inspire our children to learn and develop myriad types of success throughout their lives. Our teachers should never need to compete with each other in this way; they should work together for the good of all of our children. This competition for “merit” pay will also lead to an increased emphasis on testing and teaching to those tests – rather than on teaching our children how to learn and how to develop their best talents and abilities. It will discriminate against teachers who work with ELL students, Special Needs students and students who live in poverty, and lead to an exodus of experienced teachers from high poverty districts.

Nature is disappearing from the Oxford Junior Dictionary. Since 2007 Oxford University Press has cut the names of at least 30 plant and animal species -- and numerous other words associated with nature and biological diversity -- from the pages of its Junior dictionary.

I am a 1992 graduate of SC State University. I ask that the Governor and State Legislators strengthen and support SCSU and not hurt or close the school. The Governor and Legislators choose members of the Board of Trustees at SCSU and share responsibility in the success and failure of this institution. I ask that you help to make SCSU a great success story.

Governor Cuomo is trying to force the implementation of educational reforms that are unfair to our public school teachers and administrators. Please sign this petition to let our elected officials know the way we want them to vote on merit pay for teachers.

The Principal is only a symptom of the bigger problem. The Board of Education and The Superintendents continue to employ, protect and allow Kimberly Taylor Around Children. BOCES LEADERSHIP IS BROKEN. REPLACE THE DECISION MAKERS!!!!! Because a week suspension is noRecent Petition Entries: 911. Max McDonald from Nyack, NY signed this petition on Feb 14, 2015. Do not stop the petition. BOCES IS COVERING UP AGAIN. Kim Taylor was removed from hilltop. But just moved to building 10. Another school in the boces program. She is still around children 910. Martin J. Coleman from Woodbury, NY signed this petition on Feb 14, 2015. I am a civil rights attorney for people with disabilities. Most of my cases are brought5 under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Given her language used by Ms. Taylor, as quoted on the internet, any case ever brought against BOCES under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or IDEA will be more difficult to defend if Ms. Taylor is not severed from employment with BOCES. Please terminate her from her position. Thank you. Martin J. Colemant a fitting response to a person who subjects children to degradation, abuse, embarrassment, fear and administrators needs to be held accountable for those they employ. There is not enough accountability or pressure on school administrators to remove abusive educators. Children in schools are too often victims and abused by the educators entrusted to educate, support and protect them. There needs to be better screening processes for those put into these positions and an ongoing checks and balances to ensure our students continue to be in the care of responsible, reasonable and caring professionals.

I am the owner of a State Licensed Group Daycare Home. My daycare is located in a rural area. I employ 3 workers. And over half my enrollment is from children on the CCAP program.

On Thursday February 12th 2015, the NJ State Legislature's Education Committee will vote on whether or not to recommend to make standardized testing (such as PARCC) illegal before grade 3 and to force schools to provide an Opt-Out policy for older students. A third legislation under discussion would limit the use of PARCC results for the next 3 years. It is imperative that the many wonderful legislators who have sponsored and co-sponsored these bills go into session with the views of their constituents in hand and available to share with others. By signing this petition, you give our elected officials the tools they need to get the job done.