The Chicago Tribune has a history of publishing pieces that attack teachers while ignoring positive stories on the great things that happen in classrooms in Chicago and across the state of Illinois. The Tribune is running a series that manufactures a scandal around teacher licensure that simply does not add up. Here is more information on the series --> http://ow.ly/A2y0Y

Children on bus 1665 who live west of Sope Creek bridge are spending an extra 30 minutes in transit from school to home compared to last school year. Over 36 weeks, that is the equivalent to additional 18 school days. The delay in returning from school is disruptive to homework, childcare arrangements, after school activities, and to the well being of the children, particularly the younger ones for whom the additional time at school is exhausting. The students who ride bus 1665 as 1st load in the morning are away from home for ~ 8:10 while the 1665 2nd load students are only in transit and at school for ~ 7:10. While students on the 2nd morning load have the option of walking to school, the 1st load AM students cannot walk to or from school in a timely and safe manner. Bus 1665 should be returned to its original, non-flipped loading schedule to resolve the issue.

The children living in the Oak Summit neighborhood are expected to walk 1.5 miles on a difficult route to Orchard Hills Elementary. The NEBO SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION Administrative Procedure FILE # EEA-P2 SCHOOL BUS ROUTE APPROVAL says: Students will be expected to walk to bus stops up to one and one-half miles from their homes depending on the age and ability of the students. Our route is beyond the ability of elementary students, especially K-4th grade. We need a bus for our students.

I am starting this petition to support the students at Simeon High School in Chicago and join the fight to save a program leading to JOBS...

We, the alumni of Amelia Love Johnson are concerned about its possible closure. We are actively united to help keep the doors of our dear Alma Mater open for future generations. We urge you to do your job in making sure that our desires are a reality.

The flexibility in areas including, but not limited to: faculty hiring, staffing, work rules, licensing, evaluation, school schedule and calendar, educational programming, budgeting, curriculum, assessment, leadership and management, and governance that is provided by innovation status will allow Northfield High School to fulfill its mission of providing every single student in this diverse high school with an excellent education. Under the leadership of Principal Avi Tropper and in collaboration with the community and faculty, Northfield High School is committed to implementing the innovation plan and building a school culture dedicated to inclusion and excellence.

Adults nationwide need access to lifelong learning, both physical and mental, at their local community colleges. Until now, lifelong learning has been a longstanding historical right enjoyed by adults at their community colleges. Now that right is being stripped away with frightening rapidity. As community colleges are governed at the state level, this has to be dealt with state by state. I live in California, so created a petition to The California State House, The California State Senate, Governor Jerry Brown, and the Board of Governors (appointed by the Governor and overseeing community colleges) that reads as set forth above. This petition can be used by others as a template for petitions in their own states. As a community adult, I have personally been affected by this development, as our local community college, after lifelong learning had already been cut off in Fall of 2013 for regular classes, on April 1, 2014 phased out the paltry substitute offerings for community adults (aka "community education classes") as well, reversing this decision (quite possibly only temporarily) 3 days later due to massive community backlash.

School- and classroom-level staffing in the Cambridge Public Schools is inadequate to meet the needs of a student population that is increasing in number, diversity, mobility, and complexity, and there is unequal and inequitable staffing across CPS elementary schools. The result is that too many CPS students are not getting their academic, intellectual, social, emotional, and cultural needs met in our schools, thus reducing their opportunities to learn and to become successful, civically-engaged, and efficacious adults.

In 1983 I decided to go back to school and finish my degree and pursue a masters degree in political science and public administration. I borrowed $7500. Due to my mother's sudden death and financial issues, I wasn't able to finish my degree (I lack one theology credit to do so) and I fell behind in my loan payments. Over the years I have paid back over $11000 on this loan, but since I didn't pay it all to the Dept of Ed and/or ONE of the myriad collection agencies that have held this debt over the years, it has once again been sold, and penalties, fees, and interests now total $14486.64. If paid, I would be paying back $25000 on a $7500 loan. Because of this egregious situation, I was able to get no funding from the SBA or anything tied to the federal government, including government and minority owned business status and the ability to bid on government contracts, and now I have no business. I will be 60 years old next month with failing health, and have filed for disability. Any tax refunds that I've been entitled to over the years have been seized for the debt. Now I fear that, should my disability claim be allowed, any funds that I deserve and have worked for will be seized for this unreasonable debt. It has ruined me financially and has inhibited my ability to make a living. After so many years, there MUST be some type of waiver put into place that would eliminate this kind of unfair and immoral financial burden, especially in this difficult economy. At least the laws passed in the 90's making student loan debt ineligible under bankruptcy should be reversed. My husband survived a heart attack, artificial valve replacement surgery and another surgery almost two years ago, and we struggle each month to make the insurance payment and pay for his medications, including the blood thinners that he must take on a daily basis to survive with an artificial heart valve. He is working at a very difficult job in the Texas weather simply because he is the only one now that can find work. I have my own significant health issues as well. We are burdened by debt and have seen everything we've worked for over the last decade disappear. We are truly the disappeared middle class and are financially devastated. We have suffered enough and we have paid enough. The government is making billions off these loans and becoming more and more entrenched with the collection agencies that are doing the same, to the detriment of the people like me who have met our obligations or are trying desperately to do so. Since I originally tried to launch this petition last year, two more agencies have been sold this note; the latest is calling me multiple times a day and refuses to stop unless I make financial arrangements with them, and they are threatening wage garnishment. We face each day with such physical and emotional stress and pain that this is something that we should not have to handle. I know that there are millions of us who are suffering through this unfair and unjust system.

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) was written by a business trade group that has had significant ramifications on public education. States agreed to these Standards, sight unseen, even though they are age-inappropriate, especially for our primary students, and make the false assumption that all children learn at the same pace, thus the use of the word "common." It is an affront to education, has resulted in the loss of local autonomy for learning, and has unnecessarily diverted millions from school budgets that would be better spent in the classroom. CC$$ is the means for rich billionaires like Bill Gates and The Koch Bros to profit from the billions spent on education. It is a covert attack to dismantle public education and it must be STOPPED!

With your help we can strengthen our movement to promote the legislation nationwide. Ask congress to help remove this roadblock preventing millions of students from generating IP, starting companies and creating jobs. Our goal is to reach to the most influential policy makers. Require our nation's public institutions to implement student-friendly IP policies in the upcoming Higher Education Reauthorization Act.

We cannot create an effective school board by undermining the local democratic control of our schools. Moreover, the proposed school board reduction: --Is not supported by a thorough review of business principles or typical business practices --Is not supported by practices of other school districts in Louisiana --Not one proposal reapportions the districts in line with the racial make-up of our school district --Has not been pre-screened by the Justice Department and leaves the school district vulnerable to legal challenges ◦ NAACP released statement of opposition --Increases the number of constituents each school board member must serve --Privileges candidates with more personal wealth or ability to garner support from wealthy contributors --Alters current map less than one month before candidates must qualify