We always told our daughter to worry about her grades, and we would worry about the rest. Well, she did her part, and got into her dream school early decision (NYU). Once her savings were gone, we were forced to take on incredible debt after her dad lost his job, and could not find another. We wanted her to graduate, and she did. We now owe close to $200K, and can't even start paying it back without income. The federal government should give some assistance to the parents who tried to help their kids achieve their dreams at the same time as the economy was bottoming out.

The state of Texas has a long history of demanding that text book publishers include Creationism or "Intelligent Design" in science textbooks. Texas has also insisted on serious misrepresentations and omissions in history textbooks. These historical misrepresentations include downplaying the struggle for civil rights, ignoring LGBTQ people entirely and portraying the countriy's founding fathers as staunchly religious individuals to name just a few. Because of the large population in Texas and the high cost of printing multiple additions, many publishers simply acquiesce to Texas' demands and these textbooks become the standard for all states. This petition aims to correct that by using the even larger population of the state of California as a counterweight to the excessive influence of right wing Christian political influence that has unfortunately robbed many Texas school children of true and accurate study materials free of religious and political bias.

We are concerned citizens of Arlington.

With the recent developments in public education, we have witnessed a general trend: the increase of emphasis placed on standardized testing, along with an increased quantity of the tests themselves.This is seen in the implementation of the Ohio Graduation Tests 2005 and onward, as well as the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and the Next Generation Assessments, the latter two of which have caused dissent among both educators and students, as well as the entire community. The reasons behind this unrest include the exorbitant amount of time said testing takes away from learning, the heavy reliance they place upon technology, and the lack of consideration towards both socioeconomic background and educators’ opinions. We are concerned that these tests do not address the realistic issues we are faced with. The shift towards an emphasis on standardized testing averts the focus of teaching from actual learning and expanding on the curriculum to solely preparing for tests . In addition, the increased number of tests requires a greater amount of time spent taking the tests rather than time spent in a class setting and limits the time and resources available to both educators and students. Thus, the sheer volume of mandated tests should not be imposed as it will take an excessive amount of time that could otherwise be devoted to other educational purposes. While these “reforms” are a disadvantage to every student involved, we recognize specifically the risks they pose to the more underprivileged districts, especially in regards to technology. Not every school has the resources/budget available to make online-only tests possible. Even the schools that have sufficient existing computers may need them for other projects and classes online. Other technological problems may ensue; if a student takes a time-sensitive test, for example, poor internet connection could lead to an inaccurate score. These online tests use software that is difficult to keep up with, and many require introductory courses on how to use this new testing software, taking up even more class time. Emphasis on technology, as well as its subsequent problems, creates a greater disparity between school districts of varying economic backgrounds. Part of the reason why there is a generally negative attitude towards these new policies is that educators feel as though neither their opinions nor their experiences have been considered, and they are not involved in any sort of decision-making. They have had little to do in developing the “reforms” that they themselves must carry out. If there was more productive and multilateral communication between policymakers and educators, new policies and testing mechanisms would be well-informed and better serve the public education system. We have already experienced firsthand the effects of the new ponderous testing system: the loss of enriching projects, a relentless concern for our more economically-burdened peers, and an exam-induced exhaustion of students and teachers.

The University of California (UC) system was built by Californians to serve Californians and should continue to prioritize Californians. The UCs have been turning away record numbers of qualified California high school students in favor of out-of-state candidates who can pay a greater price -- “full freight” -- for tuition. Meanwhile, California families are struggling as income inequality hits record highs, and tuition at the University of California has increased more than 300% since 2000. Despite all this, the Governor refuses to prioritize increased funding for higher education. While we recognize that including students from all over the country and the world is valuable to enhance diversity, the University of California must prioritize California families who have paid to support the system all their lives. Further tuition increases for in-state students is not the answer. The state, led by the Governor, must increase funding for higher education so the UC system can once again provide an affordable, world class education for all qualified Californians.

I am a veteran teacher in the state of North Carolina. I have been devalued and insulted one time too many.

The new principal Ms. Machado decided to inform parents exactly one week before Closing Activities our young children will have to be in uniform to participate. The children are in their first years of school and have been wearing uniforms 95% of the time, with the exception field trips and spirit week. Many parents have already purchased outfits and it is likely the children have seen them. Likewise, many parents are not in a position to purchase brand new uniforms for their young ones Special Day. Also, Ms. Machado informed certain parents that the teachers of grades Pre-K and K were made aware of the changes back in March of this year. When questioned, all but one teacher (who couldn't recall) said that the forced uniform subject never came up. Ms. Machado placed sole blame for the lack of communication and late notice to parents on those same teachers.

After 7 months of frustration as a "Program Specialist", I was fired from 'After-School All-Stars' on March 14, 2014, for exhibiting behavior that proved I was not adequately trained in CPR/emergency training, nor the basic responsibilities of the position I was given. In my last meeting with the Director of Operations, I was told that obtaining such training was simply "my responsibility to schedule", and then terminated. I think the parents trusting this after-school program enough to leave their children in their care, would be interested in knowing what kind of training (or lack thereof) ASAS is providing their employees. It is their duty as an organization serving the public, to ensure that their employees are adequately trained and knowledgeable in ALL necessary areas. I believe they owe it to the community to look into implementing follow-up programs for their "trainings" with all of the employees in their organization, across all sites, to make sure no one else has slipped through the cracks.

Student loan debt is crushing young people. Total debt is now $1.2 trillion, more than all outstanding credit card debt in America. The overwhelming burden of student debt keeps young people from buying homes, buying cars, starting small businesses, saving for retirement, and making purchases that strengthen our economy. Last year, Republicans and Democrats came together to lower the interest rates on new undergraduate loans to 3.8%. But nothing was done for the millions of people who have older student loans at 6%, 8%, 10%, and even higher interest rates. They were just stuck paying -- and paying and paying. The Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act lets people refinance older student loans down to those lower interest rates that new students receive. It would put hundreds, even thousands, of dollars back into the pockets of people struggling with their student loan debt. The sooner we pass this bill, the sooner people will get a little bit of relief.

My daughter has been proven to be academically and socially ready for kindergarten. She missed the cut-off by 7 days, but the school committee and commissioner of education are playing politics siting a guideline, not law and will not listen to valid, logical points. RI law does not exclude children based on age, but allows separate school districts to make that determination. They've sent me back and forth and put me through the ringer, wasting precious time. It's time to tell them what we think!

Every child, whether rich or poor, should have the opportunity to get a strong start to their education. Yet, only half of 3- and 4-year old kids in California actually have access to quality preschool, and far too many are from low-income households. This isn't right. There's a budget proposal to fix this, but we need a huge show of support to get Gov. Brown to sign it.

Somerville has not had the chance to thoroughly discuss the new online high-stakes test called PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career) as a replacement for MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) and what it will mean for our kids, teachers, and K-12 schools.