The Oregon State Board of Higher Education will vote this week on whether to raise tuition again, but tuition is already too high. If the Oregon University System approves the hike, tuition at the University of Oregon next fall will be DOUBLE what it was 10 years ago. Oregon students are deep in debt, and many are being priced out of a degree altogether. That's too steep a price for Oregon to pay. Oregon students need debt-free higher education now!

The interest rate on federal subsidized Stafford student loans is set to increase from 3.4% to 6.8% on July 1st. If Congress doesn't act soon, millions of college students will see their student loan payments jump. Some argue that it's too expensive to keep government loans at low interest rates, but the federal government makes low interest loans all the time—just not to everyone. Big banks can borrow money through the Federal Reserve discount window at a rate of about 0.75%. Wall Street banks—the ones that wrecked our economy—should not be getting a better interest rate on their government loans than young people trying to go to college. Support Senator Elizabeth Warren's Bank on Students Loan Fairness Act to let students take advantage of the same low rates offered to banks for one year while Congress finds a fair, long-term solution on student loan interest rates.

As a young widow, and single mother trying to complete my degree in order to support my child without my husband, the increases in student loan interest rates will have a huge affect on my future. I am trying to make a decent life for my family, and already have a lot of student debt to pay off. The pending rate increases will keep me, and many others, struggling even after finally getting an education that will lead to a viable career.

Senator Bennett from the state of Colorado has re-introduced the (inappropriately named) Growing Excellent Achievement Training Academies for Teachers and Principals (GREAT) Act, a bill to reshape teacher preparation, drastically lowering the standards for those doing this crucial work. This bill would allow anyone to open a "teacher preparation academy", regardless of his or her expertise or credentials and would require states equate this training with a Masters Degree from an accredited institution of higher education. Supporters include New Schools Venture Fund, Democrats for Education Reform, Stand For Children, Teach For America, TNTP, NCTQ and many more "reformers." Stand against S. 1250 (112th): GREAT Teachers and Principals Act- our kids deserve better.

Despite the outcry from the people of the City of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel declares that the largest school closing in history is "difficult but necessary." Still, he announces a plan to spend millions of dollars for a12,000-seat arena for DePaul University at McCormick Place, a proposal that will require taxpayer dollars. Join DePaul Students/Faculty/Alumni in demanding that Rahm Emanuel use this money instead to keep the closing schools open.

This petition in support of keeping Jessica Gronemeyer at Lawton in an early elementary position. Jessica Gronemeyer received a pink slip based on her years experience and not her highly effective teaching in the K-1 classroom at Lawton. We believe that this highly effective, national board certified, diversity specialist and ESL trained teacher should retain her current position at Lawton.

To dove tale the already existing petition about the interest rate on student loans, I think that people should only have to pay the Principal back no matter how old the student loan is. Yes it affects me.

Because my sister as an educator and administrator has a Masters in Early Childhood Development, I had assumed all educators were required to have education in child development. Wrong. There is so much more insight to child development than even 20-30 years ago. We also know that addressing your audience is a fundamental key to communication of anything. I would like to see education in child development be a requirement for all teachers.

We support preschool for All children.

We don't want our children to be displaced from their community school and we want them to have access to the resources in their building such as the cafeteria, gymnasium, library, auditorium, and the pool! Also, PS 125 should be allowed to expand its enrollment to service the community especially when there are waiting lists of parents that want to enroll their children specifically in our school. Our children are being subjected to "separate and unequal" educational experiences and in the year of 2013 that should not happen!

Parents requesting freedom of choice for their children for lunchtime seating for all Holmes School students.

Parents requesting freedom of choice for their children for lunchtime seating for Holmes School 4th & 5th graders.