Public schools are in shambles across America. The only way we can fix it is by making our elected leaders experience what we go through as parents of public school students. To make them accountable, all elected officials must be required to send their children to public schools in their area as a part of their pledge to serve the community they get elected to represent.

It's about keeping church and state, science and religion separate. I have taught in both a parochial and a public school and strongly believe in such a separation and that representatives of government to whom we entrust that separation to be objective.

I have a student loan that increases in amount every month. I will never have it paid off, I will never be able to discharge it in bankruptcy, even though the amount now owed is four times my yearly salary. Student loans are exempt from bankruptcy and cannot be discharged regardless of the ability of the debtor to pay except in instances of terminal illness or death. A judge may decide a debtor does not have the ability to pay any other debt, and discharge it, but those who hold student loans have a special protection from the government that allows them to divert social security payments, child-support payments, and garnish wages. It's time to take away that special protection for the banking industry and put student loans on a level field with all other consumer debt.

My petition is about wearing uniform and why do students have to wear them everyday.

When teens get the required 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep: • School attendance goes up, • Tardiness decreases, • They sleep less in class, • They get in fewer traffic accidents, • Visit nurses and counselors less often, and, • Report less depression and irritability. Starting school before 8:15 AM, without a doubt, undermines optimal academic achievement.

(Please post your department in the "Comments" section. Non-UW faculty members, please sign our complementary petition at http://signon.org/sign/response-to-uws-fall instead.) We, the undersigned faculty members, wish to express our grave concern over the continuing lack of resolution of the fees dispute with the graduate student union. Graduate students have brought to our attention the fact that the independent arbitrator’s finding in favor of the union several months ago has still not been implemented, and this delay has caused serious financial hardship for our students. We greatly value the work that academic student employees perform; indeed, the University would quickly cease to function without it. Moreover, recruitment for next year’s class of graduate students, actively underway right now, will be seriously harmed if this matter is not resolved promptly. We urge the immediate resolution of this pressing issue and look forward to seeing the graduate students’ employment contract upheld in a fair manner.

Student loan debt is stifling our economy and preventing future generations from accessing their ultimate potential. Families, crushed by this debt, are the true economic catalysts that must be freed if our Nation is to compete in the 21st Century global economy. Allowing student loan debt to be discharged through bankruptcy will unleash trillions of dollars into the marketplace that is capable of resurrecting our stagnant economy.

I doubt that H.R. 4170 will pass, so I have a better idea on how to deal with student debt and the staggering 54.3% unemployment/underemployment rate for recent graduates. My solution is to permanently lower student loan interest rates to between 1 - 3% for all borrowers including borrowers before 2011 who are paying a 6.8% - 8.5% interest rates (the new 3.4% doesn't apply to older borrowers). In conjunction with lowered interest rates, provide a 5 year moratorium on all student loans without collecting interest. This will provide major debt relief to those under 30, allowing salaries to rise while the most vulnerable in society get some time to get real work experience. Once the 5 years are up, these students will have salaries large enough to pay back all of their debt without further hurting their long-term purchasing power. This solution also emphasizes full debt repayment rather than relying on the public service student forgiveness options which only further exacerbate public spending. I believe my solution will not only fix the student debt problem, it will also kick start the economy and prevent the Millennial generation from falling even further behind.

My son teaches in an urban vocational technical high school. He has a MA degree from NYU in addition to equivalent post graduate work to gain teacher certification. His high school salary plus two part-time education-related jobs still don't provide sufficient funds to keep up with loan payments.

Big Bird has been a part of our lives for years and has brought goodness and common sense to American Television. PBS provides the best, most thoughtful and relevant programs to all the American public--whether it be for pre=schoolers, teens, or seniors. It would be an insult to Americans to think that Big Bird and Big Bird's Family at PBS would not be funded by the budget.

The petition above extends our understanding of the nature of this wrongdoing to include that the School of Education find a place for Dr. Madeloni as a scholar and educator whose contributions are essential to the mission of the University.

Representative Paul Broun (R-Georgia) is part of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology -- and he shouldn't be. In recorded remarks on September 27th, Mr. Broun said "evolution and embryology and Big Bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell." It's wrong for someone who rejects the very existence of scientific truths this fundamental to have any say at all on a committee whose focus is science and technology. And he shouldn't be subjected to all of that terrible diabolical science if it so opposes his views. Sot