Why is there a 15-million-dollar focus at the Department of Defense to educate children of the poor in 2013? (As part of NDAA, HR4310)

Voters outside of King County have just approved I-1240, Charter Schools. Charter Schools waste taxpayer money, and have failed to demonstrate any success over traditional public schools.In fact, while only 17% of charters show better results than public schools, 38% do worse. A recent study called them "engines of racial segregation". Well, if voters outside King Co. want them, let them have them. But if they want to waste our insufficient tax dollars on charter schools, they should NOT be getting $0.40 of every levy dollar we tax ourselves in Seattle. We should repeal the Levy Equalization Legislation, and keep our local levy money in local schools, NOT outsourced to failed experiments.

As a teacher for 20 years, I have seen how the curriculum offered to most children has narrowed over that time. Many California children have no instruction in dance, music, theatre or visual arts in their schools. The California state legislature can help turn the tide on this issue by explicitly instructing the California Department of Education and school districts throughout California to 1. hold schools accountable for providing arts instruction to all students and 2. affirmatively state that state and federal categorical funds can and should be used to support standards-based arts instruction.

Having spent more than 25 years working in public education I am concerned that the "reforms" championed by US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, will ruin public eduation while opening up the "market" to privatization. Follow the money. Who benefits from producing tests, evaluating tests, and publicizing test results? Who stands to suffer? Is this reform? A NY State child now starts the year being tested by her teachers in every subject so as to "prove" that the child knows little in order to create a favorable comparison for the end of the year. Is our goal to improve drop-out rates of students and teachers?

I am a former graduate from ITT Technical Institute and received my Associates Degree in Computer Network Systems in July 2006. Now it's November 2012 and I have no job leading to any IT position. The only jobs I were only able to obtain are "minimum wage" jobs. With $20,000 in debt, student loans doubled in 6 years, and searching for something that doesn't exist I feel robbed out of a education. According to the student loan act it should be discharged if I didn't benefit from the education, which I haven't. Why am I working mininum wage $8.25/hr jobs? When I first saw the ITT Tech commercial in 2002 I thought it would be a excellent choice to further my career, but now 10 years later it's a disaster. My student loans are currently in deferment and my wages are being garnished. I'm struggling as is it and these people won't get off my back. The economy has went to booming to people losing their jobs in groves and I'm affected by all this.

I believe that if State Education officials had to work directly in a classroom (teach), they would finally leave their "ivory tower" and truly experience what educators are facing on a daily basis. Rude students, un-cooperative administrators, over crowded classrooms and testing instead of teaching. Members of The N.Y.S .Board of Regents are constantly coming up with paperwork and tests in order to "look busy". Yes we teachers recognize the lazy way out, creating "busy work". Get Up! Get Out! Reach into classrooms across the state before you dump more silly paperwork and tests on teachers and their students.

The EKU student body was notified by email of a financial aid refund policy change on 31 October, 2012. This change proposes to begin distributing financial aid refunds at least a full 14 days later in the semester than they have in the past. A penalty placed on a majority of students for a minority that may spend their money too quickly or irresponsibly should not be implemented. If permanent reversal is not considered, we ask that the poor timing of such a policy change be taken into consideration and delay the effective date until Fall 2013. A 2-month notice is not enough for the typical, employed college student to save the hundreds or thousands of dollars necessary to cover school and living costs over that time. Availability of funds during one of the most expensive times of the year is vital to most students who may not even be employed, and gives the responsible majority the ability to start a new semester focused solely on their education at Eastern Kentucky University. We ask that the EKU Financial Aid and Student Accounting departments reconsider implementing this Student Refund Policy change in Spring '13, in consideration for the financial hardships it will incur on the majority of EKU students.

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.

With so many of us facing seemingly insurmountable student loan debt, something needs to be done. Students, both current and recently graduated are the future of this economy. It is well within reason to believe that we could provide the boost to the economy that is currently needed. However, many of us need help. I have more then $120K in student debt and for the last 3 years have made an average of $11 p/h. Quite often I am faced with making less in one month then what is owed on a monthly basis for my student loans, mostly private loans that I was made to feel I needed and were not properly explained to me. A solution to this is for the government to buy the private loans the way banks buy loans from other banks. From here place them into the same category as government student loans so that they may become eligible for income based repayment. At this point take all loans that are in/near default and give them forbearance to bring them current. This will allow everyone who is eligible to apply for IBR options and significantly reduce individual monthly expenses while still keeping everyone liable for the loans they used. Now we have the potential for more of our income to help with economic growth, and still be able to pay rent, utilities and our loans. All we need is the support of our government.

TRIO is a program that serves undergrade DePaul University students with academic support and mentoring to first generation students, low income students, and/or disabled students. There is a constant demand for money to address the growing need of Trio students yet funding is being cut. If TRIO had more funding it would be able to branch out and help more students.

33 years ago the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) was created to provide quality educational programming to the American people; they have done so with many award winning series (see links below). Unfortunately, many of their best programs are no longer available, or are only accessible via commercial DVDs or streaming, which make them inaccessible to low-income & bandwidth-limited schools & families most in need of what PBS has to offer. Today their federal funding is under threat; we're asking PBS, as a public service, to release medium-resolution subtitled versions of their past programming to download, distribute, & display for non-commercial purposes, so that everyone can make use of this great public resource, & appreciate what public broadcasting has to offer. Great programs for lifelong learning (copy & paste URLs): Science: http://amzn.com/lm/R25ZRLJ9ZZXTO2 American History: http://amzn.com/lm/RJ1V655C5INYI Primary Education: http://amzn.com/lm/R2XQVYMY4QXQR9 World History: http://amzn.com/lm/R3KLXZHRP1H0YG More on PBS: http://valuepbs.org/

Louisville Municipal School District students and parents are calling for the immediate adoption of the Mississippi Student Bill of Rights by their schools. The MS SBR's articulate ten rights that all MS students should have in their schools. For too long our rights have been consistently and routinely violated; this must stop immediately and the protections of MS SBR must be adopted by our schools. Students deserve the right to be treated humanely, with respect, free from discrimination and prejudice as they pursue their education. Students deserve exceptional teachers, administrators, and other staff whose first goal is always the best interest of the students. Students deserve resources and information that will provide us with opportunities to achieve our full potential. The school environment must be a conducive place for learning and achieving, not a place of criminalization and penalization. Students are the future of MS, we should be treated as such if this state is to succeed and prosper. Adopting the MS SBR is a necessary and critical step in achieving all of this for Louisville Municipal School District students. Mississippi Student Bill of Rights Educate.Agitate.Organize. Preamble: Our future depends on our preparation. We’re standing up for a real education. All students regardless of status deserve a free, quality public education; education is a human right. For far too long MS has perpetuated a system full of inequalities and inequities. We demand that those in power recognize these very serious historical and contemporary issues and take immediate actions to rectify them for the best interest of all Mississippi’s students. We will work together to keep our decision makers accountable to those they represent; ensuring a bright, prosperous future for all Mississippians. These 10 points below represent how we can achieve this for all students: 1. Equal Opportunity: Equal quality education must be provided for all of us without regard to gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, sex, religion, national origin, or any other category that makes us the unique individuals we are. 2. Real Information: We must have access to real information and knowledge about sex, teen pregnancy, STDs and how these things affect our bodies and communities. Drugs are easier to find than real, accurate medical information about my body. 3. Respect: Treat us as key partners in changing our schools by ending the overly harsh, overly relied on zero-tolerance policies that push youth out of schools into the School to Prison Pipeline. The reliance on police in schools creates a hostile, prison-like environment that takes away our power to positively influence our schools and communities. 4. Safety: Every school must be a safe and supportive place for learning. To create a positive, productive learning environment we must feel comfortable and secure in our schools at all times. 5. The Best Teachers: End the reliance on faulty, inaccurate, and biased standardized testing by investing in us and providing us with the best teachers who inspire quality results in reading, writing, science, art, and music. 6. Tools: Provide us with the resources needed to learn: books, lab supplies, musical instruments, art supplies, computers, and the latest educational technology that will help us be competitive in the 21st century. 7. Leadership: We hold all leaders accountable for vision, courage, and results. We will do this by actively participating and pressuring our leaders to do what is best for us. 8. Extracurriculars: We deserve quality out of school activities to expand our opportunities and skills that give us safe, fun, and enriching places to be when not in school. 9. Starting Younger: We deserve quality pre-Kindergarten education. Kindergarten should be the next step, not the first step, in education. 10. Ready for Life: Our diplomas must not just be a piece of paper. Our leaders must take the necessary steps to ensure that our diplomas mean that we are ready for college, work, and life. This document was created by MS youth through the ACLU of MS’s Youth Justice Movement Project