For almost 20 years, Parents for Public Schools has been lobbying our elected officials to make fair school funding a priority. With an ever decreasing tax base and an increase in the number of children living in poverty in Syracuse, the impact of funding inequity has reached crisis proportions. The Syracuse City School District is dependent on the state for the majority of the school funding and the residents do not vote for a school budget. It’s time to take the politics out of funding education and make sure all schools receive the resources their students need.

Along with the Social Emotional Learning Alliance for Massachusetts, I have been working to educate and advocate for SEL because when we argue about test scores, charter vs. public and longer school days, we are losing sight of the gravity of education and the impact it could have on violence and addictions. Let's send a message to focus on WHAT we teach and WHO is teaching, not WHERE we teach it. Teach about emotion and thought and its impact on our decision-making.

Those who attend Fordham LC generally have three complaints about the campus: the food is terrible, the internet barely works and there is not a gym that fulfills their needs. Because two of these issues are not being addressed, it is time that the Fordham LC student community finally be heard. The reason Fordham administration claims there is not a real gym on campus is because free weights and other equipment cannot be used on the second floor of buildings. Fortunately enough, Quinn Library is being moved from what is basically a basement to the new Gabelli Business building. This is where a gym should be built. Even if half of Quinn was converted into a gym, it would still be a major improvement to the tiny room Fordham claims to be a gym in McMahon Hall. Even further, this gym would exponentially improve the health of students on campus and eliminate the need for them to pay additional membership fees for gyms throughout NYC.

After the third schedule change, TN Ready testing is set to begin Monday, March 14, but some schools still don't have their supplies. Kids, parents, teachers and administrators are sick of dealing with this - enough is enough.

Mayor Kenney has proposed important initiatives that will directly benefit the education of children in Philadelphia, which will have broader benefits to society. Community schools can help to meet the comprehensive needs that children have - from social, emotional and health needs, to extended and enhanced learning, such as extended learning time and quality Pre-K. There are economic and social benefits when we improve conditions for children. Resource equity matters too - and for that, you need to make investments. Mayor Kenney's proposed tax on sugary drinks is a reasonable way to fund these programs that can have a real impact on quality of life and learning conditions.

My daughter and her friends have been coming from school more exhausted than usual, due to not having access to swings, climbing structures and slides during recess at the new building. A longer recess would allow them to travel to one of many parks near the new building and be ready to learn again.

The WCA Board will vote on Thursday, March 10, to determine whether or not our elementary school will become a 5-track school, and whether there will be expansion to the elementary and MS/HS buildings. We must voice our opposition before they vote, to prevent our school from expanding too much, too fast.

We are encouraging MNPS to keep our local elementary school local.

BPS students came up with the idea and have led all of the organizing related to #bpswalkout. This petition is our way of letting the students involved know that the adults in their community support their efforts.

Our family has been very happy with Collegium. My twin sons are in 3rd grade and have been at the school since kindergarten. The academic days are particularly long and we feel that more balance is critical in regard to recess. Studies prove that children are much more attentive and retain more information when given adequate breaks. There is also a noticeable difference in behavioral issues. "Through active, free play and interactions with schoolmates, children can develop a respect for rules and an appreciation for other people's cultures and beliefs. They learn skills such as conflict resolution, self-discipline, determination, compromise and teamwork, as well as sharing during recess." Dr. Robert Murray, a pediatrician and professor of human nutrition at the Ohio State University, did a study on the benefits of recess. What she found was that playtime’s benefits extend beyond the physical. “We came to the realization that it really affects social, emotional and cognitive development in a much deeper way than we’d expected,” she says. “It helps children practice conflict resolution if we allow them unstructured play, and it lets them come back to class more ready to learn and less fidgety.” For a real life example of the impact that increased recess can have, read this article entitled, "Texas School Triples Recess Time and Sees Immediate Positive Results in Kids": http://www.playgroundprofessionals.com/news/play/texas-school-triples-recess-time-and-sees-immediate-positive-results-kids101 Some of the links referenced above: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/1/183 http://study.com/academy/lesson/benefits-of-recess-for-elementary-school-children.html http://healthland.time.com/2012/12/31/yay-for-recess-pediatricians-say-its-as-important-as-math-or-reading/ PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION SO WE CAN GARNER SUPPORT FROM DR. RATH (Collegium's CEO) TO GIVE OUR KIDS MORE RECESS!

To the U.S. Senate: As educators, students, parents, and activists, we are writing to strongly urge you to reject the confirmation of John King, President Obama’s nominee for the Secretary of Education. We believe he is the wrong choice for the position. Research and evidence demonstrate that the education policies that John King has supported throughout his career, such as the Common Core standards, the collection of private student information, and high-stakes standardized testing, have been ineffective and destructive to schools, educators, and most importantly students. As New York State Education Commissioner, he was an unapologetic supporter of the Common Core standards and inBloom. His policies failed. While test scores are flawed metrics, in 2013, just 31 percent of students in New York passed the English and math standardized tests, the first tests to be aligned to the Common Core and in three years the scores have barely budged. The achievement gap grew. Last year, over 200,000 students opted out of the tests. Educators, parents, and students as well as the state teachers union and other public education advocacy groups called for King’s resignation. His style is inflexible and he is quick to criticize the motives of those with whom he disagrees. He persistently refused to consider the desperate pleas of students and teachers who were reporting that the Common Core and value-added teacher evaluations were not working. The American public deserves a Secretary of Education who will advocate for their interests, not those of the testing corporations who profit from the Common Core. We also deserve a Secretary who respects the importance of schools governed by communities, not by federal mandate. Senators should not be misled by vague promises to do better as King offered at a recent hearing. John King is the wrong candidate and he will follow the failed strategies of Mr. Duncan. We strongly urge you to reject his nomination and recommend to President Obama that he nominate a candidate who will bring a progressive perspective to the department as it implements the Every Student Succeeds Act. Signatures: INDIVIDUALS: Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor & Professor of Linguistics (Emeritus), MIT Naomi Klein, Award-winning journalist and author Diane Ravitch, Research Professor, New York University Jonathan Kozol, National Book Award-winning author Deborah Meier, Senior Scholar, New York University and 1987 MacArthur Fellow Jill Stein, Green Party presidential candidate Lucas Neff, Actor Karen Lewis, President of the Chicago Teachers Union Jeff Sharlet, Associate Professor of English, Dartmouth College Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Assistant Professor, Center for African American Studies, Princeton University Carla Shedd, Assistant Professor of Sociology & African American Studies, Columbia University Alfie Kohn, Acclaimed author on education Nikhil Goyal, Author of the book Schools On Trial and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree Linda Nathan, Senior Lecturer, Boston University Steve Cohen, Lecturer, Tufts University Corey Robin, Professor of Political Science, Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Professor emerita, Lesley University Mary Beth Tinker, Free speech activist Andrew Hartman, Associate Professor, Illinois State University Henry Giroux, Professor of English and Cultural Studies, McMaster University Stephen Krashen, Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California Peter McLaren, Distinguished Professor in Critical Studies, Chapman University Mark Naison, Professor of History, Fordham University Robert Buchanan, Undergraduate Faculty, Goddard College Eva Swidler, Undergraduate Faculty, Goddard College Lois Weiner, Professor of Education, New Jersey City University Lawrence Brown, Assistant Professor, School of Community Health and Policy, Morgan State University Jeanette Deutermann, Founder of Long Island Opt Out and parent M. Zachary Mezera, Executive director of the Providence Student Union Israel Munoz, Co-founder of the Chicago Student Union Carol Burris, Executive Director of the Network for Public Education Raynard Sanders, Radio host of The New Orleans Imperative Howie Hawkins, 2014 Green Party candidate for NY Governor Brian Jones, 2014 Green Party candidate for NY Lieutenant Governor Benji Cohen, Doctoral history student, University of Virginia Brian LeCloux, Wisconsin high school psychology teacher Doug Henwood, Journalist and NYC public school parent Liza Featherstone, amNY columnist, educator and NYC public school parent Julian Vasquez Heilig, Professor of Education, California State University Sacramento Wayne Au, Associate Professor of Education, University of Washington, Bothell Jeff Bryant, Associate Fellow at Campaign for America's Future Arnold Dodge, Associate Professor/Chair, Department of Educational Leadership and Administration, Long Island University Post Anthony Cody, Author and educator Lisa Edstrom, Brooklyn parent and educator Rita Green, Alaska, Oregon, WA, Seattle/King County NAACP Education Chair Nancy K. Cauthen, Sociologist Jia Lee, Educator and 2016 UFT presidential candidate Julie Cavanagh, Educator and 2013 MORE/UFT presidential candidate Michael Klonsky, Executive Director at The Small Schools Workshop and educator Monty Neill, Executive Director of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) Jason Endacott, Assistant Professor of Secondary Social Studies Education, University of Arkansas Chris Goering, Associate Professor, English Education, University of Arkansas Lisa Rudley, Executive Director and Founding Member, NYS Allies for Public Education Meg Norris, Founder/Director of Opt Out Georgia Bianca Tanis, NYS Allies for Public Education Katie Zahedi, NYS Allies for Public Education ORGANIZATIONS: The Network for Public Education New York State Allies for Public Education Change the Stakes New York City Opt Out NYCpublic Save Our Schools Long Island Opt-Out Parents Across Rh...

I'm an individual of many different races, meaning not all of my family was able to pass down all of the different languages. I would have loved to been able to take Italian throughout my high school years because the younger you are, the faster and easier it is to learn a language, but because this was not an option, my only option was to wait until college. I think giving children more of a variety of languages that they can learn, would make them feel less forced to take a language and it would encourage them to view it as something they enjoy and actually want to be involved in.