HAPPY EASTER APRIL FOOLS

HAPPY EASTER APRIL FOOLS 

Father, Forgive Them For They Do Not Know What They Are Doing Luke 23:34

Seizing Upon Post-Hurricane Damage, Puerto Rico's New "Education Reform" Law Paves Way for Charters, Vouchers

Seizing Upon Post-Hurricane Damage, Puerto Rico's New "Education Reform" Law Paves Way for Charters, Vouchers:

Seizing Upon Post-Hurricane Damage, Puerto Rico's New "Education Reform" Law Paves Way for Charters, Vouchers
"Puerto Rico is now open to edupreneurs, no-excuses charters, and corporate exploitation of its children."

Roughly six months after Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, the island's governor signed into law "education reform" legislation that he says "puts our students first" but that critics say stinks of a privatization plan that will do nothing to help students.

The plan will consolidate schools and allow for charter schools and vouchers—ideas that are not endorsed by the Puerto Rico Teachers Association (Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico).

Another teacher's union, the Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico, vowed that it, alongside teachers, parents, and students, would "defeat the false reform with the struggle on the street and in schools."

Offering background, education historian Lauren Lefty wrote at Jacobin:

In the wake of twin disasters—one man-made in the form of a vulture fund-fueled debt crisis, and one natural in the form of last September's Hurricane María — Puerto Rican leaders are attempting to implement a vast austerity program, claiming it will solve the island's economic woes. In the eyes of many Puerto Ricans, however, this is textbook "disaster capitalism": capitalizing on a moment of crisis, when the population is weak and unable to mobilize, to ram through pro-market austerity measures.

Although the government has slowly been rolling out austerity measures since the debt crisis began, post-hurricane, it's doubled down. And the island's public school system is one of the leading targets.

Among critics' targets is Julia Keleher, Puerto Rico's non-Puerto Rican Education Secretary, who, in the wake of the hurricane said the storm was a "real opportunity to press the reset button." Her role, Lefty argued, "highlights the island's precarious colonial status and harkens to even less sovereign days."

As NPR reported earlier this month,

teachers' unions in Puerto Rico have responded to the government's proposed overhaul with protest, anger, and derision. Since Gov. Ricardo Rossello presented it to the legislature last month, critics have said he and Keleher are using the damage that Hurricane Maria inflicted on the island and its schools as justification to push privatization, much like the governor recently announced his intention to sell off Puerto Rico's publicly owned electric grid.

"We are disappointed the powers that be in Puerto Rico have bought the wrongheaded DeVos and Trump spin that charters and vouchers are a panacea," American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten said recently.

Responding to the new law, education historian Diane Ravitch writes that it marks "a sad day for Puerto Rico." She continues:

The Governor imagines he will save money by handing public money over to charters and vouchers.

Does he know that charters demand equal funding and choose the students they want?

Does he know that voucher students get worse results than their peers in public schools?

Probably the hedge funds that own the Commonwealth’s debt didn’t tell him.

Puerto Rico is now open to edupreneurs, no-excuses charters, and corporate exploitation of its children.Seizing Upon Post-Hurricane Damage, Puerto Rico's New "Education Reform" Law Paves Way for Charters, Vouchers:

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 Seizing Upon Post-Hurricane Damage, Puerto Rico's New "Education Reform" Law Paves Way for Charters, Vouchers:

An open letter to Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ student journalists – The Miami Hurricane #NeverAgain #JournalismMatters #MarchForOurLives

An open letter to Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ student journalists – The Miami Hurricane:

An open letter to Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ student journalists 

The Eagle Eye – Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, One Story at a Time - 

http://eagleeye.news/ on @EagleEyeMSD

Eagle Eye MSD

@EagleEyeMSD

This weekend was the start of your spring break – and you spent it marching.

Last month, when tragedy befell you, it might have forced you to change your plans. But it didn’t force you to lead the charge in such a loud, courageous, impossible-to-ignore way. That was all you.

But you didn’t need to be told that. We just wanted to say you’re making us proud – as journalists, as students, as people – and your commitment to telling your story has not gone unnoticed.

You student journalists – whether you’re on the staff of The Aerie or The Eagle Eye, or picked up the habit in the last month and a half – are in the difficult position of wearing two hats, those of subject and reporter. And you’re wearing them well, though we’re sure at times it is painful, infuriating and confusing.

The future of journalism doesn’t lie solely in a few famous papers, full-time newsrooms and big names telling people what they need to know. It’s a more immersive world of on-the-fly reporting and, often, telling your own stories as they happen – not waiting for a bigger outlet to catch wind and report. You’re embracing that future by getting information out via Twitter, Snapchat and long-form Facebook posts that tell us more about this tragedy than any evening broadcast ever could.

More than that, though, you’re teaching us how to do our job in the midst of tragedy. It’s a lot to ask of any journalist to remain composed when reporting on a story like this – much less a student who lived through it. But there you are, embodying the importance of journalism as you show your community ways it can help and tell the stories that matter.

This role of a journalist is especially important in dark times, when people are searching for answers, information – anything they can cling to and understand. Instead of adding to that darkness with the sort of voyeuristic, culprit-focused coverage so many news organizations are prone to do, you continue to uplift your community with stories of courage, healing and hope.

In the last six weeks, The Eagle Eye has written about means of remembrance, activism and selflessness – and you were living those ideals, too.

Your journalism embodies what we hope becomes common practice in the field: that of emphasizing the human side of your school, the names you remember and the people who won’t stop fighting for a better tomorrow.

We hope you don’t underestimate the impact of the work you’re doing, at every level of the storytelling process.

To trolls and haters, you’ve responded with a loud, resounding “no” – no to the gun lobby, to those who say you’re too young to get it, to the possibility of this ever happening again. From one team of journalists to another, we’re grateful to you for helming this revolution.

We sincerely welcome you into our newsroom, any day, and we are here to support you in whatever way you need most. You can find us @MiamiHurricane or at editor@themiamihurricane.com.

To donate to the cause, visit https://www.gofundme.com/stoneman-douglas-yearbooks.

An open letter to Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ student journalists – The Miami Hurricane:

Editorials represent the majority view of The Miami Hurricane editorial board.An open letter to Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ student journalists – The Miami Hurricane:

The Eagle Eye – Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, One Story ...

eagleeye.news/

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EDITORIAL Category: EDITORIAL. Immigration activists demonstrate outside ...	ARTS & LEISURE March 21, 2018 by Ryan Lofurno in ARTS & LEISURE 0 ...
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Linda Brown’s death is a reminder of how much segregation still exists in America’s schools - The Washington Post

Linda Brown’s death is a reminder of how much segregation still exists in America’s schools - The Washington Post:

Linda Brown’s death is a reminder of how much segregation still exists in America’s schools

The death of an icon in America's civil rights history is a reminder of how recently school segregation existed in the United States — and how little has changed since that time.

Linda Brown, who became the symbolic center of Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court case that desegregated the nation's public schools, died on Sunday at 76. Her father, the Rev. Oliver L. Brown, was one of 13 plaintiffs who sought to ensure that Topeka, Kan., fully integrated its schools.

“I feel that after 30 years, looking back on Brown v. the Board of Education, it has made an impact in all facets of life for minorities throughout the land,” Brown said in a 1985 interview for “Eyes on the Prize,” a PBS documentary series on the civil rights movement. “I really think of it in terms of what it has done for our young people, in taking away that feeling of second-class citizenship.”

[ Linda Brown Thompson, girl at center of Brown v. Board of Education case, dies ]

But while many black youths may no longer feel like second-class citizens, data suggests they may still be experiencing America in that way.

A recent report by the Economic Policy Institute says that 50 years after the Kerner Commission, a group that assessed poverty and racism in the United States, black youths have made significant gains in K-through-12 education, but challenges still exist.

“Over the last five decades, African Americans have seen substantial gains in high school completion rates. In 1968, just over half (54.4 percent) of 25- to 29-year-old African Americans had a high school diploma. Today, more than 9 out of 10 African Americans (92.3 percent) in the same age range had a high school diploma.

However, college completion expanded for whites at a similar pace, rising from 16.2 percent in 1968 to 42.1 percent today, leaving the relative situation of African Americans basically unchanged: In 1968 blacks were just over half (56.0 percent) as likely as whites to have a college degree, a situation that is essentially the same today (54.2 percent).”

These strides have often been made in schools that don't look much different from those in Kansas in the 1950s. In the last few decades, schools have been quietly resegregating. Federal data shows that the number of high-poverty schools serving primarily black and brown students has more than doubled between 2001 and 2014. Continue reading: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/27/linda-browns-death-is-a-reminder-of-how-much-segregation-still-exists-in-americas-schools/

March for Our Lives: Most Powerful Speeches - #MarchForOurLives #NeverAgain YouTube

March for Our Lives: five of the most powerful speeches - YouTube:

March for Our Lives:  Most Powerful Speeches 

March for Our Lives: five of the most powerful speeches

Emma Gonzalez gives speech at March for Our Lives rally

David Hogg's March For Our Lives Speech

Parkland survivor Sam Fuentes vomits during gun protest speech

Student from Parkland FL, Jaclyn Corin speaks at March For Our Lives Rally

11-year-old Naomi Wadler's March For Our Lives speech for black women gun violence victims

One Life Is Worth More Than All The Guns In America’: Sarah Chadwick At March

Student Activist Gets Personal At March For Our Lives Rally

Student organizer delivers spoken word speech at March for Our Lives

Edna Chávez at March For Our Lives

Parkland Student's Impassioned March For Our Lives Speech

Parkland HS student Cameron Kasky speaks at March for our lives Rally

How to File a Title IX Complaint in K-12 Schools | Stop Sexual Assault in Schools #MeTooK12

How to File a Title IX Complaint in K-12 Schools | Stop Sexual Assault in Schools:

How to File a Title IX Complaint in K-12 Schools

Stop Sexual Assault in Schools

Educating students, families, and schools about the right to an equal education free from sexual harassment

A Guide for Parents and Guardians

By Dr. Bill Howe with Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS.org)

Dr. Howe was the Connecticut State Title IX coordinator for 17 years. He maintains a website on Title IX.

This simple guidance for parents and guardians explains how to file a complaint with your school district regarding sexual harassment, sexual violence, sex discrimination, and other violations of state and federal civil rights laws regarding gender discrimination. Some of this guidance also applies to educational programs (e.g. museum, science center) or private schools, if they receive federal funding from any source (e.g. Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, etc.).  All public and private schools that receive federal funding must follow the federal civil rights law Title IX, which protects students from the impact of sexual harassment and assault on their education.

The following information should not be construed as legal advice.

1. Make sure that your school or educational program is required to follow state and federal civil rights laws. Under federal law, any educational entity that receives even one dollar of federal financial support must abide by Title IX and other federal civil rights laws. Do not let schools argue that since “they do not receive Title IX money” they do not have to obey the law. For example, schools (public or private) must follow Title IX under these circumstances:

— The school receives public school district funding. Public school funds, state funds, and federal funds are commingled. Therefore, acceptance of public school district funding or state funds is essentially the same as receiving federal funding.

— If any student in your school receives grants, scholarships, or loans through the school district or through the state, that is federal funding.

— If the school receives any state funds, then the school is bound by state civil rights laws, which most likely include anti-discrimination laws such as sex discrimination and sexual harassment.

— The private school receives federal funds, such as Title I, from any number of federal agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, etc.

To find out if a private school receives federal funding or how to file a complaint if it does, see Title IX and Private Schools.  If your private school is one of several within an organization or diocese and even if only one school accepts federal money, Title IX applies to all schools in the organization or diocese. Learn more.

Students in parochial schools are generally not protected by state and federal civil rights laws if the continue reading:
How to File a Title IX Complaint in K-12 Schools | Stop Sexual Assault in Schools:

Emma Gonzalez Speech Transcript - Read Full March for Our Lives Speech #MarchForOurLives #NeverAgain

Emma Gonzalez Speech Transcript - Read Full March for Our Lives Speech:

Here's Emma Gonzalez's Gut-Wrenching March for Our Lives Speech in Full
"Fight for your life before it’s somebody else’s job."

Parkland shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez has become a powerful activist, and when she took the stage to speak at today's March for Our Lives in D.C., the crowd was moved by her stunning speech, which lasted 6 minutes and 23 seconds, the length of the Parkland shooting.

"Six minutes and about twenty seconds. In a little over six minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us, 15 were injured, and everyone, absolutely everyone, was forever altered," she began.

"Everyone who was there understands, everyone who has been touched by the cold grip of gun violence understands," she said.

She continued: "No one could comprehend the devastating aftermath or how far this reach or where this could go. For those who still can't comprehend because they refuse to, I'll tell you where it went. Right into the ground, six feet deep."

She went on to list the names of her classmates and teachers who died that day.

"Six minutes and twenty seconds with an AR-15 and my friend Carmen would never complain to me about piano practice. Aaron Feis would never call Kira, 'Miss Sunshine.' Alex Schachter would never walk into school with his brother Ryan. Scott Beigel would never joke around with Cameron at camp. Helena Ramsey would never hang out after school with Max. Gina Montalto would never wave to her friend Liam at lunch. Joaquin Oliver would never play basketball with Sam or Dylan. Alaina Petty would never. Cara Loughran would never. Chris Hixon would never. Luke Hoyer would never. Martin Duque Anguiano would never. Peter Wang would never. Alyssa Alhadeff would never. Jamie Guttenberg would never. Meadow Pollack would never."

She then stopped speaking and stared into the crowd, tears streaming down her face.

She ended the silence with, "Since the time that I came out here, it has been six minutes and twenty seconds. The shooter has ceased shooting and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students as they escape and walk free for an hour before arrest. Fight for your life before it’s somebody else’s job."Emma Gonzalez Speech Transcript - Read Full March for Our Lives Speech: