Grassroots Education Network- November 2020 Newsletter - Network For Public Education

Grassroots Education Network- November 2020 Newsletter - Network For Public Education

Grassroots Education Network- November 2020 Newsletter

The NPE Grassroots Education Network is a network of over 155 grassroots organizations nationwide who have joined together to preserve, promote, improve, and strengthen our public schools. If you know of a group that would like to join this powerful network, please go here to sign on. 

If you have any questions about the NPE Grassroots Education Network please contact Marla Kilfoyle, NPE Grassroots Education Network Liaison at marlakilfoyle@networkforpubliceducation.org

Notes from Marla

November saw us on the precipice of a historic election.  With the incoming Biden/Harris administration, we hope that we can finally get someone in the USDOE that stands strong for our public schools, our public schools students, and our public school parents. We need a USDOE secretary rooted in equity and a vision that will get our public schools what they need to serve all of our children and families.  With that being said, NPE and our amazing partners launched the Keep Your Promises this month. We congratulate President-elect, Joe Biden, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, on their historic victory. We look forward to working with them as they fulfill their promised commitment to our nation’s public schools. The promises made during the campaign drew support from public education advocates across the nation. With those promises in mind, we listed the top five K-12 priorities that they should keep at the forefront as they govern. In order to do this, we need Pro-Public education leadership in the Department of Education. Let’s make sure that Joe Biden chooses a public education advocate for the next Secretary of Education. We need a leader who rejects corporate reforms, high-stakes testing, and school privatization. It is CONTINUE READING: Grassroots Education Network- November 2020 Newsletter - Network For Public Education

This Giving Tuesday Support NPE - Network For Public Education

This Giving Tuesday Support NPE - Network For Public Education

As giving Tuesday approaches, please give generously to NPE and help us advocate for the public schools that you love.

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In 2020, on our shoestring budget, here is some of what we accomplished.

Important Investigations and Reports

Broken Promises: This report is the first comprehensive examination of charter failure rates from 1999 to 2017. It documents that nearly 1 million schoolchildren were displaced when their charter school shut down. Our Report on Charter Schools’ Double Dip: We exposed how charter schools received both public school CARES Act funding and between $1-$2 billion in Payroll Protection Plan funding intended to save small businesses. Our Survey of Parents, Teachers and School Administrators: We recorded the effects of the transition to remote learning during the pandemic’s early days. That data was used by reporters and was published in The Washington Post Answer Sheet.

We Keep You and the General Public Informed

Conversations with Diane Ravitch: Since the pandemic began, NPE President, Diane Ravitch, has engaged in compelling conversations with researchers and public education advocates from around the nation. NPE in the News: Whether it is an op-ed or a quote, The Network for Public Education has become a “go-to” source for public education advocacy. We have been featured in The Washington Post, the NY Post, The New York Times, the Daily News, EdWeek, NY Magazine, The Progressive, Common Dreams, and other news outlets. We are frequently guests on national and local radio shows. Another Day Another Charter Scandal: Our monthly logging of scandals associated with charter schools has become a source of information for public school advocates and reporters alike.

We Work in Coalitions

The Keep the Promise Webpage: We recently brought together over 70 public education advocacy groups who are united in asking the new Administration to focus on five priorities when it comes to public education. The Grassroots Education Network: We work alongside 155 Grassroots pro-public education advocacy groups in 37 states and nationwide to support their mission and tell their stories.

We Get Policymakers’ Attention

Nearly 70,000 advocates took part in at least one of our actions so far in 2020. They wrote emails and/or called policymaker to advocate for public schools. Twelve thousand contacted Betsy DeVos to tell her to shut down the federal test mandate last spring. Over 15,000 New Yorkers used our action to contact Governor Cuomo to ask him to shut down in-person schooling when the virus began raging last March. We do all of this on a modest budget with one full-time and two part-time employees. Just think of how much more we could do with your support. The struggle continues. The work is not done. Please help NPE make 2021 our most impactful year ever by giving generously this holiday season.

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Thank you for all you do! Carol Burris Executive Director

Now the Work Begins. Support NPE. - Network For Public Education

Now the Work Begins. Support NPE. - Network For Public Education

Now the Work Begins. Support NPE.

American voters just gave Betsy DeVos the pink slip. As new leadership enters the U.S. Department of Education, the Network for Public Education will work to ensure a pro-public education agenda going forward. 

We can’t do that alone. We need your help. As giving Tuesday approaches, give to NPE and help us get the work done.

In this piece in The Washington Post Answer Sheet, Diane and I describe the priorities we hope the new Secretary holds.

Now is the time to end high-stake testing and the privatization of our schools. It is time to increase funding to public schools and provide the resources schools need to re-open safely. And it is time to protect and further the civil rights of our students by fully funding IDEA and creating more equitable schools.

You support that work when you support NPE.

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Now the Work Begins. Support NPE. - Network For Public Education

Be sure to register here for Diane’s next great conversation this Thursday with Kevin Welner, the Executive Director of the National Education Policy Center. Kevin and Diane will talk about the days of DeVos and the better days ahead.