During Resistance Recess, Join The Fight For Public Schools
April 13, 2017 Subscribe
THIS WEEK: Trump Ends Lead Paint Protections … Vouchers Hurt Special Ed … Importance Of Black Teachers … Charters Aren’t Needed … Lessons From Erie Schools
TOP STORY
During Resistance Recess, Join The Fight For Public Schools
By Jeff Bryant
“Public schools are imperiled, which means our democracy, and our future, is too. If you doubt that at all, just review prominent news stories from the past few days. They present ample evidence of the widespread effort to turn public education into opportunities for private gain … Resistance Recess is an opportunity for you to sound the alarm about what is happening to public education … A new communications tool … has all the talking points and in-depth research you need.”
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NEWS AND VIEWS
Trump’s EPA Moves To Dismantle Programs That Protect Kids From Lead Paint
The Washington Post
“Environmental Protection Agency officials are proposing to eliminate two programs focused on limiting children’s exposure to lead-based paint, which is known to cause damage to developing brains and nervous systems … Old housing stock is the biggest risk for lead exposure – and the EPA estimates that 38 million U.S. homes contain lead-based paint … Erik Olson, who directs the Natural Resources Defense Council’s health program, said … the move leaves children in dozens of states unprotected.”
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Special Ed School Vouchers May Come With Hidden Costs
The New York Times
“For many parents with disabled children in public school systems, the lure of the private school voucher is strong … But there’s a catch. By accepting the vouchers, families may be unknowingly giving up their rights to the very help they were hoping to gain. The government is still footing the bill, but when students use vouchers to get into private school, they lose most of the protections of the federal Individuals With Disabilities Education Act … Private schools that participate … are not required to demonstrate that they use any type of specialized curriculum to meet disabled children’s needs.”
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Study: Black Students More Likely To Graduate If They Have One Black Teacher
Education Week
“If a low-income black student has just one black teacher in elementary school, that student is significantly more likely to graduate high school and consider attending college … There was an even stronger effect for black boys from persistently low-income homes … Only 7% of public school teachers are black. Research has found that black teachers are less likely to suspend, expel, or give detention to black students, who are disproportionately given exclusionary discipline.'”
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Charter Schools Are Expanding Where They Aren’t Needed – Especially In Los Angeles, New Report Says
The Los Angeles Times
“New research … looks at where charter schools are increasing in number and where schools are needed based on enrollment. The two trend lines do not correspond … especially in the Los Angeles Unified School District, where the number of school-age children has declined even as the number of charters has rapidly grown … Traditional school districts can’t build new schools when real or potential enrollment fails to justify expansion. But those rules don’t apply to charter schools … Massive amounts of public dollars are helping charters acquire property that could end up being privately controlled should charters decide to sell their school sites or go out of business.”
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Erie Pennsylvania’s Schools Are A Canary In The Coal Mine of Education
The Progressive
Jeff Bryant writes, “Schools in low-income communities in many states don’t have the resources to give students access to opportunities that are available in wealthier areas … It’s important to know who to blame for the financial calamities … Better-funded districts simply don’t want more money going to less well-off districts because it would mean money out of their budgets … Charter schools help perpetuate this ‘everyone out for himself’ thinking.”
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