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Thursday, January 31, 2019

The Deported Americans — The California Sunday Magazine

The Deported Americans — The California Sunday Magazine

The Deported Americans
More than 600,000 U.S.-born children of undocumented parents live in Mexico. What happens when you return to a country you’ve never known?



The school day at Escuela Secundaria Técnica Número 26 starts early. As the first rays of sunshine make their way over the foothills of Popocatépetl volcano in central Mexico, the narrow streets fill with students in ones and twos and little laughing groups.
Ashley Mantilla’s day starts earlier than most. On a Monday last June, long before the sun rose, the 15-year-old left the small cinder-block house she shares with her sister, brother, and parents. She walked past the lime tree under which the family entertains guests, past the outhouse and the thin horse tied up next to her grandparents’ home, to the road that winds by a deep ravine, and into the center of her small town, perched high in the ridges below the volcano. There, she waited for a minibus that would drive her half an hour to Número 26. It’s not a cheap trip to make every day, and her parents are willing to pay for it not because they have extra money but because they think it’s a better option than the local school. There are real teachers there instead of video lessons, and specialty classes include coding in addition to agriculture, food preservation, and beekeeping.
By 7:30, the school’s courtyard was packed with teenagers. They lined up in straight rows and placed their hands across their chests as the Mexican national anthem played on a loudspeaker. Ashley had PE that day, so she had her dark hair pulled back and was wearing her gym uniform: track pants and a polo shirt embroidered with the words Niños Héroes, or heroic children, a group of historical figures that the school honors as a kind of mascot. The heroes were six military cadets, the youngest of them 13, who died defending a castle in Mexico City from American invaders in 1847.
It was, in other words, a long way from the school days Ashley used to experience, back when she was an American student growing up in an American town and studying in an American public school. In those days, her father, Felix, worked as a cook in a restaurant and did maintenance on CONTINUE READING: The Deported Americans — The California Sunday Magazine



President Franklin D Roosevelt: The standard of education between the richest communities and the poorest communities

Eleanor Roosevelt Introduces the President | American RadioWorks |

Eleanor Roosevelt Introduces the President

This audio is part of the larger project The First Family of Radio: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s Historic Broadcasts. You can download the entire radio hour from our podcast feed (iTunes).
June 30, 1938
Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were frequently on the radio on the same day, but virtually never appeared on the same broadcast. One rare exception was the closing address FDR made at the 1938 National Education Association convention in New York. The presidential entourage arrived behind schedule so ER kept her remarks brief. FDR commented on the novelty of being introduced by the first lady. -Stephen Smith

Transcript

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT: I know that it is the privilege of a presiding officer to make speeches in introducing each speaker. We are late today, and so I am not going to avail myself of that privilege. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the president of the United States.
[Applause]
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT: Dr. Woodruff, Members of the National Education Association:
I am glad to come here today to this great meeting, and I am especially happy that I think for the first time in my life, I was introduced by my wife.
[Laughter and applause]
If you have followed the arguments of financial experts over the last few years, you have guessed that they have as many theories of keeping books as there are ends to serve. They do not always agree on the definition of capital, and they even disagree on what is an asset and what is a liability. And that is true both in private business and in government.
But whatever differences bookkeepers and financiers may have over the rules of their professions, no man or woman of common sense can forget, or allow government to forget, what are the true and ultimate assets and liabilities of a nation.
The only real capital of a nation is its natural resources and its human beings. So long as we take care of and make the most of both of them, we shall survive as a strong nation, a successful nation and a progressive nation—whether or not the bookkeepers say other kinds of budgets are from time to time out of balance.
This capital structure—natural resources and human beings—has to be maintained at all times. The plant has to be kept up and new capital put in year by year to meet increasing needs. If we skimp on that capital, if we exhaust our natural resources and weaken the capacity of our human beings, then we shall go the way of all weak nations.
Before we can think straight as a people we have to consider, in addition to the old kind, a new kind of government balance sheet—a long-range sheet which shows survival values for our population and for our democratic way of living, balanced against what we have paid for them. Judged by that test—history’s test—I venture to say that the long-range budget of the present Administration of our government has been in the black and not in the red.
[Applause]
For many years I, like you, have been a pedagogue, of course some people who are not over strong arm spelling, will get that word mixed up with the word a demagogue.
[Laughter]
And as a pedagogue, I have been striving to inculcate in the youth of America a greater knowledge of and interest in the problems which, with such force, strike the whole world in the face today. In these recent years we have taught the prudent husbandry of our national estate—our rivers, our soil, our forests, our phosphates, our oils, our minerals and our wild life. Along these lines we have made mighty strides—come further than in all the years before in knowledge of how to grapple with the problems.
With the dissemination of this knowledge, we have taken action. Few men begrudge what that action has cost, because it has been based on operations physically large and spectacular, dramatic and easy to see. I am thankful that I live in an age of building, for it is far easier to dramatize to yourself the importance of the object if you see it while it is going up, than if you come along later and see it only in its completed stage. And so we are fortunate today in seeing the New York World’s Fair of 1939 in the construction stage. This glimpse will make it mean more to us when we come back and see it completed next year.
The other half of the preservation of our national capital is likewise a problem of husbandry—the conserving of health, energy, skill and morale of our population, and especially of that part of our population which will be the America of tomorrow.
This also is a problem of the fullest use, the fullest development of our precious resources of ability, human ability that cannot be stored and will be lost if they remain unused. No nation can meet this changing world unless its people, individually and collectively, grow in ability to understand, ability to handle the new knowledge as applied to increasingly intricate human relationships. That is why the teachers of America are the ultimate guardians of the human capital of America, the assets which must be made to pay social dividends if democracy is to survive.
We have believed, we have believed wholeheartedly in investing the money of the people, the money of all the people in the education of the people.
[Light applause]
That conviction, backed up by taxes and backed by dollars, is no accident, for it is the logical application of our faith in democracy.
Man’s present day control of the affairs of nature is the very direct result of investment in education. And the democratization of education has made it possible for outstanding ability, which would otherwise be completely lost, to make its outstanding contribution to the commonweal. So we cannot afford to overlook any source of human raw material. Genius, genius flowers in most unexpected places. “It is the impetus of the undistinguished host that hurls forth a Diomed or a Hector.”
No government can create the human touch, the human self-sacrifice which the individual teacher gives to the process of education. But what Government can do is to provide financial support and to protect from interference the freedom to learn.
[Applause]
No one wants the Federal Government to subsidize education any more than is absolutely necessary. It has been and I take it it will continue to be the traditional policy of the United States to leave the actual management of schools and their curricula to state and local control.
[Applause]
But we know that in many places local government unfortunately cannot adequately finance either the freedom or the facilities to learn. And there the Federal Government can properly supplement local resources.
[Applause]
Here is where the whole problem of education ties in definitely with the natural resources of the country, ties in with the economic picture of the individual community or state. We all know that the best of schools are, in most cases, located in those communities which can afford to spend the most money on them—the most money for adequate teachers’ salaries, for modern buildings and modern equipment of all kinds. And we know too that the weakest educational link in our national system lies in those communities which have the lowest taxable values, and, therefore, the smallest per capita tax receipts and, therefore, the lowest teachers’ salaries and most inadequate buildings and equipment. We do not blame these latter communities. They want better educational facilities, but simply have not enough money to pay the cost.
There is probably a wider divergence today in the standard of education between the richest communities and the poorest communities than there was a century ago; and it is, therefore, our immediate task to seek to close that gap—
[Applause]
Not to close it in any way by decreasing the facilities of the richer communities but by extending aid to those less fortunate. We all know that if we do not close this gap it will continue to widen, for the best brains in the poorer communities will either have no chance to develop or will migrate to those places where their ability will stand a better chance.
To continue that parallel between natural and human resources, it is well to remember that our poorest communities exist where the land is most greatly eroded, where farming does not pay, where industries have moved out, where flood and drought have done their work, where transportation facilities are of the poorest and where cheap electricity is unavailable CONTINUE READING: Eleanor Roosevelt Introduces the President | American RadioWorks |

ACLU Files Lawsuit Against Sacramento Sheriff for Censoring BLM

ACLU Files Lawsuit Against Sacramento Sheriff for Censoring BLM

Black Lives Matter Leaders Sue Sacramento Sheriff for Censoring Them on Facebook


It is unconstitutional for Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones to ban people from his public Facebook page based on their speech, identity or views. That is the basis of a lawsuit filed Wednesday on behalf of two leaders of the Sacramento chapter of Black Lives Matter by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California along with the law firm Rogers Joseph O’Donnell.
Tanya Faison and Sonia Lewis lead the BLM chapter in California’s state capital. Their chapter has demonstrated for racial justice in Sacramento, called for the district attorney to hold police officers accountable in use-of-force cases that have turned deadly, and been critical of Sheriff Scott Jones and his deputies.
In May 2018, deputies from Jones’ department shot and killed 32-year-old Mikel McIntyre, a black man suffering from mental and emotional disabilities who was described by his mother as being deeply depressed and suffering from anxiety. According to the Sacramento Bee, his family said he had been acting strangely.
On the shoulder of Highway 50 in Sacramento, McIntyre threw a rock at one deputy, striking him in the head. He then turned and ran away, and as he was running, he picked up another rock and threw it, hitting a police dog and another deputy in the leg. Then he kept running.
Although he was otherwise unarmed, McIntyre was shot in the back and killed. The shooting took place on a busy highway at the end of rush hour. Three deputies fired 28 shots at McIntyre. According to the report, one of the deputies—Gabriel Rodriguez—fired 18 shots alone, pausing to let a car pass by before firing at McIntyre again.
When DA Anne Marie Schubert declined to press charges against the deputies, there was—understandably—a great deal of criticism.
Jones—who is quoted by the Bee as having said he is not subject to oversight—responded to the criticism by refusing to allow any investigation of his deputies, according to the Bee. He took to his Facebook page to ratchet up support for his actions as well as criticize the highly vocal BLM chapter. When Faison and Lewis posted criticisms to his Facebook page, he deleted their comments and blocked them from his page.
“This attempt to silence us shows how little the sheriff values black lives and the movement to combat injustice and inequality,” Faison said in a statement released by the ACLU. She remains blocked and unable to CONTINUE READING: ACLU Files Lawsuit Against Sacramento Sheriff for Censoring BLM

DPS teachers rally, march for higher pay in downtown Denver | FOX31 Denver

DPS teachers rally, march for higher pay in downtown Denver | FOX31 Denver

DPS teachers rally, march for higher pay in downtown Denver



DENVER -- Hundreds of Denver Public Schools teachers took to the steps of the Colorado State Capitol on Wednesday evening for a rally and march to demand higher pay as a potential strike still looms.
“What do we want?” “Fair pay.” “When do we want it?” “Now” teachers chanted.
When asked why she was at the rally, George Washington High School teacher Emily O'Ryan said, “So I can get a living wage and stop working a second job."
From the Capitol, teachers and their supporters marched to DPS headquarters at Lincoln Street and East 19th Avenue.
“I took a $5,000 pay cut to play team DPS, but unfortunately, my rent doubled,” said Sara Goodwin, a Park Hill Elementary teacher.
So, where do things stand with the strike? Last week, Denver Public Schools asked the state's Department of Labor to intervene. The Denver Classroom Teachers Association (the union representing DPS teachers) issued its response on Monday, asking the state to stay out of their contentious salary negotiations. They want to exercise their right to strike.
Now, the Department of Labor has a 14-day period to make a decision on whether to get involved. The deadline is Feb 11. They will deliberate and have informal conversations with both sides to gauge whether their intervention will help.
“If we decide not to get involved, the teachers may strike. And so this waiting period, if you will, of the 14 days delays the strike, number one, and also allows -- hopefully -- both sides to come back together," said Cher Haavin, spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
Both DPS and the DCTA will come to the bargaining table again on Thursday at 5 p.m.
DPS teachers rally, march for higher pay in downtown Denver | FOX31 Denver


Oakland Unified Teachers Begin Voting On Potential Strike, Fight Against 2nd School Closure – CBS San Francisco

Oakland Unified Teachers Begin Voting On Potential Strike, Fight Against 2nd School Closure – CBS San Francisco

Oakland Unified Teachers Begin Voting On Potential Strike, Fight Against 2nd School Closure



OAKLAND (CBS SF) – Teachers at the Oakland Unified School District began voting after school on Tuesday on a potential strike.
Educators are holding the vote, which continues outside school hours until Friday, as they seek more student resources, smaller classes and what they’re calling a “living wage” for workers.
According to the Oakland teacher’s union, Oakland teachers are among the lowest paid in Alameda County. The union is demanding a 12 percent raise over three years while the district is offering five percent.
The Oakland Education Association is also demanding smaller class sizes and more support for the district’s 37,000 students, including hiring more school counselors and nurses.

This week’s strike vote follows two “sick out” events on December 10th and January 18th, as teachers protest an ongoing stalemate in contract negotiations. The actions were not sanctioned by the union.
Voting comes just hours after the school district voted to close Roots International Academy amid protests. The middle school is the first of two dozen Oakland schools to be possibly impacted by closures, under a plan to close what the district says is a $30 million budget gap.
“This $30 million also comes after doing two years of budget restrictions,” said OUSD spokesperson John Sasaki.
According to OUSD, many smaller schools will either be moved or “absorbed” into larger schools.

Parents and teachers at high-performing Henry J. Kaiser Elementary in the Claremont Hills fought back Tuesday evening against the district’s plan to close the school and transfer its students to Sankofa Academy in North Oakland, which has significantly lower test scores.
Diedre McGhee, the parent of a second-grader at Kaiser, said she did extensive research before enrolling her son at Kaiser because of its small class sizes.
“He needs extra help and the teachers and counselors and having that smaller size has been great for him,” said McGhee. “I’m just not sure if they move to a bigger school he’ll have that specialized individual attention he needs.”
Katy Hunter, a teacher whose children attended Kaiser years ago, was more blunt. “This is a bad decision. It’s a bad choice,” she said. “If you have a school in a district that’s struggling and you have a school that’s really successful, and you want to build on that, use us as a model.”
Sasaki said the district selected Kaiser Elementary for possible closure because of its size. “The layout [of Kaiser] prevents us from expanding. Sankofa has a beautiful campus and a huge school,” he said.
“What we want to do is take all the great things about Kaiser and put it on a bigger campus and put it into a blended school.”
Hunter said she and other parents and teachers are already organizing to fight the closure. But Sophia, the mother of a Sankofa student who has been through a school closure, said if Kaiser does close, students will find a home in Sankofa.
“All I can say is if they merge this school with Kaiser, the kids from there will be loved. They’ll be treated with respect. They’ll be treated equally,” she said.
Sasaki said it’s unclear when the board will vote on closing Kaiser. Board members are expected to review the plan in February. The $30 million budget gap as  CONTINUE READING: Oakland Unified Teachers Begin Voting On Potential Strike, Fight Against 2nd School Closure – CBS San Francisco

Video: Black Lives Matter At School–“I know my people are strong.” – Black Lives Matter At School

Video: Black Lives Matter At School–“I know my people are strong.” – Black Lives Matter At School

Video: Black Lives Matter At School–“I know my people are strong.”


We are excited to announce the release of our newly produced Black Lives Matter At School video! This short primer for the movement gets its subtitle from the words of high school student Israel Presley who says, “All I ever see is us being slaves. Why don’t you ever teach me about how we fought back, because I know my people are strong.


Black Lives Matter At School week of action will take place this year from February 4-8th in school districts across the country. Support the movement by signing the petition, sharing the video, and teaching for Black lives.

Video: Black Lives Matter At School–“I know my people are strong.” – Black Lives Matter At School

Betsy DeVos’ new Title IX rules might already be hurting students - Vox

Betsy DeVos’ new Title IX rules might already be hurting students - Vox

Betsy DeVos’s new sexual harassment rules might already be hurting students
One school just got rid of its Title IX coordinator. The debate could be a sign of things to come.



For many students who experienced sexual assault or harassment at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, Title IX coordinator Emily Ralph was a supportive ear when they needed it most, students and alumni say.
Ralph was responsible for overseeing formal Title IX complaints at the university, as well as the university’s other efforts to prevent and address harassment and assault. With a master’s degree in social work as well as a law degree, she was both empathetic toward survivors and fair to everyone involved, one Drew alum told Vox.
“When Emily was put in place, reports went up,” said Sarah O’Brien, a graduate student at Drew. “That’s not because there was a problem all of a sudden — it’s because students felt comfortable reporting.”
But in early January, Ralph was let go. In what appears to be a cost-cutting measure, the university eliminated the position of full-time Title IX coordinator and announced that the role would be filled by an eight-member team, all of whom have other jobs at the university.
Drew president MaryAnn Baenninger told Vox that “with this distributed model, there will be more people who will be able to offer a knowledgeable approach that will help our whole community.” But some students and alumni are concerned that the move will make it harder for survivors to report, and easier for the university to sweep problems under the rug.
Meanwhile, advocates say situations like the one at Drew could become more common under new Title IX regulations issued in November by the Department of Education under Secretary Betsy DeVos. Anti-harassment groups fear the new regulations will make it easier for schools CONTINUE READING: Betsy DeVos’ new Title IX rules might already be hurting students - Vox

In a major step, the Los Angeles school board calls for a moratorium on new charter schools - The Washington Post

In a major step, the Los Angeles school board calls for a moratorium on new charter schools - The Washington Post

In a major step, the Los Angeles school board calls for a moratorium on new charter schools


The Los Angeles Board of Education is calling on the California legislature to impose a moratorium on new charter schools, a remarkable shift by the pro-charter panel that struck a blow to the charter movement and may lead to stronger oversight of the schools.
The vote appears to signal an inflection point in the charter school debate in California, which has more charter schools and charter school students than any other state. California has allowed charters — which are publicly funded but privately operated — to flourish with little oversight amid growing controversy over financial scandals and other issues.
Charters have become a focus of activists around the country who say the schools provide families with options in districts with failing classrooms. Opponents, including the Los Angeles teachers union, say charters drain resources from the traditional schools that most students attend and encourage further privatization of an important civic institution.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is a big supporter of charter schools, as are many of America’s wealthiest individuals, including billionaire Eli Broad, who several years ago promoted a plan to open enough charter schools in Los Angeles to serve at least half of the district’s more than 600,000 students.
But a growing number of education advocates and groups, including the NAACP, have called for a moratorium on charters until issues involving transparency and operations are resolved. California voters just elected a new schools superintendent, Tony Thurmond, who has said he wants to spend more money on traditional schools and stop the expansion of charters until concerns are addressed. He defeated a candidate who was supported by the charter lobby. Newly elected Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has emphasized his desire to spend more on schools within traditional public systems.
The Los Angeles school board resolution and vote — which happened Tuesday as pro-charter protesters picketed outside board headquarters — came out of last week’s agreement between the city’s school district and the teachers union. That pact ended a six-day strike by educators in the nation’s second-largest school district.
The school board voted Tuesday to ratify the strike-ending deal between the Los Angeles Unified School District and United Teachers Los Angeles. The new contract provides teachers with 6 percent pay increases, more resources for schools and small reductions in class size.
The strike ended with other agreements, too, including what many saw as a surprising promise by the school district to support a state moratorium of up to 10 months on charter schools while the state studies their effects.
The Los Angeles Board of Education has six members, at least half of whom were elected with the help of financial support from the charter lobby. The district superintendent, Austin Beutner, is a former investment banker who is a charter backer.
“LAUSD has joined the NAACP and other key organizations in calling on the state of California for a CONTINUE READING: In a major step, the Los Angeles school board calls for a moratorium on new charter schools - The Washington Post