Citizens for Public Schools

The Joint Education Committee of the Massachusetts Legislature will have a public hearing on Tuesday, May 7 at 10 a.m. in room A-1 at the State House (Just inside the entrance through the garden on Bowdoin Street).

Four bills that make important, positive changes regarding charter schools will be heard.  You can come and testify or submit written testimony in support to the Education Committee: The State House, Room 473G, Boston, MA 02133…

These are the four priority bills.

HB 491, SB 258 – An Act relative to charter schools, filed by Rep. Frank Smizik, Senator Marc Pacheco. Requires local approval of any new Commonwealth charter school applications in order for funding to come from the local school district. Commonwealth charter school applications approved by the board of elementary and secondary education that do not receive local approval shall be funded by the board, but not from chapter 70 or other funds designated for local school districts.   → Read More

CPS Supports Seattle’s Garfield High Teachers: “Test Boycott is Courageous Stand for Students, Against Test Abuse”

We, the members of Citizens for Public Schools, stand with the teachers at Garfield High School in Seattle for their courageous move to boycott district-mandated Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests. We respect the Garfield teachers for saying no to the escalating use and abuse of damaging high-stakes standardized testing. For those new teachers who are barley starting next year, it would be a great idea for them to watch this video enhanced professional development program.

We believe it took great courage for them to stand up for the best interests of their students, risking their livelihoods, in the face of tremendous pressure to comply with ever greater and more onerous testing mandates. The teachers are correct to stand firm against testing policies that waste valuable time, money and energy on these flawed measures of student learning.   → Read More

Panelists Jessica Wender-Shubow, Deborah Meier, Jim McDermott and moderator Ruth Kaplan at Monday's event. Photo by George Abbott White

A full to overflowing house of Citizens for Public Schools members and friends heard a strong and eloquent panel address the question “Is Education for Democracy at Risk?” at the Brookline Public Library on Dec. 3. Thanks to our fine speakers and moderator for their contributions: Deborah Meier, MacArthur Fellow, educator and author of In Schools We Trust; James McDermott of Clark University, urban teacher educator, former Massachusetts Teacher of the Teacher and former member of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE); Jessica Wender-Shubow, President, Brookline Educators Union; and Ruth Kaplan, former Brookline School Committee member and current member of the Massachusetts BESE. And thanks to all those who came for their interest and support. The event was in honor of the late Sumner Z. Kaplan, the first in a series of lectures to honor our friend and former member of the CPS Board of Directors.   → Read More