Citizens for Public Schools

Citizens for Public Schools’ 28th annual meeting honored a distinguished group of activists for public schools. On Thursday, March 4, CPS presented Activists for Public Schools awards to Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Melrose) (a candidate for the Senate seat currently held by Sen. Richard Tisei), Sen. Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville, Medford), Judge Luis Perez and Coalition for Authentic Reform in Education (CARE) organizers Lisa Guisbond, Jacqueline King and Larry Ward.

“With our public schools increasingly under attack, CPS presents these awards as part of its decades-long tradition of recognizing those who are willing to stand up for public education,” said CPS Executive Director Marilyn Segal. “Each one of our honorees exemplifies the value of struggling against the forces of privatization and standardization and struggling for equity and quality for all public schoolchildren.”

“Rep. Clark and Sen. Jehlen have been stalwart supporters of adequately funded, strong, vibrant and equitable public schools for all and thoughtful skeptics when it comes to unproven and destructive policy proposals,” said CPS Co-President Barbara Fields.   → Read More

Tomorrow, March 4, 2010, is a National Day of Action to Defend Education.

What started with public higher education advocates in California has become a nationwide effort, with events planned around the country. A web site has been set up with information about these events. There are several events around Massachusetts, including one today, Wednesday, March 3, in Boston at 5:30 p.m. to protest budget cuts and charter schools.

Here’s the web site with details about all the events.

And of course a great way to express solidarity with this movement is to come to the Citizens for Public Schools annual meeting tomorrow, March 4, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Lisa Guisbond   → Read More

See the letter to Governor Deval Patrick from CPS’s co-chairs asking that he use his powers to rescind the charter granted under “indefensible circumstances in Gloucester.   → Read More

SAVE THE DATE – March 4, 2010

Please join us for our  annual meeting, an event to honor community leaders and elect officers.

Citizens for Public Schools: Promoting Excellence and Equity in Education

Thursday, March 4, 2010, 5 – 7 p.m.

Refreshments will be served.

Location: Unitarian-Universalist Headquarters, 25 Beacon St., Boston

Activists for Public Schools Awards to be presented.

Click the “Donate Now” button to register and buy tickets.   → Read More

[Posted with permission from Diane Ravitch.]

Although Diane Ravitch writes about school closings and charter conversions in NYC, her observations are relevant to Massachusetts and all  states that have “raced to the trough” and lifted charter caps to get a short-term federal grant.

The headline “Closing Schools Solves Nothing,” expresses a profound problem with this process. If you have any doubt that this is relevant to us here in Massachusetts, talk to someone who’s been at recent Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meetings, where the consequences of the charter school experiment are written on the faces of parents confronted with a huge disruption in their children’s lives. Personally, I’ve never understood why it’s presented as a positive that charters can be shut down if they’re failing. Then what?

Diane points out who wins and who loses in this brave new world

This essay is part of an excellent ongoing dialogue between Diane Ravitch and Deborah Meier called “Building Bridges” and published regularly on the Education Week web site.   → Read More