Over the last three years, Communities for Public Education Reform (CPER) groups have organized successfully for education reform across several states. They have advocated for equitable school funding, improved teacher quality, strategies to increase graduation rates and college readiness, and developing new community leaders. Moving forward, CPER will expand its network to include over 50 groups across 9 states to build on its collective power and advance educational justice.
2. Over the last three years…. CPER groups have demonstrated that education organizing is a powerful and effective strategy for achieving REAL education reform. With CPER at a crossroads, it’s important to step back and CELEBRATE what we’ve accomplished…
3. Chicago Grow Your Own Illinois Voices of Youth in Chicago Education Parents and Residents Invested in School and Education (PRISE) Reform Colorado Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition Colorado Grassroots Alliance for Fiscal Reform Metro Organizations for People Padres y JóvenesUnidos Stand for Children Colorado Who we are…
4. New Jersey Abbott Leadership Institute Education Law Center Parents and Communities United for Education One Newark Education Coalition Paterson Education Organizing Committee Paterson Education Fund Southeastern Pennsylvania Good Schools Pennsylvania Education Voters Institute Education Law Center Philadelphia Student Union Philadelphia Public School Notebook Pennsylvania Communities Organizing for Change Public Citizens for Children and Youth Research for Action Youth United for Change
5. We are ensuring greater equity and adequacy through educational finance reform… PA Adopts New School Funding Formula! As a result of the organizing and advocacy efforts of CPER partners in Southeastern Pennsylvania, PA made history as one of the few states in the country to adopt a new equitable school funding formula!
6. The new funding formula increased state funding for basic education by$275 millionin 2008-09 and by $300 million in 2009-10!
7. In 2008, DPS adopted MOP’s recommendations for weighted student funding! Thus far, $5.1 million more in funding as been allocated for low-income students and $2.4 million for secondary schools.
8. We are improving teacher quality and effectiveness… Grow Your Own Illinois (GYO) is creating a pipeline of high quality teachers of color that are authentically invested in their neighborhood schools. To date, GYO has recruited 415 teacher candidates statewide!
9. Despite a major state budget crisis and program cuts in 2009, GYO successfully advocated for $3.15 million in state funding to continue improving teaching in low-income communities!
10. The Effective Teaching Campaign (ETC) in Philadelphia was formed to address the urgent need for effective teachers and stable staffing patterns in all Philadelphia schools.
11. In 2009, members of the ETC presented Mayor Nutter with over 1,000 petition postcards supporting reforms in teacher effectiveness! The new collective bargaining agreement between the School District and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers included key provisions sought by the ETC!
12. We are implementing strategies to improve h.s. graduation rates and increase college readiness… VOYCE Wins Support from Chicago Public Schools to launch pilot projects based on recommendations from its youth-led participatory action research!
13. VOYCE is implementing pilot projects in 8 CPS schools! Through these projects, VOYCE has engaged 253 freshman, 99 mentors and 31 school staff!
14. MOP helped write Colorado’s Innovation Schools Act of 2008 and MOP parents have helped secure innovation (autonomy) status for 3 Denver Schools! Each of these Innovation Schools now has control over up to $1 million in school funding!
15. Padres y JóvenesUnidos successfully organized parents, students and community leaders to bring a high performing charter school to NW Denver! In its first year, the new school brought its K-8 students from 30% performing at grade level to 80% in the third quarter of the year.
16. After a 6-year campaign by Padres y JóvenesUnidos, Denver Public Schools adopted a new discipline code incorporating restorative justice practices. Since 2008, there have been 6000 fewer suspensions! Padres is now poised to take their campaign statewide and nationally!
17. H.S. Reform in Philadelphia – YUC Successful in Push for Small Schools! Leaders from Youth United for Change successfully pushed for the School District to follow through on its commitment to develop small schools in Kensington – the 4th small school will open in September!
18. The New Jersey Education Organizing Collaborative launches Graduation for ALL Campaign! Over 70 people rallied in front of the Statehouse in Trenton on January 20, 2010 demanding "Graduation for All" for New Jersey's public high school students.
19. Groups across CPER are developing and supporting a new generation of leaders… The Abbott Leadership Institute has organized Youth Media Symposiums (YMS), which teach youth to use media to advocate for change in their schools. In 2008, youth leaders completed a short-film project, “A Faulty Re-Design” on the challenges of implementing NJ’s High School Re-design Plan.
20. CIRC and the Colorado CPER groups are supporting an emerging and strengthening statewide movement for immigrant student justice!
21. As CPER enters Phase II, we welcome our new partners and allies from across the country…
31. In Phase II, the CPER education organizing network will bring together over 50 education organizing and allied organizations and coalitions across 9 states! As we deepen our relationships, we must seize this opportunity and build on our collective power to advance our educational justice agenda!
32. “If there is going to be change, real change, it will have to work its way from the bottom up, from the people themselves. That’s how change happens.” -- Howard Zinn, 1922-2010
