Fourth in a series of profiles of PAA founding members. For PAA co-founder Julie Woestehoff, the high point of the recently concluded Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) strike was the solidarity she saw between teachers, parents, students and community members. “We showed a very powerful united front,” she said. “It was not just teachers, it was the whole community. We all felt that we were speaking out in favor of a better vision of education.” Julie has worked for decades to … →
As hype for the “Won’t Back Down” movie heats up, PAA sent this message to entertainment media: In case you are preparing to interview the stars of the controversial new film “Won’t Back Down,” or review the movie, Parents Across America would like you to be aware of the following facts: 1. Walden Media which produced the film also co-produced the movie “Waiting for Superman”. The people at Walden Media have admitted that they had a specific political agenda in … →
Third in a series of profiles of PAA’s founding members. Caroline Grannan, PAA’s Parent Trigger expert, got her start in education reform research more than a decade ago, in the dark days when Google searches hadn’t yet been developed and building a website required a programming expert. Her first focus was Edison Schools, Inc., a for-profit, NASDAQ-traded charter management company that claimed to bring “the efficiencies of the private sector” to public education. “It was really getting hailed as the … →
“The idea that busy parents can simply take over and run a school in their spare time is obviously magical thinking.” (Caroline) points out that charters overall don’t outperform public schools and suggests that instead of pulling the trigger, parents should assert their voices by voting in good school board members, getting to know administrators, and getting involved in schools. Full article here.
“The idea that busy parents can simply take over and run a school in their spare time is obviously magical thinking.” (Caroline) points out that charters overall don’t outperform public schools and suggests that instead of pulling the trigger, parents should assert their voices by voting in good school board members, getting to know administrators, and getting involved in schools. Full article here.
By Lorie Barzano Chair of Coalition SAUS (Strengthen Austin Urban Schools), a parent led group representing inner-city public schools working to ensure accessible, quality Public Education for all children and healthy, thriving Public Schools in Austin’s urban core. I saw “Won’t Back Down” last week with two other parents from Coalition SAUS. A free, pre-screening hosted by the Charter School Association, we sat in the dark theatre surrounded by a hundred charter school teachers and a smattering of charter school … →
For two days day in a row, at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., a handful of moms bearing flyers and large yellow pencils made out of pool noodles were denied admission to events organized by the corporate-focused education “reform” groups Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) and Students First, headed by Michelle Rhee. On Tuesday, Carol Sawyer and Pam Grundy, co-chairs of the Charlotte-based MecklenburgACTS.org (which is affiliated with Parents Across America) had signed up in advance for what … →
Karran Harper Royal at the SOS conference, August 4, 2012 in Washington DC, discusses how some African-Americans got on the wrong side of education reform. And how an you tell if you’re on the wrong side of reform: Does the policy shut down open debate? Does it remove the democratic process? Do parents get to elect the charter board? Do the policymakers have to focus on a villain, in this case, teachers and unions as the bogeyman? Do they insist … →
