California State Board of Managers member and past Vice President of Education Mary Perry recently wrote an article for Ed100 entitled, “Are California Students Prepared for Citizenship?”
She writes, “Some students are deeply involved in civic life. They may have participated in student government or taken an active role with their school’s PTSA. They may have campaigned for a local candidate or helped organize a grassroots effort to address an issue they care deeply about. They may have taken every course their high school offers on history, government and politics or even finished all the lessons about California education available here on Ed100.
Until now, however, the state did not provide any recognition for students’ civic learning and engagement. Nor did it keep track of which students, in which schools and districts, had these kinds of opportunities. That is changing, thanks to the creation of the State Seal of Civic Engagement.”
This topic of civic engagement also was discussed at our 2021 Legislation Conference: A Path to Equity, by John Roberts, Director of UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access. See what he has to say about the importance of civics education here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R_VLzyG_SmI_rjQnNp-wbAV1N4dNjDQV/view?usp=sharing
To read the rest of the Ed100 article, click here: https://ed100.org/blog/civic-education
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“A Path to Equity” was the focus of this year’s Legislation Conference, which I attended as a local PTA leader and advocate, but also as the parent of two public high school students. Bringing equity to California public schools has long challenged our educational leaders, and the pandemic has highlighted vast inequities in the system and left millions of California students more disadvantaged than ever. From access to mental health care and meals to the widening of a vast digital divide, the conference underscored that the prospect of getting students back on track is daunting. Far from being pessimistic, however, the conference presented information and opportunities that we as parents and PTA advocates can use to disrupt ineffective old practices and bring public education into a new era in which all are included and empowered, and in which the needs of all are seen and addressed.
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond opened the conference and focused on restorative justice and increased digital access and literacy as examples of measures needed at the state level to increase inclusiveness and access for all students. President Celia Jaffe shared CAPTA’s ten recommendations for the timely and safe reopening of schools. Director of Legislation Shereen Walter shared CAPTA’s legislative agenda and the critical need for “our collective voices to influence legislation and the state budget to improve equity, access, and opportunity for all of California’s children.” Then, National PTA President-Elect Anna King shared her personal stories of witnessing how racial and economic inequities affected her own children, injustices which led directly to her involvement in PTA and her work to bring a collective voice on behalf of all children to our nation’s leaders and educational decision-makers. This was a powerful start to the conference.
Education is primarily a state and local responsibility in the United States. It is states and communities, as well as public and private organizations of all kinds, that establish schools and colleges, develop curricula, and determine requirements for enrollment and graduation. The structure of education finance in America reflects this predominant state and local role. The result is that the Federal contribution to elementary and secondary education is just under 10%, which includes funds not only from the Department of Education (ED) but also from other Federal agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services’ Head Start program and the Department of Agriculture’s School Lunch program. These Federal programs are not affected by California’s Local Control Funding Formula.
Have you considered attending Leg Con 2021, but are still on the fence? Well, here are five reasons that will convince you that attending is DEFINITELY worthwhile: