Justice Matters' First Washington DC Convening is a Great Success!

Washington DC: Stella reports on convening that engaged parents and educational professionals from around the country

On June 15^th, Justice Matters' “Voices on the Ground: Connecting parents, students and activists to national education policy” brought together parents of color, community organizers and policy analysts to critically discuss the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA) also known as No Child Left Behind. The event was hosted at the National Education Association offices.

From the morning panel, to the work group meeting and finally at our Justice Matters’ Happy Hour at the local DC Busboys & Poets Café, community activists, policy professionals, parents and other education professionals met, networked, formed new relationships and strengthened old ones.

Community organizers, parents, policy analysts, and teachers came from around the country to participate: Chicago, Illinois; Jackson, Mississippi; New York, NY; West Contra Costa County, CA; Washington DC; and Cambridge, MA.

One distinct message came through loud and clear: in order for public schools to become healthy, strong centers for all students we must connect community voice and racial justice to education policy and politics.

The DC convening was a first step in filling a huge void – the need for parents of color, policy analysts, and community organizers to come together and build a consensus on what our students need.

So stay tuned for more opportunities to work together in making racial justice and community engagement a reality in education policy.


And be sure to download a copy of our latest policy brief, Racial Justice and the Obama Administration’s Education Agenda on our blog that was presented at the DC convening. We welcome comments, ideas and thoughts on all our posts.

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Download Our New Working Paper: "Racial Justice and the Obama Administration's Education Agenda"

With federal reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) approaching, Justice Matters employs a racial justice lens to evaluate the Obama Administration's public education agenda. The administration's plans, as demonstrated in A Blueprint for Reform, the 2011 fiscal year budget, and the Race to the Top initiative, maintain and even bolster some of the problematic elements in the current legislation, widely known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). In Racial Justice and the Obama Administration's Education Agenda, Justice Matters examines how students of color will fare under the values and principles guiding the plans for reform. We take an in-depth look at approaches to parent and community engagement proposed by the administration and conclude with an outline for an alternative racial justice strategy.


Download the full paper at http://justicematters.org/jmi_sec/jmi_spub/publications.html

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Justice Matters Washington DC Convening: Voices on the Ground: Connecting parents, students and activists to national education policy

JOIN US!
June 15th 10:00 am - 4:00 pm (ET)
National Education Association (NEA) Offices
1201 16th Street NW, Washington DC
To register visit: http://voicesontheground.eventbrite.com/


We've been writing a lot about the reauthorization of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA) on this blog.
Now Justice Matters is hosting an exciting event on Tuesday, June 15th at the offices of the National Education Association in Washington DC. The convening is part of a Justice Matter effort to insert a racial justice analysis into the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). 
The Voices on the Ground event brings together community organizers and leading policy analysts from around the nation who will critically discuss ESEA. Panelists include:


Dr. John Jackson, President & CEO, The Schott Foundation
Veronica Rivera, Legislative Staff Attorney, Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund (MALDEF)
Robert Kim, Senior Policy Analyst, National Education Association (NEA)
Pamela Bachilla, Legislative Advocate, Alameda Alliance for Arts Learning Leadership
Arnol Amigo, Youth Leader and Henry Cervantes, Community Organizer, Telpochalli Community Education Project (Chicago, IL)
Betty Petty, Senior Organizer, Southern Echo, Inc. (Jackson, MS)
Carol Boyd, Parent Leader, NY Coalition for Educational Justice (New York,NY)
Bernadine Hammond, Parent Leader, REAL Schools Now! (Richmond, CA)


To learn more about the convening visit: 
http://voicesontheground.eventbrite.com/

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