Brianna M. O'Donnell’s Post

The Chicago Board of Education voted to remove School Resource Officers (#SROs) - Chicago Police - from city schools. This move was backed by the Chicago Teachers Union. How long before "buyer's remorse" sets in from this decision? #Schoolleaders only need to look to Denver and many other cities that pulled SROs from schools after the George Floyd murder. Many are struggling to return them back into schools as #schoolsecurity problems steadily increase and #teachers, #principals, #parents, and #students become increasingly frustrated. #Schoolsafety best practices need to be prioritized over political decisions.

Advocates are celebrating a policy change by the Pittsburgh Public School board. Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) has extended the moratorium on issuing summary citations. Summary Citations are similar to traffic tickets, and often issued to youth for low-level infractions like disorderly conduct. These citations have been disproportionately issued to Black students in Pittsburgh Public Schools by school police and can have negative long-term consequences for students. Read more about the moratorium extension here: https://lnkd.in/eK4pupy4

Check out this piece by Jeremy Chan-Kraushar

The Chicago Board of Education will vote today to eliminate police officers from schools starting next fall, a decision that will impact nearly a third of all high schools in Chicago Public Schools. Our recent blog post delves into the significance of this issue, presenting perspectives from a variety of stakeholders and the latest findings on the effects of police in K-12 schools. We find that the effectiveness of police officers in enhancing school safety is mixed. However, multiple studies show that their presence has led to the criminalization of minor offenses and contributed to feelings of fear and mistrust that can negatively affect students' feelings of safety and their overall educational experience. That said, if the CPS board votes unilaterally to remove police officers from schools, parents, students, and educators on Local School Councils (LSCs) will lose their decision-making power. It will mark another instance of this Board imposing its views on the school system instead of making decisions only after first engaging school communities. We hope that as part of the CPS board’s debate on this issue, they will explain how they plan to ensure every school will have the time, resources, and support to design and implement new whole school safety plans with sufficient involvement from their school community. https://lnkd.in/guM882Ce

Regardless of the wealth of documentation of extensive, long-term research into the incredible power and efficacy of arts in education in regards to student engagement, academic outcomes, attendance, mental health, and post-high school preparedness for career & college, many, many schools at all grade levels still do not meet CA Ed Code requirements for arts in schools. Far more troubling is that, after the incredible efforts behind devising, supporting, and passing Prop 28 in CA with unprecedented majority support for both arts and education legislation, a shocking number of schools - and even districts - are misusing Prop 28 funds - and many are doing so despite intense efforts and advocacy by students and teachers to grow and expand offerings. Yes, it’s a tough year and scary look forward financially, but Prop 28 was passed to protect arts in education especially during these lean years. Elective offerings continue to expand at schools, but not in the arts, because they’re not funded and not prioritized despite their documented importance. Class enrollment numbers are often cited as the reason why programs are cut - but programs are cut without properly using post-Covid funding and now Prop 28 funds meant to provide the consistency necessary to grow and strengthen the arts programs and build strong enrollment. It’s not enough, clearly, to pass the legislation. We all need to demand that Prop 28 funds be spent as mandated in the legislation - with proof. All doesn’t just mean students or teachers - it means our smallest to our largest companies, businesses, organizations, it means our leaders in government and industry, it means anyone who cares about the strength of our schools and thus our great state into the future.

In the latest #AdvocateFirstgen blog, Dr. Tiffany Bellafant Steward explains how the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR)'s thirteen community colleges leverage their #FirstScholarsNetwork participation to eliminate barriers and foster an environment where all students can succeed. Read it at bit.ly/3TNKjgo.

With the start of the latest legislative session in NY, lawmakers will decide whether to continue NYC's system of mayoral control over schools. Get the facts about what this means for NYC schools with this article from Gothamist.com > https://bit.ly/4aUdbes

Chicago is making substantial progress in dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline, a vital step towards ensuring every Black child can access a robust and rigorous public education. This journey has seen a significant reduction in suspensions, dropping from nearly 50,000 in 2013-14 to fewer than 10,000 in 2021-22. Equally significant, the number of police officers on school campuses has been cut in half. Even more encouraging, recent research from the University of Chicago Education Lab reveals that student arrests have decreased in schools where restorative practices have been implemented. Students also report a heightened sense of safety and belonging, a testament to the power of these transformative approaches. #EducationalJustice #RestorativePractices #EquityInEducation #EmpowerTheYouth

Did you know that America is the only country that manages school systems based on property taxes? This has a direct impact on the quality of education our scholars receive in public schools, often creating disparities in educational resources and opportunities. The need for more educational institutions to inspire and impact our children is overwhelming. Over the past few years, the United States has been building more prisons than schools, a trend that has profound implications for our children’s futures. This shift suggests a disturbing prioritization that overlooks the critical role of education in shaping productive, successful lives. As parents, educators, and community members, it’s crucial to advocate for equitable systems. Excelsior Village Academies mission is to provide equitable access to a rigorous curriculum that will elevate our youth to the leaders they will become. Enroll today: https://ow.ly/Azxg50RN0QN Now hiring: https://ow.ly/t3l250RN0QH #ExcelsiorVillageAcademies #nowhiring #nowenroling #elementaryschool #HenryCounty #schoolchoice #charterschools #charterschool #DekalbCounty #FultonCounty #ClaytonCounty #APSdistrict #schooloption #EducationMatters #InvestInOurChildren #FutureOfEducation #EquityInEducation

Middle schools in Brooklyn's District 15 are showing promising results in desegregation efforts without sparking a major exodus from public schools. Here's how 👇 1. Lottery-based Admissions, prioritizing low-income students: "Selective admissions were scrapped. Every child got a lottery number instead. Schools adopted targets to admit certain numbers of disadvantaged children." 2. Focusing desegregation efforts on socioeconomic divides: "Instead of using race, the district employed other categories to diversify student bodies. Specifically, schools prioritized students who are homeless, learning English or from low-income families - factors that are often correlated to race but that do not face the same legal challenges." Meaningful change is possible when districts come together to embrace diversity and equity in education! https://lnkd.in/gHSshbyc