On July 16, the U.S. Senate passed the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015, a bill to reauthorize the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, by a vote of 81 to 17. To help grassroots education organizers and advocates across the country understand what's at stake in the ESEA rewrite, we've put together the below analysis of the portions of the comprehensive Senate bill that relate specifically to the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools' key issue areas of sustainable community schools, charter school accountability, school discipline reform and high-stakes testing.
Updates & Blog
Civil rights and community groups across the country have signed on to a letter to Senate leadership urging them to abandon the failed policies of No Child Left Behind as they debate reauthorizing the bill. The nearly 200 groups, including AROS, are calling on the Senate to end the law's emphasis on punitive, high-stakes testing and instead provide sustainable funding for full-service community schools.
The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools is proud to announce and welcome our new Director, Keron Blair. Keron is an organizer with ten years of experience working for social change and he most recently served as the Membership Director for United Working Families in Chicago.
The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools Newsletter
June 26, 2015
The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools Newsletter
June 19, 2015
In light of the terrible event in South Carolina this week, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Charleston community and the families of the victims. We remain committed to fighting racism in all its forms and particularly in fighting for the schools and equal educational opportunities that all students deserve.
Starting June 15, the Pennsylvania Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools will be leading a statewide bus tour to meet with parents, students, teachers, school staff, community members and local leaders about the need for a state budget that invests in communities, schools and (most importantly!) students.
June 8, 2015
The Honorable Arne Duncan
Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
Dear Mr. Secretary,