Join the Movement!

You are here

National Blog

What about them? Our work is not done.

+Share

All week, Stand members and staff have focused on high school graduation.  We’ve talked with recent graduates about what helped them succeed. (Listen to Hailey's story below, or check out Yussef's story on our previous blog post).

We’ve shared statistics about how many Latino and African American students fail to make it to graduation (almost 4 out of 10).

What About Them? Yussef's Story

+Share

Yussef Sheikhnur could have easily been one of the 40% of African American students who fail to graduate high school. He watched his friends drop out, get pregnant, and give up. But with the support of his family, he started succeeding in school. He is a proud graduate.

Now, he wants to go to college and learn more about how to help other succeed in his community. Watch Yussef tell his story.

What About Them?

+Share

It's that exciting time of year again, Graduation season. Facebook is flooded with beaming students in caps and gowns. Newspapers are busy covering the latest inspiring commencement speech and highlighting inspiring graduation stories like Chelesea Fearce,the incredible young woman in Atlanta who, despite homelessness, was valedictorian of her high school. 

The Pressing Need for Preschool

+Share

I write about preschool a lot, but this blog will be different. This time I’ll assume that you, our Stand supporters and readers, already support increasing access to high quality preschool.

Why I Stand: Adriana Figueroa

+Share
At age 15, Adriana Figueroa started attending her brother’s parent teacher conferences. “My parents went above and beyond to make sure we lived in a neighborhood where the schools were really good,” Adriana explains. “And that came at a cost.” With her parents working around the clock cleaning office buildings and working in factories, Adriana was the de facto parent for her younger brother.

Stand parents in Chicago speak up about school closings

+Share

The closing of more than 50 struggling schools in Chicago this year has been a difficult process for many. Whether a positive or negative strategy, parents, teachers and students have voiced their grief and concerns in regards to this difficult issue. But this complex process is not black or white and unlike what is generally portrayed in the media, there are valid concerns on both sides of the debate. 

STRONG SUPPORT, LEGISLATIVE ACTION KEEPS COMMON CORE MOVING FORWARD IN INDIANA

+Share

INDIANAPOLIS – Education leaders and advocates expect implementation of the Common Core State Standards to continue despite legislation labeled by opponents as a “pause” in House Enrolled Act 1427, which was passed by the legislature last night. 

According to HEA 1427, the State Board of Education would be barred from taking further action on the Common Core, but the bill allows any Common Core standards previously adopted by the State Board of Education to continue with implementation.

The specific language in the report is as follows:

Why I Stand: Maria Luisa Ramos

+Share

Maria Luisa moved to the U.S. at age 15 not knowing any English. She was immediately shunted into remedial classes in every subject, even though she was in all advanced classes in Mexico.

“I went to the counselor and I told her that I wanted to go to college,” Maria Luisa says. “She told me ‘people like you don’t go to college’”.

Why I Stand: Toya Fick

+Share

This month, we are launching the "Why I Stand" series to introduce our blog readers to Stand staff members around the country. These folks spend countless hours training parents, organizing campaigns, and supporting other Stand staff across the country. Why do they do it? Read on.

Why I Stand: Felipe Vieyra

+Share

We spend a lot of time here at Stand talking about all of our amazing volunteer leaders who, together, power the movement to improve public education.

But this month, we are launching the "Why I Stand" series to introduce our blog readers to Stand staff members around the country. These folks spend countless hours training parents, organizing campaigns, supporting other Stand staff across the country, and a whole lot else.

Pages