Statement on LAUSD School Board Zimmer's June 18 Resolution (Link Included)

(Gabe Rose, Deputy Director for Parent Revolution)

Although this resolution was written without any input from Parent Revolution or the parents who are actually using this law, we are supportive of many of its goals.

We support public meetings and public notice of school data – whether in relation to Parent Trigger campaigns or otherwise – that give LAUSD parents more information on the state of their children’s schools.

Daily News: High-profile spat shows how much at stake in education (Editorial)

By Los Angeles News Group
06/12/2013

The details of the online spat between New York University education professor Diane Ravitch and Parent Revolution executive director Ben Austin aren't very interesting to anyone except an education wonk. The highlights: Ravitch ravaged Austin on her blog; Austin responded with an open letter on Huffington Post. Ravitch kind of apologized, but then insinuated Austin was a bully. Who knows what will come next?

Consensus: We Need a Kids First Dialogue

Ensuring our nation's public education system addresses schools failing their local children, families, and communities is a difficult but critical task. When a majority of kids leave a school and cannot read or do math on grade level, something is wrong.

But there are no easy, clear solutions to fix the whole system. Healthy debate and dialogue about innovative practices like the creation of Parents Unions and the use of Parent Trigger laws are needed and indeed welcomed.

A Kids First Dialogue: Open Letter to Dr. Diane Ravitch from Ben Austin

Dear Professor Diane Ravitch:

Parents, educators, and education advocates have a lot in common when it comes to a kids-first first agenda. But we can never seize that common ground if those with whom we disagree are deemed to be "evil" and sentenced to Hell, as you did last week in your now infamous blog post.

San Bernardino Sun: No truth to allegations in school story (Voice of the People)

by Cynthia Ramirez, Lead Parent Coordinator, Desert Trails Parent Union
6/4/2013

The allegations in the story "Were parents promised pay" (May 25) have no basis in truth. As someone involved with the Parent Trigger campaign in our Adelanto and Desert Trails' community from the beginning, I am deeply offended and insulted our volunteer efforts of the past two years are being twisted and diminished.

Los Angeles Times: In a hurry to pull the 'parent trigger'

The ouster of a Watts principal is wrenching but hardly surprising. Parents lack patience for incremental improvement.

By Jim Newton
June 3, 2013

Deja Vu All Over Again

In June 2011, parents and teachers at Weigand Avenue Elementary School in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles signed a petition as a 'vote of no confidence' in their principal. You can access a PDF of that petition here. On one side of the first page are the signatures of the teachers who signed, with parents on the other side and following pages. Date stamps indicate its receipt at that time by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

Weigand Parents United

A Challenge to the San Bernardino County Sun

Last Saturday (5/25/2013), the San Bernardino County Sun published a story with allegations about parents in the Adelanto community being promised large sums of money and other gifts if they would promote the movie, ‘Won’t Back Down.’ The person making these false accusations said he was aware of a deal made between Parent Revolution and Adelanto parents that was later withdrawn by Parent Revolution when the movie did not do well at the box office.

RiShawn Biddle (Dropout Nation): Perhaps Conservative Reformers Have Finally Stopped Protecting Diane Ravitch

RiShawn Biddle (editor and publisher of Dropout Nation) also responds to Dr. Diane Ravitch's outrageous remarks.

Check out the full article over at Dropout Nation for full links and more.

PERHAPS CONSERVATIVE REFORMERS HAVE FINALLY STOPPED PROTECTING DIANE RAVITCH

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