This legislative session was a whirlwind! Over one thousand bills were introduced, and while very few of those were eventually signed into law, important progress was made that deserves recognition. Below is OPEN’s review of events, focusing on the issues that most strongly impact students and families. SCHOOL CULTURE: BULLYING, DISCIPLINE HB 160, […]
Teachers may get only one week per year of formal appreciation, but here at OPEN we know that a good teacher can have an enormous impact on student lives, and we support any legislation that supports high-quality teachers. While teachers have the most direct access to students and one of the biggest jobs in public […]
School discipline policy is always a hot topic in the state legislature, and this year is no exception. Public schools and particularly charter schools continue to use discipline policies (i.e. suspension and expulsion) that unfairly impact students of color and are not effective in creating safe and positive school environments. This session, there are five […]
Tell schools to keep their codes (and hands) out of Black kid’s hair! HB 338 is an education bill that addresses bullying, harassment, and discrimination policy. The bill requires schools to take reasonable steps to prevent and eliminate discrimination against students and also requests increased work on community engagement and discrimination-related training for school […]
With so much going on in the state legislature it can be hard to keep track of it all. OPEN is here to make policy accessible to the people by providing timely information about what’s going on and how to keep our legislators and community members accountable. In addition to the #PolicyForThePeople legislation tracker we […]
The relationship between Black Americans and the public education system has historically been a fraught one, driven by tension between Black citizens’ desire for educational opportunities and white power-holders’ determination to keep them out through racially-coded public policy. In fact, Black Americans’ first historical experience with public education was that of an anti–school system, consisting […]
For much of OPEN’s nearly 10-year history we have focused on building the capacity of people to confront inequitable systems focusing on the place where they are created and negotiated: the policy table. We’ve done it all, from traditional boots-on-the-ground organizing, to policy advocacy, community leadership programs and professional development for homegrown education talent. Through […]
It’s not about the failings of public education, it’s about how we fail to show up for Black and brown children. Read Part I here. Read Part II here. Part III: What We Need We’re at a crossroads — some may say a breaking point — and we have a decision to make. Will we […]
You are invited to complete a survey that the Orleans Parish School Board, in partnership with the Greater New Orleans Foundation and other philanthropic partners are conducting in order to assess the availability and quality of services for students and to determine the additional needs of students within the Orleans Parish School System. Please take […]
