Author: open

#PolicyforthePeople Bills to Watch: Teachers

Posted openLeave a commentPosted in Feature, News

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 […]

#PolicyForThePeople Bills to Watch: Discipline, Bullying, & Culture

Posted openLeave a commentPosted in Feature, News

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 […]

#PolicyforthePeople Bills to Watch: HB338

Posted openLeave a commentPosted in News, Uncategorized

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 […]

OPEN Commemorates Black History in Education

Posted openLeave a commentPosted in News

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 […]

OPENING Letter 2019, Part IV: So What’s Next?

Posted openLeave a commentPosted in Feature, News

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 […]

Orleans Parish School Board Surveys

Posted openLeave a commentPosted in Resources

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 […]