GMB’s Post

Check out our latest reflections by our CEO Rich Harrison about our recently published school dashboard data and the impact we are driving toward in our East Oakland communty!

4 out of 10 Southern states rank in the bottom 10 states for per-student expenditures. 4 out of 10 Southern states rank in the bottom 10 states for average teacher salaries. 6 out of 10 Southern states have the highest child poverty rates in the country. While the South grows and transforms, our systems of education remain locked in historic patterns of disinvestment and inequality. In some of these states, like Tennessee, the money is already there. It's a matter of deciding to invest in all the children of the South.

Lynwood Superintendent Gudiel Crosthwaite calls on our state leadership to fundamentally change how school facilities are funded so that all students have access to the facilities they need and deserve to focus on their education. Learn more: 👇 California students urgently need school facility funding from the state to modernize outdated and unsafe facilities. We must pass an education bond this year because there are billions of dollars in unmet needs. In moving forward with a much-needed education bond, however, it is crucial that our state legislature and the Newsom administration first fix the inequitable and unconstitutional system of school facility financing in California. Currently, low-wealth districts receive substantially less state facility funding per student compared to their higher wealth counterparts—even though they have greater modernization needs from compounded disinvestment from the state, and less ability to raise local funds. Through this system, wealthy school districts can build theaters and STEM labs and pools. But low-wealth neighborhoods, who have been historically ignored and underinvested in—who need more funds to meet the needs of their students—are stuck using what funds they have to repair HVAC systems and maintain the conditions of their existing buildings. The result is an unequal and unconstitutional system in which students in low-wealth districts receive an education inferior to that of their peers in higher-wealth districts. Join Public Advocates and impacted students, families, educators, and grassroots community organizations across the state who are urging for an equitable education bond by signing onto our petition: https://lnkd.in/gHnezfTr

California's public school facilities need our support now more than ever. Equitable funding is crucial to ensure that every child, regardless of their zip code, has access to safe, modern, and effective learning environments. It's time to fundamentally change how school facilities are funded so that all students have access to the facilities they need and deserve to focus on their education. California students urgently need school facility funding from the state to modernize outdated and unsafe facilities. We must pass an education bond this year because there are billions of dollars in unmet needs. In moving forward with a much-needed education bond, however, it is crucial that our state legislature and the Newsom administration first fix the inequitable and unconstitutional system of school facility financing in California. Currently, low-wealth districts receive far less in state facility funding per student compared to their higher wealth counterparts ($7,000 vs. over $300,000)—even though they have greater modernization needs from compounded disinvestment from the state, and less ability to raise local funds. Learn more: 👇 Let's push for fair and adequate funding for all California public schools! Join the movement, spread the word, and let’s make a difference together! #FundOurSchools #EquitableEducation #SupportPublicSchools #CaliforniaEducation #InvestInOurFuture Help create brighter futures for EVERY student in California!

"Educated kids make educated decisions." That’s why we partner with schools and our community of caring neighbors like you to help kids to succeed in school and in life.    Watch as Rene Gellerman, our President & CEO, shares with Johnny Marx the thinking behind our United for Schools initiative – to unite community resources and volunteers to help kids early on, to help them unlock brighter futures for themselves.   And, the results speak for themselves. Dive deeper here: https://lnkd.in/gXpwEqV3

Increasing investment in programs like Woodcraft Rangers for middle and high school youth is more important now than ever. A recent report published by the Partnership for Children and Youth found that while investment in expanded learning (afterschool and summer) programs for K-6 students have increased, as they should -- our teens are being left behind. Older youth deserve and require more enrichment, peer support, and academic and career guidance. Through evidence and examples, the report presents ways for policy and decision makers to work toward solutions, including increasing funds, better data and evaluations, and intentional partnerships between schools and community-based programs like Woodcraft Rangers. Read the full report:

Thinking of applying to be an AmeriCorps member with City Year? Our interactive map feature can help you explore our 29 cities we serve in. https://loom.ly/gZ0jUIg

At Great Hearts Texas, our faculty cultivates a unique balance in our classrooms of Order and Joy. This "Ordered Joy" creates a harmonious environment and the perfect structure for learning and growing together in a community. Discover the Great Hearts difference by applying today #GreatHeartsTexas #ClassicalEducation #CharterSchools #Education #JoyfulLearning"

This series of case studies by SchoolHouse Connection highlights programs in Chicago, IL; Fort Worth, TX; and Boston, MA emphasizing early childhood development, family support, and removing barriers to service access. Learn how these initiatives foster family well-being and success through a two-generation approach, integrating home visiting, housing support, and early childhood education and care. Read the case studies: https://ow.ly/ky3M50SCjJy

Interesting read and statistics given the declining enrollment we are facing in our own county schools! it's real and we need to recognize that while closing a school is never easy.. We need to recognize that there are sound reasons for doing so. The school’s size will also be its demise, Sara Randazzo and Matt Barnum write. Los Angeles Unified School District is closing Solis this summer, citing declining enrollment that has severely limited the school’s offerings. As birthrates have dipped, families have moved elsewhere, and public school alternatives have grown, many urban districts have hemorrhaged students. That has left officials with the difficult choice of keeping open shrinking schools with resources spread thin or shutting them down, a move that inevitably garners fierce community backlash. How school leaders navigate this challenge could define urban school systems for the next several years. But if schools get too small they face a paradoxical problem: Costs per student tend to rise, but programming tends to shrink. “When schools get below a certain size threshold, they start facing these unique challenges that make it hard to deliver a high-quality education,”.