Send a Message to Beacon Hill
How can just a few hours of your time help one million Massachusetts children?
Legislators are facing tough budget decisions this spring and they need to see how many people care about protecting public education. Please do two things for Massachusetts children right now:
- Rally with us at the State House on March 23rd. Hear from education leaders, policy-makers, and advocates during our indoor rally and to tell your legislator what’s important to your community. Visit www.stand.org/ma/DayontheHill to learn more and to register.
- Speak up for children! Send a message to Beacon Hill at www.stand.org/ma/signs. We will deliver your sign to legislators at the Day on the Hill.
Groundbreaking Win for Massachusetts’ Children
Thank you for speaking up for children: Your advocacy made a difference!
On January 14, 2010, the legislature delivered a strong education reform bill that reflects input from parents, educators, and community leaders. An Act Relative to the Achievement Gap will help close the achievement gap and ensure that Massachusetts remains a national leader in public education.
Advocates like you sent hundreds of emails to legislators, lobbied in person, distributed letters throughout the State House and spoke at press conferences. Your energetic voice for children brought attention to critical issues over the past several weeks and strengthened the final legislation.
To learn more, read our summary and analysis or read the full text of the bill: An Act Relative to the Achievement Gap
Recent press highlights:
Race to the Top
To learn about Massachusetts’ application for Race to the Top, read the Executive Summary from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and visit the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website for more information. To learn about the Race to the Top competition, visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/index.html.
Closing the Achievement Gap
Massachusetts has some of the best schools in the country – but not for everyone. The achievement gap between low income and high income students is staggering and the social and economic consequences threaten the vibrancy of our state. Watch a video of our policy panel about the Achievement Gap.
Stand for Children members have been active in calling for education reform legislation to close the achievement gap. On September 17, Stand members testified in support of the Governor’s proposed bills HB4163 and HB 4164, which laid the groundwork for An Act Relative to the Achievement Gap. See what parents, business leaders and legislators said about these bills: