PROM GOWN GIVEAWAY!

PROM GOWN GIVEAWAY!

Bella Donna Prom Dress Project

Saturday, April 28^th at the

Colmar Manor Town Hall

3701 Lawrence Street

Colmar Manor, Maryland

10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

This is a prom gown giveaway event for metro area high school girls who can’t afford to buy their prom gown.

Hosted by The Bethesda Chapter of the Federally Employed Women

Are you interested?

We are also looking for volunteers and donations of Dresses, Shoes & Jewelry

Pre-register by e-mailing janeg1962@yahoo.com

or call Helen Robinson at 301-257-0294 and leave message

Just Because They Are Unemployed Does Not Mean They Are Unskilled

For the past two years the national conversation regarding unemployment in America has focused on the need for those without a job or under-employed to obtain more skills and more training.  This has become a rallying cry for justifying why the unemployment numbers remain high, especially among populations of color.  

The purpose of this article is to dispel or to an extent change the direction of the conversation about the traits of the unemployed. I am especially targeting those who use an uninformed description of the unemployed and under-employed to frame discussions on the rate of joblessness in America. First, I want to make it extremely clear that I agree education and training has a place in reducing under-employment and yes it can impact unemployment. However, it is the broad brush by which the concept of training and skill attainment is discussed that gives me pause for alarm. I have seen the over-reliance of the belief that those unemployed or under employed simply lack the skills of those that have employment. Typically this is used as a means to justify why we see double digit unemployment rates in segments of the population like African Americans and Hispanics.

In an effort to address this issue of untrained Americans, President Obama has set-a-side in his budget plan of nearly eight billion dollars for community colleges to serve as America’s Re-Training Academies, while continuing to serve as the primary gateway to postsecondary access and higher education attainment. President Obama’s funding of the new, but well established traditional mission of community colleges is both daring and noble. The president’s support of America’s community colleges continues in a long line of POTUS who understood the value community colleges bring to our nation, one community at a time. However, new money for the expansion of postsecondary opportunities will mean little if at the end of the re-train/educate pipeline there are no jobs.

            My concern and that of many I have spoken to over the years is a straightforward one. It is grounded in the fact that each and every unemployed person is some how locked in this universal description of being untrained, unskilled and to a large measurement lacking a strong foundation in today’s technology. This is especially placed at the feet of those unemployed who happen to be people of color. These assertions and hyperboles are frequently uttered from the political pundits, talking heads, and political contributors for this network or that network. 

            My retort to those political pundits, talking heads, political contributors and political leaders on each side of the isle, “you really have no clue as to the skills of the unemployed.” I apologize for being so direct, but it seems in this season of non reason, to steal a line from an upcoming book by the same name, written by M. Shelly Robinson, political leaders and the media really have not wanted or dared to examine the depth of the issue of the unemployed and their inability to secure employment.

I met a woman several years ago, who was laid off from a mid-level university in 2005. She held a prominent management position at the university and at the time had years of experience in personnel, project management, IT and a host of others. She possesses a master’s degree in Human Resources, from a top university in the state of Maryland.  She has been unemployed for seven years. That is right seven years.  She was able to secure one part-time job, a seasonal position with a large retailer where she was responsible for cleaning restrooms after store hours on the 11pm-8am shift. Now given the definition often used by those in the media to justify why a person like the one described above cannot secure employment, hinges on the fact she lacks skills that suggest she can compete in today’s job market.

The fact is their contention that she is without skills would be completely and utterly wrong. Since the time of her unemployment, this mid 40, highly educated minority woman has gained the following skills through her attempts to start her own business and volunteering at local organizations.

Since the time of her unemployment in January 2005, she has gained the following skills:

·  Entered doctoral studies (Higher Education)

·  TV production

·  TV editing

·  Filming

·  Radio Producer “Talk and Music”

·  Script writing

·  Event planning

·  Guest development

·  Social Media

·  Story board writing

·  Publishing

·  Publication layout

·  Interviewing of program guest

·  Writer

·  Blogger

Prior to being laid off in 2005, this unemployed educated mother of three and the wife of an educator had skills in the following area:

• Management
• Labor Relations
• Custom Services
• Staff Development
• Finance Management
• Personnel
• Computer operations
• IT
• Project Management
• Student Advisement
• Inventory Management
• Call Center Management
• Policy and Procedure Development

I could go on listing her many qualifications, but I am sure you get the point. This woman who is a minority possessed skills that do not become obsolete, but are typically needed by most organizations seeking to maintain a strong and viable infrastructure.  So, why has this person been unable to secure employment beyond a part-time seasonal position cleaning toilets?  

It is my declaration that there are other factors behind the high rate of unemployed and under-employed minorities. There is little empirical evidence to show that the unemployment rate for educated and skill minorities is less for uneducated and be unskilled majority populations.  Populations of color have found the job market to unfriendly to them especially to those who are educated and skilled.

Prior to completing this article, I contacted the woman who had been unemployed for seven years to see if her employment status had changed. She indicated it had not. She also stated she had spoken with a state unemployment counselor who suggested she enroll in a Medical Billing/Coding program at the local community college. The counselor believed it was her best and only chance to ever work again.

Dr. Mike Robinson is the creator of the National Men Make A Difference Day for Student Success and the host of Parent Talk Live. Dr. Robinson is a leading voice/expert on parental engagement and community outreach in education. He is also the CO- CEO ofForest Of The Rain Productions, an Internet communication company, whose mission is to expand the voices in and about education.

10 Educational Leaders and Organizations In Prince George’s County You Need To Know

10 Educational Leaders and Organizations

 In Prince George’s County

You Need To Know

1. Theresa Saunders: Is the president of the Prince George’s County Council of PTAs. Ms. Saunders has more than 25 years of executive management, business development and financial systems experience in the public and private sectors. She has managed financial operations and testified before Congress on the financial structure of various DC government agencies such as DC Lottery,  Public Works, Housing and Economic Development, and Grants Management and Development. She received her BBA in accounting from George Washington Univ. She received MBA in finance and an MPA in public policy from Howard University, both degrees summa cum laude
   
   

2. The Consortium of Concerned Organizations: Is made up of the County Council of PTAs; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) — Prince George’s County Branch; Casa de Maryland; the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); the Urban League of Greater Washington; Prince George’s County Contractors Association, the Association of Supervisory and Administrative School Personnel (ASASP); and AFSCME Local 2250.

3. Joe Murchison: President, Side by Side, Inc. a faith-based nonprofit organization that works to strengthen public schools in Laurel, Md., Side by Side offers programs through the first: Family Academy in Prince George’s County designed to support public schools.

4. Christian Rhodes:  Appointed by County Executive Rushern Baker, Mr. Rhodes is responsible for improving coordination among various branches of county government, including the formulation of a comprehensive and effective school budget, pursuit of educational innovation and reform and advocacy on both a state and national level, all roles traditionally held by the school board.

5. Baron Howard: CEO & Founder, Entrepreneur's Success Builders Network (ESBN). He is a keynote speaker, expert Life Principles Coach. ESBN provides workshops in areas of successful life skill principles, entrepreneurship, relationships, credit worthiness, one on one coaching, develop programs for groups, organizations, and businesses.

6. Toni A. Smith: Executive Director of In Reach, Inc., an organization which prepares  students living in Prince George's County, Maryland for college, work and life.

7. Cynthia Hammond-Davis: Executive Director, The Light Of The City Resource Center increases four-year college rates for students by providing college counseling/advising expertise that serves the unique interest of each family.

8. Dr. Juanita Miller: Chair of the NAACP Education Committee. Dr. Miller has over 35 years of experience working in public education in both Maryland and Washington, DC.

9. Dr. Alycia Marshall: Dr. Marshall founded Educational Excellence in 2004, and has assessed and tutored students in mathematics from elementary through college. Throughout her tenure, Dr. Marshall has taught mathematics for a total of 14 years. Dr. Marshall is the Chief Executive Officer of the company and continues to tutor Educational Excellence students.

10.  Dr. Courtland Lee: Dr. Courtland Lee is a Professor in the College of Education, University of Maryland.  He earned a Bachelor's degree in history and secondary education from Hofstra University, and a Master's degree in guidance and counseling from Hunter College of the City University of New York. He received his doctorate in counseling from Michigan State University. His area of specialization is multicultural counseling.  

 Dr. Mike Robinson is the creator of the National Men Make A Difference Day for Student Success and the host of Parent Talk Live. Dr. Robinson is a leading voice/expert on parental engagement and community outreach in education. He is also the CO- CEO of Forest Of The Rain Productions, an Internet communication company, whose mission is to expand the voices in and about education.

Lessons Learned from Trayvon Martin Fathers Teach Your Children How To Survive II

By William Jackson, M.Edu.

http://williamdjackson.com/

Trayvon Martin Video: “Am I Trayvon Martin”

http://youtu.be/xltHmrTLeMI

 

Black youth both young men and women are being killed, their lives seemingly have no valuable.

Just another statistic for vital statistics and crime reports and another one or two minute sound bite for news media.

Young men like Trayvon Martin (Sanford, Florida), Ervin Jefferson (Atlanta, Ga.), 20-year-old Kendrec Lavelle McDade (Azus), 18 year-old Ramarley Graham (New York City) taken away by violent deaths. Violence, claiming the lives of those who should have promising futures ahead of them, young men and women have fallen at the hands of those who have sworn to protect and serve the community, but instead have caused chaos, sorrow and pain. Black fathers, grandfathers, uncles and stepfathers are hard pressed to teach young Black men
and a growing number of Black women survival skills to keep them from being targets and victims.

President Barack Obama has challenged more Black fathers to step up and take on the responsibility to teach their children. Even though he is the President he has experienced
disrespect, curses and hatred is shown to him because of his color. Racism is not dead…

President Obama has even made the statement that Trayvon Martin could be his son.
What a testament for a plea for change.

The excuse that Black youth are trouble makers because they have no fathers does not count
in the case of Trayvon Martin because there is an involved father. The excuse that Black
children are all in poverty is not true from the lifestyle of the Martin family. They are not
welfare recipients, nor on food stamps, but some in society automatically think they are,
this mentality must change.

In the United States of America Black young men time lines are slowly diminishing; devaluing
to a point of unimportance. Across this country more young Black men and young Black
women are being gunned down. Fathers, the teaching to our sons and now daughters should go beyond riding a bike, attending church, dating, drugs and sex. Fathers have to teach their children lessons of life, the lessons of survival, how to stay alive when there are those who do not value them as they should. Fathers, the responsibility to speak to children is more important

now more than ever.

Personal Fears

True fathers have fear for our sons and now for our daughters. Attending the Daddy Daughter Dance 2012 I see loving and involved fathers. This needs to grow and be consistent. http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400553/william-jackson/2012-02-27/daddy-daughter-dance-jacksonville

The dance shows that fathers are involved and there are more Black fathers involved than
would be imagined by society. Fathers fear that their children may die before they do either at the hands of an overzealous service revolver or the hands of someone who looks
like them. Our young men and women should be searching for a cure to cancer, diabetes, heart defects, fighting poverty, working to end hunger and other social challenges. Fathers now must teach sons and daughters to look over their shoulder, how to talk to law enforcement officers, to be mindful that some see them as less than a man or women.

Be careful who you hang with and who you associate or call friends. Black youth should be concentrating on graduating high school and planning their futures,  not having parents planning funerals.

There is Evidence

The evidence is visible in the media and seen on our streets. Young Black men and women’s
lives are at risk, when men do not take the time to teach their children how to conduct themselves in public, pull up their pants, talk respectfully to adults, respect authority and act with intelligence and pride, they set their children up for failure. When Black children are successful in school, in their churches, earning honours for academic excellence and achievement they are not acting white, or the other demeaning terms used for being respectful, educated and career oriented. Young men and women that act like thugs and gansta’s will be treated as such and subjected
to actions that may prove deadly, but this mentality is transferred to all young Black men and women. Young men must be willing to change their mentalities and actions. Not to change
who they are, but to change the perceptions of society. Too many Black youth are not prepared
to grow mentally, socially and spiritually. To many think it is cool to be uneducated living on welfare. Parents should not teach their children that a “Food Stamp” life is a good life. Teachers can’t teach social responsibility and accountability, the government can’t teach it,
the media can’t teach it, but fathers and mothers can and must teach the value of education. If a greater number of families are involved in their children’s lives crime would be down, education would be a priority and more Black youth, our young men and women would
have more direction and purpose.

Conclusion

The reality is there is a lack of fatherly presence in Black homes; it affects communities, schools and churches.  It is past time for more fathers to stand up and make a commitment to their communities. Fathers must remember that there are several institutions that want Black children Educational and Institutional; it is up to parents to direct their children to the correct institution. Statistics and data do not lie, they can be manipulated, but facts are facts. It is up to parents to direct children to educational institutions, vocational schools, career choices, valuable career options. Steering youth away from the institutions of incarceration and death. Parents must know their children’s friends and associates, because they sometimes do not have your child’s best interests. 1Trayvon Martin is a wake up call for all of us to the travesty of Black youth being murdered. The Trayvon Martin story is not the first, but parents must work hard to make it the last.

Additional Blogs

Anointing  for Fathers

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400553/william-jackson/2012-01-04/anointing-fathers-2012

Five Myths About Community Outreach Educational Institutions Need To Know

 By:

Dr. Mike Robinson

Many organizations, to include public K-12 schools and institutions of higher education believe a connection with their local communities is imperative to their ability to respond to their mission while offering solutions to many of the systemic needs facing those within their communities. However, there is a belief among organizational leaders that community outreach is simply a matter of knocking on doors or passing out flyers at local community events.  Albeit those are several of the methods one can use to reach their constituents, the fact is community outreach is much more than that!

Community outreach requires a strategic approach, a methodology that ensures your efforts garner the optimal results and that those reached are best able at the time of your outreach to benefit from your services, desire your services and understand your services. 

Here are five myths regarding community outreach every organizational leader needs to know, as they will assist in creating a more effective community outreach program with a solid community outreach strategy.

Myth # 1 It Is Community Outreach, It Cannot Be That Hard: 

Community outreach can be done over the phone or simply from behind a desk. This is perhaps the most damaging of all the myths, as it the one typically accepted by those leaders with the least understanding of the mission of the organization and what is community outreach.

Truth is effective community outreach has a strong base of research that does have a need for a level of office work. But the more effective outreach research is conducted on the ground within the communities one seeks to serve.

Myth # 2 They Have To Want Our Help:

Communities are always amenable to organizations entering their neighborhoods promoting programs, services and opportunities. Organizations that assume, because we are a high profile institution or because we are addressing a need that impacts the majority of the residents of this community, therefore they will accept us with open arms is to discount the unique, distinct and diversity of each neighborhood that makes up a community.

Myth # 3 Community Outreach Cannot Contribute To The Bottom Line: 

Community outreach is not a major avenue to create a revenue stream or provide fiscal opportunities for an organization.  While many organizations, especially community colleges have come to understand that an effective community outreach program, grounded in research and an understanding of community norms can create increased enrollment, expand the communities’ educated workforce and serve as the economic engine of the community have come to understand the revenue generating potential of the an effective community outreach program.

Myth # 4 Strategy Not Needed:

Community outreach does not require a strategic assessment and implementation and can be effectively conducted via a willy nilly approach. In these times of fiscal challenges, tight budgets and competing initiatives, failure to take a strategic perspective on how best to reach those who can and will access your programs or services can result in a waste of revenue, manpower, and other organizational resources.

Myth # 5 Staff Departure:

Community outreach staff are not really performing outreach, but they are out looking for a job. This is one of the most ridiculous myths in the industry of community outreach.  Effective community outreach staff will meet and network with countless community and business leaders and on a few occasions they will be offered opportunities to work with other organizations.  While staff turnover is not good for any organization or a department it does negatively impact a community outreach division. However, the possibility of staff finding employment elsewhere does not justify unprofessional scrutiny and mistrust by leadership. When this occurs the effectiveness of an organization’s community outreach is doomed for failure.

Dr. Mike Robinson is the creator of the National Men Make A Difference Day for Student Success and the host of Parent Talk Live. Dr. Robinson is a leading voice/expert on parental engagement and community outreach in education. He is also the CO- CEO of Forest Of The Rain Productions, an Internet communication company, whose mission is to expand the voices in and about education.

To contact Dr. Mike Robinson, visit www.forestoftherain.net or email at forestoftherain@gmail.com

CNN Reports on the Desire for Change in Prince George's County Public Schools

Young politicos run for school board seats in Maryland

by Athena Jones and Stacey Samuel, CNN

Upper Marlboro, MD (CNN) – Edward Burroughs is only 19 years old, but he isn't new to the political scene. He's held elected office for more than a year.

Burroughs won his seat on the Prince George's County, MD school board back in 2010, at just 17. By the time his term began, he was old enough to serve.

Now the college sophomore is hoping voters will give him a chance to do so again. The tall, lanky teen, who wears his hair in twists, donned khakis, a coat and a backpack to spend primary day greeting voters and handing out literature outside the polls. By that night, he had won his district's primary, pulling in 67 percent of the vote. Burroughs' chief concerns are teacher quality and shielding students in the classroom from the effects of deep budget cuts.

"At the end of the day, it's about student success, so I think that's really my role as a member of the school board," said Burroughs, who is studying Education Policy at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and hopes to become a teacher. "My number one priority is going to be hiring and retaining highly-qualified teachers, and the ones that we have, we need to pay them more, and the ones that are struggling we need to provide them professional development.  If they're not able to be successful after that, they have to exit our system."

Burroughs is one of three young candidates running for seats on the school board in one of the state's lowest-performing counties. All three won their primaries and are gearing up for the November election. They believe their youth is a plus, arguing that they were students in these schools not long ago and know what is needed to improve them.

David Murray, who is 20, is running again after being narrowly defeated in 2010. He beat his nearest opponent by more than 20 points in Tuesday's primary. He says the county's schools can do a better job of preparing graduates for the future.

"Our county is lagging behind our peers. We're persistently at the bottom, in terms of student achievement and I want students to have the same opportunity to go to college and to be successful in the workforce," said Murray, who is also a college sophomore. "Young people have to get involved not just in voting, not just in politics, but in their education. We're the ones that can really make a difference, because we've been there and we understand what's working and what's not."

Raaheela Ahmed graduated from high school last year. At 18, she's the youngest candidate. On primary day, she campaigned outside her former school, High Bridge Elementary, telling voters that while she loved the school, there were many improvements that needed to be made. She has also been out canvassing neighborhoods and using social media to reach voters.

"I've actually gone door to door to many hundreds of houses," she explained. "I have my own website. I'm also on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, so I'm really trying to make myself as reachable as possible to my constituency and because communication to me is very important."

Ahmed, who attended the country's schools for 13 years, said that if she wins a seat on the board, she'll do a better job of talking with the county's teachers about their concerns.

"I bring a knowledge of the schools," she said. "I bring a knowledge of the system and what goes on in the schools and I think that is something that could be a very good asset to the board."

Not everyone agrees that youth can be an asset. Andre Nottingham is running against Burroughs. He commended the teen for his civic engagement, but said helping to manage the school system's $1.6 billion budget requires more experience than his opponent can offer.

"That's a $1.6 billion business enterprise," Nottingham said. "We need folks with experience in management. I have that management experience and that's why I'm stepping forward."

Still, Burroughs and the others say they are forging ahead, determined to inject a bit of young energy and fresh ideas to the board.

"We've got to be willing to look at things differently," said Murray. "We've got to be willing to put in new people who have new ideas and different experiences. It doesn't help to have a room of 10 people if they all have the same background and the same set of ideas."

Maryland Mom Tells Why She Home Schools

Mrs. Erin Miller

Why I home school

This week's Parents and PGCPS' Educational View comes from a stay at home mom who has decided to home school her children. We invite you to listen to her brief commentary as to why she home schools.

Mrs. Erin Miller is one of the millions of parents across the United States and Abroad who have chosen to home school their children. Currently, Erin who lives in Prince George’s County, Maryland is home schooling a 2nd grader and a kindergartner.  

Parent Talk Live: 2012 PGCPS BOE Primay Election Results

Hello Engaged Parents and Dedicated Educators,

This past Tuesday was a remarkable day for those passionate about the potential of Prince George’s County Public Schools. During an amazing primary election we saw voters express their vision for education in our County. We witnessed an incumbent fall and a few others narrowly escape losing their seat during a mid-year exam, we call a primary.

There appears to be a desire for a younger and perhaps bolder composition for our BOE as each of the 2012 primary winners are under the age of 40, with three under the age of 21. The question is can they carry their momentum and theme into the fall?

An incumbent falls, several are weakened and one strengthens his hold with nearly 70% of the voters working to send him back to the BOE. The question facing those incumbents how do they regain the trust of voters again that once served as the impetus to propel them to their seat on the BOE?

Voters seemed motivated to make their feelings known and passions are high on all sides as the desire for providing the best for our children, the children of Prince George’s County and our county was clearly on the mind of those voters.

Here is what we know, our educational system has to serve as the apex by which Prince George’s County goes from good to GREAT and as such leaderships has to prepared to accept the challenges of leading a message that is coming in loud and clear to this point! It seems the residents of Prince George’s County are seeking leader to drive student achievement for decades to come.

The general election in November is shaping up to be one of the most important one for education in our county in a while. Parents and PGCPs is committed to bringing as much information as possible leading up to the 2012 General Election.

Parents and PGCPS

Parents and PGCPS, presents Parent Talk Live with your host Dr. Mike Robinson as he will explore what the 2012 BOE primary election means and where will the candidates go from here.

Join Dr. Mike Robinson for A two special Parent Talk Live on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 from 8pm -11pm. He will discuss the results of the 2012 PGCPS BOE primary election results. Guest will include primary winners: Edward Burroughs (Dist. 8), David Murray (Dist. 1), Carletta Fellows (Dist. 7), Raaheela Ahmed (Dist. 5) and Micah Watson (Dist. 4). Our guest analyst will be Jennifer Harris author of PGD9Politico, a blog that focuses on keeping Prince George's County politicians accountable for their decisions and votes.

Date: April 10, 2012
Time: 8pm-11:00pm
Location: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/education4and2parents/2012/04/11/parent-talk-live-2012-pgcps-boe-primay-election-results
Call in number: (646) 716-5649
Tweet Questions: https://twitter.com/DrMikeRobinson
Facebook Questions: http://www.facebook.com/DrMikeRobinson

MD needs more high-performing public school options

Below is an Opinion Editorial written by Curtis Valentine, founding Executive Director of MarylandCAN: The Maryland Campaign for Achievement Now.  It focuses on House Bill 1218, a bill that would create a task force to evaluate Maryland's public charter school law, which is ranked as the second worst public charter school law in the country.

Among other challenges with the law, the current charter law sets restrictions on how charter schools are authorized, which means fewer school options for parents.  Friday, the bill was voted out of the Maryland Senate Rules Committee, and Wednesday, the bill will be heard in the Maryland Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs (EHEA) Committee. If passed, HB 1218 would secure the creation of a task force to study the state of the public charter school law in Maryland. 

-----------------------

MD needs more high-performing public school options

As parents, my wife and I make the choices for our children’s future that they can’t make for themselves. Unfortunately, far too many Marylanders wake up every day with no choice when it comes to where they can send their child to school. The Maryland Senate is currently debating a bill that hopes to change that. House Bill 1218 aims to create a task force to take Maryland’s public charter school law from second worst in the country to a ranking we can be proud of. It will move us a step closer to providing more high quality public charter school options for the parents of 10,000 kids across our state sitting on charters school waiting lists instead of in charter school classrooms.

In Maryland, charter schools currently make up only 3.5 percent of all public schools and their performance is on par with traditional public schools. In fact, the 2012 MarylandCAN Report Cards show that 18 charter schools ranked in the top 20 schools in their respective elementary, middle, or high school cohort. 

Despite the success of a number of public charter schools in Maryland, our current charter law sets restrictions on how charter schools are authorized, which means fewer high-quality options for parents. Imagine Charter School in Upper Marlboro is but one example. In 2012, over 600 parents entered into the Imagine School lottery for only 60 spaces. Since public charter schools are subject to all the rules associated with non-charter schools, they are bound by law to not consider racial or academic background in admissions. Even though all children are welcome, the limits set by our existing charter law keep high performing public charter schools from expanding or functioning at full capacity. So once again, the journey continues for the parents of the over 500 children who will not win the lottery and will have to return to the very school they believed wasn’t serving their child.    

Leaving parents who live in struggling schools districts with little choice is something Marylanders shouldn’t stand for. The effort to expand quality choices while spurring the innovation and flexibility to close our tremendous achievement gap is larger than charter schools alone. It’s about giving all Maryland parents the right to choose what’s best for their own children. That’s why the Senate must pass HB 1218. It would set-up a task force to explore the value of more flexibility around charter school operations, management and creation. More flexibility would, in turn, give parents more high-performing school choices for their children, and provide charter schools with the space to innovate and successfully support students. 

Every night, my wife and I put our children to bed knowing that their tomorrows rest on the decisions we make today. We hope to create a world around them that nurtures the best in them and challenges them to exceed their own expectations. We can do that in Maryland. Maryland’s designation as “#1 School System in America” places a spotlight on us that should be capitalized on. If there is any state that can close the achievement gap, it’s here. If it passes, HB 1218 would explore the possibilities of legislation to give more of our children the opportunity to attend an achievement gap-busting school. Maryland can be a leader if we have the courage to unleash the tools that have proven to close achievement gaps, like high performing charter schools. In supporting HB 1218, we are empowering all Maryland’s parents to decide what’s best for their kids.

Curtis Valentine

Executive Director

MarylandCAN: The Maryland Campaign for Achievement Now

Listen to Dr. Mike Robinson's analysis of The PGCPS BOE primary election results

Listen to Dr. Mike Robinson's analysis of The PGCPS BOE primary election results on Parent Talk Live: at 


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/educationaljournal/2012/04/04/parent-talk-live-the-pgcps-boe-primary-election

Prince George's County Mother and CEO of Tease Free Kids Writes a Book about Bullying

AVAILABLE NOW! New anti-bullying children's book release "That's Not My Name" purchase at teasefreekids.com

Parents and PGCPS Presents: The Educational View of Dr. Anna Bucy

Parents and PGCPS

Presents

Educational Views

Keeping true to our mission to serve as a conduit of information to parents and educators, Parents and PGCPS is proud to present your educational views.  We are presenting voices on education. It is your turn to speak on education. We are handing the microphone to parents and educators in and out of Prince George’s County. Parents and educators such as you are sharing thoughts, ideas and experiences in education. Solutions are found when we talk. So here is the podium, the soap box, the stage, the opportunity...speaks out!

To have your voice included, email us at parentalengagementwithpgcps@gmail.com

To hear Educational Views click www.educationalviews.podbean.com

Dr. Anna Bucy

(Mother/Board of Education Administrator/Researcher)

The Facts About Bullying

Dr. Bucy is an educational consultant based in Ohio specializing in gender and bullying with local, state, and national speaking credits. She spent four years on her local school board and earned the Ohio School Boards Association’s lifetime distinction of Master Board Member in 2010. Dr. Bucy has been a college communication and humanities adjunct for 20 years. Dr. Bucy is preparing for an April 30^th workshop to help teachers use the Holocaust to discuss bullying in their classrooms. Dr. Bucy can be reached via her web page at www.annabucy.com.