Student Achievement

The ACLU shapes and informs policy areas that impact teaching, learning, and the ability to provide students with opportunities to succeed in the classroom, working to ensure that hard-won Bradford and Thornton funds are well spent.

Student at graduation ceremony

The ACLU has successfully advocated for pre-kindergarten programs in public schools, supported the Community Schools strategy and other resources designed to address academic barriers, opposed high stakes graduation tests, examined teacher quality in Baltimore City, and urged meaningful stakeholder involvement in the State’s implementation of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Recognizing that adequate funding levels are crucial to services for the whole child, we fight for full funding to provide 21st Century learning. Our efforts prioritize partnerships with parents, teachers, and school systems to further policies that benefit the diverse population of traditionally students with low wealth.

The Latest

News & Commentary
The Time is Now - March for Our Schools

Are We There Yet? 5 Observations on the Road to Updating Maryland’s Education Funding Formula

1. The Heart of the Matter: EquityPutting equity into practice means that state resources must support students and districts impacted by opportunity gaps, achievement lags, and chronic underfunding.Members of the Workgroup must weave equity into every stage of the decision-making process, and students must be at the center of each consideration. This means the state must properly count students so that the Workgroup can design the formula to correctly provide the additional resources that each district needs. Additionally, accountability for the ways the state supports its successful implementation and specific measures for the range of equity factors (i.e. teacher retention practices targeting diverse representation, etc.) is a must. 2. The Richest Counties Are Still Getting the Most Education FundingAccording to Department of Legislative Services (DLS) and the Kirwan Commission’s own analysis, Maryland has a regressive education funding formula. The Maryland Center for Economic Policy found that more than half of students of color in Maryland attend underfunded schools, while the same is true for only 8% of white students. Rich counties receive more education funding than counties with low wealth despite "wealth equalization” measures in the formula. The ability of wealthy districts to contribute more local dollars to their school systems, beyond what is required by st
Resource
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KIRWAN: Maryland’s Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education

News & Commentary
Image says "Spooky!" Background is balck with white specks. Dark yellow triangles are on the right and left sides.

Spooky! What Civil Rights Violations Scare Us Most This Halloween Season

Together, we can prevent a scary future and build a better community.
News & Commentary
Several children are in a circle holding lifted up hands and are with an adult. They are all smiling and laughing.

Talk to Kids About Race in Schools? Yes, We Should.

Cultural relevancy and race equity learning belong in the classroom.
Court Case
Jan 23, 2012

Bradford v. Maryland State Board of Education

On March 7, 2019, a group of concerned parents, joined by the ACLU of Maryland and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., returned to court to file a petition for further relief in the historic Bradford vs. Maryland State Board of Education lawsuit.