News & Commentary
Racist Rhetoric in Maryland’s Capital
Freedom of speech is one of the most important of our State and federal constitutional rights, which is why the ACLU of Maryland is dedicated to protecting this freedom for all Marylanders.
By Neydin Milián
Education Equity Blueprint for Maryland’s Future bill (Afro News)
Our children deserve to dream big, but they need resources to back them up.
By Frank Patinella
The Digital and Racial Divide Keeps Widening as the Pandemic Continues
One month ago, a photo of two children doing their homework outside of a Taco Bell, just to get access to the internet, made rounds across social media. The photo and other reports about the lack of internet access have shed light on a glaring inequity in our country. As we move forward in the digital age, WiFi and technology are not luxuries anymore. These necessary tools must be included when we discuss education funding.
The Future of Schooling: No Cops, More Counselors
Data shows that school police are harmful for Black children
Learning During COVID-19: Black and Brown Children Deserve the Necessary Tools to Learn Remotely
During these unprecedented times, we have endured a quarantine and reshaped how our jobs and school systems operate. You might be wondering how this is all affecting your child, especially their education. While many parents and guardians have had to transform into teachers during this quarantine, Kyla-Marie James, an 11th grader at Mergenthaler Vocational Technical School, describes the new responsibilities that students have had to take on and the struggles she sees other children facing as schools closed out the year remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Change Starts with Our Children
2020 kicked off to a hopeful start for children, teachers, and leaders in Baltimore, as yet another three new 21st Century Schools opened. By 2022, the 21st Century Schools initiative is pushing to replace school buildings in poor conditions by adding 28 new schools.
By Neydin Milián
Criminalizing Poverty: Why We Need to Stop Punishing Students from Families with Low Income
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
By Kimberly Humphrey, Esq.
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