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In Pursuit of Equity, Thousands Sign Petition to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos
The Collaborative for Student Success sent a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos today, June 9, 2020, informing her that more than 8,0000 people have signed a petition calling on the Department of Education to ensure there is transparency in how CARES Act funding is spent in schools. Civil rights groups in several states have joined the Collaborative for Student Success in advocating for the change. States so far with the most signers include Michigan, North Carolina, Washington, California, and Georgia.
The CARES Act provides much-needed funding to our K-12 state education agencies during this crisis. But the Collaborative for Student Success wants to ensure they are used to get help for the students who need it most. Without access to the funds, America’s most vulnerable students – such as those living in poverty, those with disabilities and those who are English learners – risk falling further behind their peers amid this crisis.
Click here if you’d like to sign the petition.
Specifically, the petition calls on the Education Department to publicly report how states and districts used CARES Act funds to accomplish the following goals:
- Meet the unique needs of underserved students;
- Prioritize equitable learning opportunities, including increasing accessibility to distance learning;
- Address learning loss and achievement gaps;
- Account for any missing data during school closure in the state accountability system;
- Provide meals and other wraparound services to students; and
- Provide professional development to educators while working to retain them and other support staff.
About the Collaborative for Student Success
At our core, we believe leaders at all levels have a role to play in ensuring success for K-12 students. From ensuring schools and teachers are equipped with the best materials to spotlighting the innovative and bold ways federal recovery dollars are being used to drive needed changes, the Collaborative for Student Success aims to inform and amplify policies making a difference for students and families.
To recover from the most disruptive event in the history of American public schools, states and districts are leveraging unprecedented resources to make sure classrooms are safe for learning, providing students and teachers with the high-quality instructional materials they deserve, and are rethinking how best to measure learning so supports are targeted where they’re needed most.