I am proud to call Gwen Samuel my friend. She fights hard, extends grace, assumes best intentions, and believes in all children. She doesn’t want standards lowered for Black children—she wants us to do right by them in their schools so they can reach the same bar that we expect other children to reach. Because… Continue reading No Government Should Be Able to Tell You or Me to Put My Child in Harm’s Way
BRIDGEPORT, CT — Members of the Connecticut Parents Union will hold a demonstration today outside of the Brien McMahon Federal Building in Bridgeport to support LaShawn Robinson, plaintiff in the case of Robinson v. Wentzel. Robinson v. Wentzell, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, challenges the Connecticut State Department… Continue reading Media Alert: Connecticut Parents Union Rallies at Court House to Oppose Empty Seats in Magnet Schools
Children in the state of Connecticut are being denied access to schools that have plenty of room for them because of the color of their skin. Yup, that’s right. Available seats in the magnet schools of Hartford—and beyond— sit empty despite long waitlists for admission. And this denial of opportunity is happening in the name… Continue reading Seats Sit Empty While Black and Brown Students Are Turned Away
“At the end of the day, we have to do better for children.” – Gwen Samuel There is a warrior for children in Connecticut who battles day after day, year after year, on their behalf. She fights for better schools. She fights for safer schools. She fights for parents to have options when it comes… Continue reading She Manages to Spread Joy While She Fights For Families
I have the absolute privilege of working alongside some incredibly smart and brave people, people willing to stand up to the power players and put themselves out there because they believe it will help kids and help families. While they don’t all come down on the same side of every issue, they push my thinking… Continue reading When Friends Say it Best: Black Voices on How the NAACP Has Lost its Way
Gwen Samuel is an unapologetic advocate for children whose work started in Hartford, Connecticut and whose commitment to empowering parents to work for justice is unwavering. While many doubt the ability of regular folks to bring about change, Gwen proves it is possible and she has inspired countless parents and lawmakers along the way —including me.… Continue reading Warrior Mom, Gwen Samuel: No Gray Area When It Comes to Keeping Our Babies Safe in School
Back in December, I wrote about the terrible judgement of an elementary school principal in Hartford. It’s not surprising that parents and education advocates have reacted with disbelief at the decision by the now former assistant superintendent to place color coded stickers on the backs of certain SAND Elementary students. Chris Hempel, second in charge… Continue reading Connecticut Board of Ed Confirms: It’s Inappropriate To Label Students with Stickers
I hate to break it to everyone, but John Bestor is wrong. Leaving the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) isn’t likely to save Connecticut money — far from it. In his recent Op-Ed for CT Viewpoints Bestor, a former school psychologist and anti-reform activist, makes the extraordinary claim that Connecticut could save money by designing… Continue reading No, Leaving The Smarter Balanced Testing Consortium Would Not Save Connecticut Money
