Children’s Education Alliance of Missouri » Democrats for Education Reform

Will MO’s Adoption of ‘Common Core’ Standards improve academic performance?

Bridget — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:39:26 +0000

Everything our department of education does should have the very clear goal of academic success of our children and should open doors to success. Let us hope that the recent adoption of ‘common core’ standards leads Missouri’s children closer to that goal. Let us remember that each child is unique and learns differently than others and hope that these standards allow each child to access quality education. Following is an excerpt and a link to the full article.

(Click here to see full article)

Jefferson City, Mo – infoZine – Commissioner of Education Chris L. Nicastro said that she will recommend that the State Board of Education take action in August to formally adopt a new set of “common core” academic standards which were released nationally.

The Common Core State Standards were officially released this morning by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The standards establish clear and consistent goals for learning that will prepare America’s children for success in college and work.

St. Louis Public Schools Remove Deed Restrictions on Closed Buildings

esimms — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:06:39 +0000

The St. Louis Public Schools announced today that they are removing the deed restrictions on closed public school buildings prohibiting buyers from opening public charter schools.

Children’s Education Alliance of Missouri State Coordinator Earl Simms told the St. Louis Post Dispatch’s David Hunn, “this is a win for families in St. Louis who are seeking better education options for their children and for all of the taxpayers in the city who paid for these buildings. These buildings can now be sold to organizations seeking to open public charter schools. That not only gives more education options to parents, but the sale of these buildings will also provide more dollars to educate the district’s students.”

Sadly, the St. Louis Public Schools will not place the policy in effect until June 30th. This could mean some charters seeking buildings to house their schools for next school year may be delayed. CEAM will continue to monitor the situation to make sure SLPS follows through with the Board’s vote.

CEAM Annual Conference

esimms — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:20:33 +0000

CEAM will hold our annual conference tomorrow in Jefferson City. The conference speakers will be headlined by Lt. Governor Peter Kinder. Also speaking will be Deva Rashed- Boone, Building Excellent Schools Fellow and Lead Founder of St. Louis Collegiate, a proposed charter school, and State Representative Dwight Scharnhorst. Democrats for Education Reform Regional Executive Director Rodney Hubbard and Missouri Education Reform Roundtable State Coordinator Joe Knodell will also give introductions of their groups.

The conference will highlight diverse groups coming together to clearly state the case for statewide education reform in Missouri and discuss ways we can acheive education excellence for all children. Please check back her eon Wednesday for a full report on the conference.

Rodney R. Hubbard, Named Regional Director, Democrats for Education Reform

esimms — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:56:35 +0000

Rodney Hubbard, Midwest Regional Director: 314.402.2517

Joe Williams, Executive Director: 646-354-9625

Rodney R. Hubbard, Named Regional Director, Democrats for Education Reform

December 8th, 2008, New York, New York — Democrats for Education Reform, a national political action committee, announced today that it has named Missouri State Representative Rodney R. Hubbard (D-58th District, MO) as the organization’s first Midwest Regional Director.

“We are going to support Democratic leaders and leaders-in-the-making who want to modernize our public schools, give every school and library broadband internet access, expand charter schools, grant charter authorization to big city mayors, institute longitudinal studies that will help us analyze teacher and student performance over time, provide merit pay for quality teachers and increase funding for teacher training,” said Hubbard. “Candidates and current office holders who have the courage and the conviction to create 21st century schools for all students are the kind of bold leaders who can help us fix our broken public school systems.”

Hubbard, who wraps up his second legislative term this month, was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in November 2002. A lifelong Democrat, his political legacy has been in two key areas: revitalization of the City of St. Louis and education reform. He is well known for working with Democrats and Republicans to improve public education and provide parents with high quality education opportunities. His new role will allow him to focus all of his time and energy on this issue.

During his tenure in State government, Hubbard received the 2006 Distinguished St. Louis Business Journal Legislative Award; 2005 Associated Industries Cooperative Award; 2005 Lewis & Clark Statesman Award presented by St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association; Loretta Hall Award from the Carr Square TMC; Yes I Can Award; the 2004 Lewis & Clark Statesman Award presented by St. Louis RCGA and the 2004 Certificate of Appreciation presented by the Missouri Assisted Living Association. He is also a member of the Taheed Youth Group, an anti-drug/violence taskforce as well as his membership with the One Hundred Black Men. Hubbard earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Lincoln University.

Rep. Hubbard resides in St. Louis City with his wife, Shameem S. Hubbard. He is the proud father of Ayana Amani, Rodney R. Jr., Jabari Ali, and Attallah Azizah.
Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) is a New York City-based political action committee whose mission is to encourage a more productive dialogue within the Democratic Party on the need to fundamentally reform American public education. DFER operates on all levels of government to educate elected officials and support reform-minded candidates for public office. For more information, please visit www.dfer.org.

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