20th Anniversary Youth Leadership Series: Introducing Francisco Cortez
Californians for Justice was the defining moment for me where I realized that I could make a difference in my community. Before Californians for Justice, I was shy and quiet. I wasn’t sure that I had what it takes to be a leader. Leaders can stand up in front of a room and talk to…
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Measuring Suspensions and More in California Schools Shows Commitment to Equity for Low-income Students of Color
(May 11th, 2016) – 14 years later, the impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has left the public education system wide open for sweeping changes. NCLB’s replacement, the Every Student Succeeds Act, requires the State to redefine how it grades schools. A decade plus of “teaching to the test” and an overwhelmingly complicated accountability…
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What Can Students Do When Given a Voice in Their Schools?
Two years ago, California for Justice student leaders fought to have their voices to be heard in the passage of the Local Control Funding Formula – driving more resources to students with the most needs. Since then, students have continued to flex their power in making sure the state and their school districts listen to…
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Blast From the Past — Student Voice & the CA High School Exit Exam
Former San Jose CFJ Student Leader Alumni and Lead Organizer Rosa De Leon San Jose Mercury News Op-ed: Exit exams unfairly limit students’ potential More than a decade ago– in 2001, hundreds of English Learners, low-income students, and students of color rallied against the California State Board of Education demanding the state end the CA…
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Youth Control $50,000 of School Budget in First-of-its-Kind Process
Angel Fernandez was one of many CFJ student leaders who led an effort in San Jose to move their district to implement an innovative democratic process that would allow students to allocate a portion of their school’s budget to where they felt it was most needed. In early 2014, students began meeting with school and…
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Royals Rise Up! Participatory Budgeting Comes to San Jose
“This is going to affect Overfelt in a positive way. I think it will inspire students to make more democratic decisions like voting in the future. Most of our youth of color vote at low rates, and this will inspire them to see how it benefits themselves and the nation.” – Brisa Rojas, Overfelt High Student, PB Steering…
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Do California Students Deserve a Voice In Their Education?
by Rosa deLeon, Lead Organizer, CFJ San Jose Last July was a historic month for California students due to the passage of a new law for funding schools: The Local Control Funding Formula. The concept of this funding formula is simple: Schools with a high population of low-income, English learner, and foster youth will receive…
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Students Speak Out
by Tony Bui, CFJ Student Leader On January 16th, 2014 hundreds of administrators, parents, students, and advocates attended the State Board of Education meeting to voice their opinions on the proposed regulations for the Local Control Funding Formula, a new way of funding schools. After 7 hours of testimony, the board did not include CFJ’s recommendations in…
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Mercury News Editorial: Major Changes Needed in School Funding Formula
Mercury News Editorial When Gov. Jerry Brown was stumping for his plan to overhaul school financing, he promised it would do two things: return more control over spending to districts and ensure that disadvantaged children get the help they need to succeed. “Equal treatment for children in unequal situations is not justice,” Brown said. Lawmakers,…
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