Celebrating 5 Years of The Incredible Journey of The Student Voice Campaign
A legacy in the making turns 5 today— the Student Voice Campaign. Five years ago, the Student Voice Campaign transformed the perception and role of students as “essential” stakeholders in local decision-making processes in California’s public schools giving a voice to 4.5 million students. Today Californians for Justice celebrates an incredible historic victory in the…
Read More
Funding for LCFF Community Engagement Initiative: A Win for Grassroots Groups Across the State
Today, Governor Brown signed the 2018-2019 California state budget, including $28.3 million set aside to strengthen Local Control Funding Formula community engagement of students and parents in districts across the state! This is a direct victory for grassroots communities and Black, Brown, Asian and Pacific Islander folks across the state. The budget win is a…
Read More
Making Good on the Promise of Racial Equity for California Schools
Why do community engagement and school climate matter for low-income families of color? Why are community power and decision-making vital to transforming our education systems? California is at a crossroads in the implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), the most sweeping reform to school funding in the state in 40 years. Fundamental to…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Calling on our schools to VALUE all students
Californians for Justice launched the Student Voice Campaign in 2014 with one goal – for student voices to be heard, valued, and reflected in their schools. Our recent wins– from equitable school funding to more fair discipline policies have created an opportunity for great change in our schools. But before we can close the opportunity…
Read More
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…
Read More
Californians for Justice Wins Student Advisory Committees
Student leaders have achieved an incredible feat in the last year. In four districts across the state, students have fought for, and won the creation of student led budget decision-making bodies within their districts. In some regions, students are breaking ground in the state, piloting projects California schools have never tried. In Long Beach, Oakland,…
Read More