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Other Sources and Links 2
Center for Education
Reform
1001 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite #204
Washington, DC 20036
tel. (202) 822-9000 or (800) 521-2118
fax (202) 822-5077
Web: http://www.edreform.com
Advocates for vouchers, charters and expanded school choice. Their executive
director, Jeanne Allen, is the author of their parent guide, "The School
Reform Handbook."
Center for Law and
Education
1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 510
Washington, DC 20009
tel. (202) 986-3000
fax (202) 986-6648
Web: http://www.cleweb.org
Materials for attorneys and lay persons on education law, policy, and
practice; monitors federal legislation. Priority areas: Title I, academic
reform, school-to-work/vocational reform, education of children with disabilities,
tracking, testing, and parent/student/community involvement. CLE has assumed
the distribution of materials formerly published by the National Committee
for Citizens in Education (NCCE).
Community Action for Public Schools (CAPS), a new project of the Center,
helps to link parents, educators, students, advocates, and others committed
to the right to high-quality education. Publishes a newsletter on school
reform, information on legal rights, and legislative alerts; links callers
with the names of groups working on similar issues or involved in their
area.
Center on School,
Family, and Community Partnerships
Johns Hopkins University
3505 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
tel. (410) 516-8800
fax (410) 516-8890
Web: http://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000
Publishes studies for parents and educators on school issues and partnership-related
concerns. It also provides training and technical assistance to help schools
develop more effective partnerships with families and the community.
Children's Defense
Fund
25 "E" Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001
tel. (202) 628-8787
fax (202) 628-8333
Web: http://www.childrensdefense.org
The nation's leading child advocacy organization. Publishes reports, newsletters,
and action alerts; holds annual conference. Useful, well-written materials,
though education per se is not on the group's agenda.
Institute for Educational
Leadership (IEL)
1001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 310
Washington DC 20036
tel. (202)822-8405
fax (202) 872-4050
Web: http://www.iel.org
IEL brings together educators, civic leaders, business executives, parents,
and public officials in partnerships on behalf of children and youth.
It sponsors a number of projects, all of which produce publications.
Institute for Responsive
Education
Northeastern University
15 Nightingale Hall
Boston, MA 02115
tel. (617) 373-2595
fax (617) 373-8924
Web: http://www.responsiveeducation.org/
National research and development organization that promotes parent, community,
and family involvement in school reform. Publications list and information
packets available.
Parents for Public
Schools
P.O. Box 12807
Jackson, MS 39236-2807
tel.: (800) 880-1222
fax: (601) 982-0002
Web: http://www.parents4publicschools.com/
A national organization of grassroots chapters dedicated to supporting,
strengthening, and promoting public schools in communities throughout
the United States. Local chapters focus on recruiting families to enroll
their children in the public schools and are committed to increasing productive
parent involvement in decision-making for school improvement district-wide.
Public Agenda
6 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016-0112
tel. (212) 686-6610
fax (212) 889-3461
Web: http://www.publicagenda.org
Conducts studies and produces public opinion polls specifically on education.
Best known for highly valuable comparative studies of the views of teachers,
parents, school board members and the public.
LEGAL SERVICES
On those occasions when you are unable to resolve your problems or differences with the school or school district, you may want to consult an attorney. To find one, contact your local county bar association and request someone with experience in education law or civil rights (or whatever area best fits your complaint). Attorneys on the referral list may see you for an initial visit at a nominal charge to discuss your problem. Often one meeting can give you enough information to let you know how to proceed. In addition to the county bar association lawyer referral services, almost every county has a Legal Services Office providing free legal services in civil matters to low-income families, including assistance on problems relating to schools, discrimination, and civil rights. Consult your local phone book for the number of your county's Legal Services Office. If you cannot find a listing, call the State Bar Public Relations Department at (415) 561-8399, ext. 7418, or your county's bar association lawyer referral service for an appropriate referral. The following list are just some of the legal services resources that may be available:
Alliance for Children's
Rights
3333 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 420
Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 368-6010
Must be low-income.
Web: http://www.kids-alliance.org/
American Civil Liberties
Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC)
1663 Mission Street, Suite 460
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 621-2493
Complaint Desk: (415) 621-2488
Web: http://www.aclunc.org/
Strongest national advocates of civil liberties, First Amendment rights,
and issues of social justice.
American Civil Liberties
Union of Southern California
1616 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 977-9500
web site: http://www.aclu-sc.org/
Strongest national advocates of civil liberties, First Amendment rights,
and issues of social justice.
California Rural
Legal Assistance (CRLA)
Central Office:
631 Howard Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 777-2752
email: hn0097@handsnet.org
Web: http://www.crla.org
16 field offices statewide. Must be low-income.
East Palo Alto Community
Law Project
1395 Bay Road
East Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 853-1600
Serves youth in East Palo and East Menlo Park. Must be low-income.
Equal Rights Advocates
1663 Mission Street, Suite 460
San Francisco, CA 94103
tel. (415) 621-0505
tel. (800) 839-4ERA
fax (415) 621-6744
Web: http://www.equalrights.org
Advocates of equal rights for women, specializing in civil rights and
economic rights.
Legal Services for
Children (San Francisco)
1254 Market Street, 3d Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 863-3762
Web: http://www.lsc-sf.org/web/index.html
Must be low-income.
Legal Services of
Northern California
515 - 12th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 443-3391
Web: http://www.lsnc.net/
Must be low-income.
Serving Specific
Constituencies: California Indian
Legal Services
510 - 16th Street, Suite 301
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 835-0284
Web
: http://www.calindian.org/
Serves Indian youth and parents in Northern California.
Centro Legal de la
Raza
Educational Empowerment Program/Latino Student Rights
1900 Fruitvale Avenue, Suite 3-A
Oakland, CA 94601
(510) 261-3721
Web: http://www.centrolegal.org/
Serves the Latino community.
MALDEF (Mexican American
Legal Defense and Education Fund)
National Headquarters:
634 S. Spring Street, 11th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 629-2512
Web: http://www.maldef.org/
Serves the Latino community nationally and locally, specializing in advocacy
and law. Known for their strengths serving lawyers who are, in turn, taking
cases where issues of social justice are at stake. San Francisco Office:
182 Second Street, 2d Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 543-5598
COMPUTER RESOURCES
CompuMentor
89 Stillman
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 863-8827
Web: http://www.compumentor.org
Specialists for ten years in finding and matching volunteer computer consultants
with schools and nonprofits which need their assistance. Also donates
software to members for cost of handling and shipping
Computer Recycling
Center
589 Mendocino Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
(707) 575-8273
fax: (707) 575-5955
Web: http://www.crc.org/
Receives any and all computer equipment, working or not. Sells computer
equipment to the public schools or nonprofits.
Marin Computer Resource
Center
757 Lincoln Avenue, Units 18 & 19
San Rafael, CA 94901
(415) 454-4227
fax: (415) 454-8238
Web
: http://www.mcrc.org/
Donates computers and related equipment to schools, libraries and nonprofits
in the vicinity of Marin County. Six month waiting list.
OUR FAVORITE WEBSITES
Ed-Data's site provides a window on the key statistical factors about California schools. District and school level data is available in sensible formats. They make it easy to see financial data, historical data about enrollment and funding, bond measures, and more. Easy to use once you get accustomed to a somewhat quirky interface.
EdSource is a California nonprofit organization that focuses on helping educators understand educational topics and policy choices. That may sound boring, but they try to make it happen with flare. They write for educators, however, so be ready for a dose of ed-speak. Well worth the effort.
ADVOCACY
Children Now is a the strongest advocacy organization for children in California. It is working to "translate the nation's commitment to children and families into action." The group's excellent
EDUCATIONAL REFORM
No Child Left Behind by the U.S. Department of Education is a worldly wise, well-designed execution of a difficult task: communicating a 1,280 page law to three distinct audiences: parents, educators and legislators. The writing is crisp, the design is serviceable, and the site is easily navigated. Parents should find an easy path to the summary information they can put to work pronto.
No Child Left Behind: A Fifty-State View by the Education Commission of the States is a useful way to view each state's progress toward meeting the letter and spirit of this profoundly important new law. Updated weekly, the site's staff works diligently to keep up with the pace of events. But their smart design and site architecture isn't always matched by the accuracy of their content.
School Choices: The Citizen's Guide to Education Reform site is compiled by free-market advocate Andrew J. Coulson. He believes competitive educational markets operate more effectively than government-run school systems. Instead of simply supporting this stance, they throw themselves into the debate and let you make your own decision. You may find his site's organization of content more interesting than his ideas, however.
TESTING
Harcourt Brace's Library is an indispensable resource for parents who want to understand standardized tests and what they mean. It contains a glossary, frequently asked questions about tests and a whole lot more! Be aware that this is the publisher of the test California schools gave to their students this spring, the Stanford-9 (STAR) test.
LANGUAGE
Jim Crawford's Language Policy Website This language maven offers an extensive library of information on the politics of language, specifically the English Only movement, English Plus, bilingual education, efforts to save endangered languages, and language rights in the USA. A must-read for concerned parents! You'll find this site an entry-way to views pro and con, and to smartly edited opinion pieces from the daily press. An award winner.
LEARNING DISABILITIES
LDOnline is a comprehensive resource about learning disabilities for parents, children and teachers. It offers ways to get help, first-person essays about the challenges of living with learning disabilities and a useful KidZone where parents can get tips for working with their child.
The Arc is an organization committed to helping children, adults and their families with mental retardation. It provides resources and will keep you up-to-date on legislative developments.
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is an excellent advocacy organization for parents and children. Their special section on Children's Issues focuses on the needs of children with disabilities.
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