Center for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia University

📣 Send a letter to your NYS Assembly and Senate representatives. Tell them to strengthen K-12 media literacy instruction and civic education opportunities! #MediaLiteracy #CivicEducation Take action: ↘️ https://lnkd.in/eSPGwNQV New York will likely soon confront a dismantling of critical federal education resources, including at the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The NY State Legislature can help by creating new policies and investments, such as professional development opportunities for library media specialists and other educators; more librarians in K-12 schools; and dedicated class time in elementary, middle, and high school for media literacy and civic education. Urge legislators to strengthen comprehensive K-12 media literacy instruction and civic education opportunities that teach not just civic knowledge but civic skills, civic values and dispositions, and civic behaviors in a relevant and engaging way while fostering #civics and reflecting our founding ideals throughout the school climate, culture, and leadership. 📣 NY students need media literacy and civic education now!

New podcast alert! 🚨 🎤 Hosts Yanira Rivera and Yordani Rodriguez are joined by Dr. Jonathan Collins on the Center's Take Note podcast. Professor Jonathan E. Collins is a political scientist who focuses on how politics and democratic governance shape education policy and schooling outcomes. His work is centered on community-engaged research in urban school reform, school board governance, civics education, and school-based democratic innovation initiatives like participatory budgeting. His latest projects with the School Board and Youth Engagement Lab include large-scale national-level data collection and the development of new technologies that make local governments more accessible and equitable. Dr. Collins is the Associate Director of the Center for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia University. Listen to the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/eAPNR6hy #SchoolBoards #CivicEducation #YouthEngagement #EducationPolicy #SchoolPolicy #DemocraticSchools #DemocracyIsAVerb

The DemocracyReady NY Coalition's New York Civic Learning Week events are now available to watch! Tune in to our YouTube playlist: https://lnkd.in/eEXjtshh 💻 The 3rd Annual Summit on Civic Readiness, Build a Media-Literate Future: Youth Call for Action 📣 A youth-led conversation about the responsibility of schools, big tech, and media creators in shaping how young people consume and understand digital content. Hosted by members of the DemocracyReady NY youth cohort, this event featured expert insights, engaging discussions, and actionable strategies to support media literacy in an increasingly complex online landscape. NYS Senator Shelley Mayer gave opening remarks. PANEL 1: Navigating Responsibility and Influence in Today's Media Landscape Arielle Geismar, Co-Chair of Design It For Us Kelsey Russell, Media Literacy Influencer and Co-Host of First-Stop News Jack Newsham, Correspondent, National Desk at Business Insider PANEL 2: Prioritizing Media Literacy Education in Schools Dr. Christopher Harris, Director of Library & Digital Services at Genesee Valley BOCES Dr. Shari L. Camhi, Superintendent of Schools at Baldwin Union Free School District Paul Tomizawa, Technology Coordinator, Edgewood Elementary School, Scarsdale Union Free School District Mary Kate Lonergan, Media Literacy Educator, Social Studies Teacher Fayetteville-Manlius CSD 🏛️ The Right to Civic Education: A Conversation with Judge William E. Smith📚 U.S. District Judge William E. Smith who wrote the decision in the Rhode Island right to civic education case Cook v. McKee discussed the case and his views on the importance of civic education with Michael A. Rebell, lead counsel for the plaintiffs. Introduced by andrew e. brennen. 🐄 Media Detectives Crack the Case of Click Clack Moo ⌨️ Using the children’s classic Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type, this fun elementary classroom game involves children working together to find clues and recognize misinformation in media sources. While in this inquiry process they must think critically - read, share and analyze findings - to solve the mystery: exactly how did those cows learn to type? Created by Inquiring Minds Institute’s student Think Tank and filmed at Democracy Prep Public Schools Elementary School. #MediaLiteracy #CivicEducation #ProfessionalDevelopment #TeacherResource #CivicLearningWeek

In honor of Teachers College Impact Day on April 2nd, we want to take this time to re-introduce our Center and our ongoing projects to guarantee every child a meaningful educational opportunity to graduate from high school prepared for college, careers, and engaged civic participation. Now in our 20th year, the Center is at a pivotal moment in our ongoing efforts to strengthen educational rights. At a time when federal policy shifts threaten public education, the Center remains steadfast in its mission and needs your support more than ever. Why are donations necessary? Although we raise some of our funding through grant writing efforts, we rely on individual donors to help support the projects that need it most. ❤️ Support us today: https://lnkd.in/e2cgHcZA #TCImpactDay Teachers College, Columbia University, School Board and Youth Engagement Lab

📣 Send a letter to your NYS Assembly and Senate representatives. Tell them to strengthen K-12 media literacy instruction and civic education opportunities! #MediaLiteracy #CivicEducation Take action: ↘️ https://lnkd.in/eE3Asai8 New York will likely soon confront a dismantling of critical federal education resources, including at the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The NY State Legislature can help by creating new policies and investments, such as professional development opportunities for library media specialists and other educators; more librarians in K-12 schools; and dedicated class time in elementary, middle, and high school for media literacy and civic education. Urge legislators to strengthen comprehensive K-12 media literacy instruction and civic education opportunities that teach not just civic knowledge but civic skills, civic values and dispositions, and civic behaviors in a relevant and engaging way while fostering #civics and reflecting our founding ideals throughout the school climate, culture, and leadership. 📣 NY students need media literacy and civic education now!

In the latest episode of the Take Note! podcast we were joined by New York State Senator Robert Jackson. During our conversation, he detailed some of the highlights of his career fighting on behalf of New Yorkers. Notably, he helped launch the Campaign for Fiscal Equity school funding lawsuit, walked 150 miles to Albany to highlight the cause, and won a court judgment that awarded $16 billion for NYC public schools. Listen to the episode on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eaDGqexv

ICYMI: As we enter the home stretch of budget negotiations, Michael Rebell, executive director of Center for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia University, spoke with POLITICO's Madina Toure about the latest analysis from American Institutes for Research that suggests ways to achieve a more equitable school funding outcome this year for high-needs urban and other school districts disadvantaged by the governor's proposal. However, these suggested piecemeal changes do not obviate the need for a new school funding formula. #SBE4all

As Governor Hochul and lawmakers negotiate the final education budget (due April 1), our latest analysis recommends that the final bill should combine the most helpful features of both the Senate and the Assembly versions to ensure equitable funding for the high-needs urban and other school districts disadvantaged by the governor’s proposal. This afternoon, POLITICO highlighted our findings and underlined that we urge lawmakers to develop a new formula, instead of engaging in “political wrangling over piecemeal changes.” Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/evSvxh-H Learn more about the Adequate, Constitutional, Equitable (ACE) School Funding Project and our latest findings here: https://lnkd.in/eXryQn8r #NYSchoolFunding #NYBudget #SchoolFunding #SchoolFundingFormula

Our DemocracyReady NY Coalition is excited to co-sponsor "Youth Take the Mic: NYC Mayoral Candidate Forum," designed by youth activists and leaders, and built for young people to engage and take action! What To Expect: 🎤 Candidate Forum: Youth activists will directly question mayoral candidates on education justice, climate justice, public safety, and housing insecurity.  🗳️ Civic Engagement: Register to vote, experience Ranked Choice Voting with a mock ballot, and rank the candidates. 🖼️ Youth Activist Art Exhibition: View powerful artwork created by young leaders, reflecting their advocacy and lived experiences. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from the next generation of changemakers and ensure youth voices are at the center of NYC’s future. ↘️ RSVP now to secure your spot! https://lnkd.in/eDeseX3z Organized by: El Puente, YA-YA Network, YVote, The Brotherhood Sister Sol, and DemocracyReady NY with the support of John Jay College (CUNY) and YOCCF.

ICYMI: Last night Michael Rebell appeared on Susan Arbetter's Capital Tonight (Spectrum News) to weigh in on proposals by the governor and the legislature to make changes to the state's Foundation Aid formula, which provides funding to schools and districts. https://lnkd.in/gdWBWD8F #SBE4all #edlaw #schoolfunding