Dear fellow MoveOn member,

Elementary school students waking at 2 a.m. with nightmares about high-stakes tests. Middle schoolers stuck in crowded classrooms in underfunded schools. College grads whose reward for surviving it all is a lifetime of debt.

Our broken education system is squashing passion for learning, eroding the love of teaching, and grinding up generations of young people. It’s time to reinvent education, and I need your help to get the word out.

Watch and share “Reinvent Education,” video #5 in my Big Picture series with MoveOn.

Please watch and share today, and not only will you help shed light on commonsense solutions—you will be voting for MoveOn to campaign on reinventing education, in close partnership with our allies.

Here’s what American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten had to say about the video: “Reich’s strategy to reinvent public education is a sensible, actionable way to give children the schools and services they need to succeed. Count me in.”

If you want to fight for the future of education, please watch and share now.

Thanks for all you do.

–Robert Reich

P.S. In case you missed them, once you’ve watched Reinvent Education, be sure to check out the timely Fight for $15, Help Families Work, Expand Social Security, and Tame Wall Street videos, which you can access through the website.

The post MUST SEE: Ten Ideas to Save the Economy: “Reinvent Education” appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

In advance of his upcoming State of the Union address, President Obama is set to unveil a plan today at Pellissippi State Community College in Tennessee that would make two years of community college free for students. The proposal could benefit roughly 9 million students each year and save full-time community college students $3,800 in tuition per year on average.

Anna Galland, executive director of MoveOn.org Civic Action, praised President Obama today for the proposal:

“President Obama’s plan to make two years of community college available to any hardworking American can help create a more globally competitive workforce and address our nation’s student debt crisis by creating more affordable options.

This is a big deal. Not only is this exactly the kind of bold action we need to expand opportunity and build a fairer economy—it has bipartisan support. It’s crucial that members of Congress work together with the White House on this proposal so millions of Americans can afford to learn new skills, continue their education, or gain the knowledge they need to pursue a new career. Just as we appreciate Senator Elizabeth Warren’s leadership in addressing the massive student debt crisis facing existing borrowers, we are encouraged by and support the President’s focus on ensuring current and future students can achieve an affordable degree.”

The community college proposal builds on President Obama’s record of addressing higher education issues, including a recent expansion of programs that allow student loan borrowers to benefit from lower interest rates.

For more information:
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/barack-obama-free-community-college-114094.html

The post MoveOn Commends President Obama for Free Community College Proposal appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

The students then delivered a MoveOn Petition with more than 40,000 signatures to school board members. The rally, which came as a culmination of ongoing protests, captured media attention with coverage from MSNBC, The New York Times and hundreds of other outlets.

Despite hundreds of people rallying against the proposal and over two hours of overwhelmingly anti-censorship testimony, the fight is not yet over, as the board put in place a process for continued debate over the curriculum. These students still need your help as they stand up for their education–join them by signing their petition today!

The post Colorado students use MoveOn Petition to fight censorship appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

The post Vice President Biden Responds To MoveOn Member Petition On UCSB Graduation appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

When the Texas Board of Education started working on its once-a-decade selection of science textbooks for Texas classrooms, an anti-science faction tried to force it to give equal weight to nonscientific beliefs like climate change denial and the idea that humans and dinosaurs coexisted. Kathy Miller and the Texas Freedom Network stepped up, creating a MoveOn Petition that asked the Board of Education to stand up for science. The petition received thousands of signatures, and science won out: The board voted to approve textbooks based on established science rather than giving in to anti-science climate change and evolution deniers.

The post VICTORY: Texas Board of Education Adopts Sound Science Textbooks appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

In the midst of budget cuts to education in Philadelphia, schools were forced to lay off or cut hours for staff like teachers and school nurses. In October 2013, a student at one Philadelphia school suffered from an asthma attack that led to her death. If there had been a school nurse on campus that day, she might still be alive. This tragedy motivated Philadelphia parent Jesse Bacon to start a MoveOn Petition to Governor Tom Corbett, asking him to stop withholding $45 million of funding from Philadelphia schools. Thousands of MoveOn members signed the petition, and Gov. Corbett finally released the funding, which will allow schools to hire vital staff like school nurses.

The post VICTORY: Governor Corbett Releases Education Dollars To Philadelphia Schools appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

“MoveOn members across the country are encouraged by Senate Democrats’ plan to prevent student loan rates from doubling on July 1st. Students and college graduates around the country are drowning in debt; this debt is dragging down our economy and an entire generation. A rate increase on federally subsidized Stafford student loans would simply make college unaffordable for too many Americans.

Today, MoveOn members are participating in 75 events around the country calling on their representatives, particularly House Republicans, to work with their colleagues in Congress and stop student loan interest rates from doubling on July 1st.

Over 480,000 MoveOn members nationwide support Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Bank on Students Loans Fairness Act, which would give students the same interest rates as the big banks. It is time we start putting the needs of students, recent graduates, and their families before those of the big Wall Street banks.”

A new poll by Public Policy Polling (PPP), released last week, showed that more than four in five voters (83%) want Congress to either keep interest rates on subsidized federal Stafford student loans where they are now, or lower them significantly. The poll also found that voters of all partisan stripes are in agreement; 86% of Republicans, 84% of Democrats, and 77% of independents want Congress to take action before rates double on July 1. The poll also found that the legislation proposed by Senator Elizabeth Warren, known as the Bank on Students Loan Fairness Act, is widely popular. Voters support the legislation by a 2:1 margin (60% in support and only 30% opposed).

VIEW ALL 75 EVENTS PLANNED FOR TODAY: http://civic.moveon.org/event/bankonstudents/

VIEW SEN. WARREN’S MOVEON PETITION HERE: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/give-students-the-same

VIEW THE POLL HERE: http://s3.moveon.org/pdfs/nationalsurveyresults.pdf

The post Senate Dems Act to Stop Student Loan Rates From Doubling on July 1 appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.

The post UCLA Students Tell Us What They Are Facing Once They Leave College appeared first on MoveOn: People-Powered Progress.