Restore Recess Party Ten Point Education Program--2016

1. End Receivership, Trusteeship, School Takeovers, School Closings once and for all. Not only have these been unsuccessful, they have created an atmosphere where everyone in schools in low income communities works and learns in fear.

2. Pass laws requiring that every school from Pr-K to 6 grade have a certain amount of time of recess and mandating that recess can NEVER be used for test prep.

3. Protect the freedom of speech of students, parents, teachers and principals on all matters relating to education policy, including the right to refuse to take or administer tests.

4. Use tax incentives and government subsidies to vastly expand the supply of affordable housing, including affordable housing for teachers, so that teachers can live in the communities they teach in

5. Reject all contributions to public education from foundations and corporations for any purposes other than expanding arts, science, sports, vocational and technical and agriculture programs in the public schools.

6. Limit the time assigned to standardized tests in Pre-K to 6th Grade to 10 hours PER SCHOOL YEAR. That includes pre-tests and practice tests.

7. Create financial incentives for teachers to live in the communities they teach in and to work in the same schools for more than 10 years. We need teachers for LIFE, not Teacher Temps..

8 Allow no teachers to enter public schools through alternative certification programs which do not have at least a FULL YEAR of mentored classroom experience.

9. Exempt Special Needs students and ELL students from standardized testing in circumstances where such testing exposes them to humiliation and abuse.

10. End paddling, corporal punishment, and zero-tolerance disciplinary policies in public schools. And.funding MUST be provided for schools to have more school social workers, guidance counselors, and psychologists to provide students with the social emotional support many students desperately need!