Aaron Regunberg
No raise till we do our job
Like last year, I will not take a raise while so many Rhode Island families have their own raise waiting in limbo.
A responsibility shared by all
“I was just following orders.” In a moral society, that statement should not be an acceptable justification for unacceptable actions. We know where it can lead in the most extreme scenarios. This week I will be introducing a resolution in the House (language and idea credit belongs fully to social justice organizer Tim DeChristopher) that we hope will spark […]
A time for resistance, not appeasement
A recent Pew Research Center poll found that nearly two-thirds of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters would like to see their party stand up to Trump rather than work with him.
Regunberg calls on state to protect the vulnerable from the ‘oncoming storm’
“In any and every instance that Rhode Island’s state government can throw up a shield to protect our constituents from the oncoming storm, we must do so. It is our moral and ethical and fundamental duty, and I pledge to do everything remotely within my power to to fulfill that responsibility.”
Citing lack of action on minimum wage, Regunberg declines pay increase
Today I declined a cost of living adjustment increase to my legislative salary, and committed that I will not take a raise until Rhode Island raises the minimum wage for all low-income workers.
Community renewable energy for all Rhode Islanders
By expanding net metering to include off-site generation and community solar projects, we can ensure that every family has an opportunity to access the benefits of cheap and stable renewable energy, whether or not their direct premises are suitable for a solar or wind system.
My toll take
On February 10th, after 7 hours of debate on the House Floor, I voted for legislation to invest in our state’s crumbling infrastructure and establish a sustainable source of revenue to maintain and repair our roads and bridges. As a proud progressive, I am happy to stand by that vote.
Providence Student Union is hiring
Spread the word – PSU is hiring! The Providence Student Union (PSU) is a youth organizing and leadership development organization that brings high school aged youth together to build student power and fight for young people to have a fair say in the decisions impacting their education. PSU has school based, citywide, and statewide organizing […]
Why I’m running for state representative
Yesterday, we held the official kickoff for my campaign for state representative in House District 4. I thought this would be a great opportunity to share why I’m running with the RIFuture community. Growing up, I learned everything I know about resiliency from my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own and […]
What are we to think of Common Core?
This month, Diane Ravitch gave a speech to the annual meeting of the Modern Language Association in which she laid out a comprehensive analysis of the Common Core. Ravitch gets a bad rap for being polemical, but this piece is far from a polemic – it’s a straightforward analysis from her perspective. (By the way, […]
The “High 1s”
A widespread critique of high-stakes testing – regardless of the test involved – is that it distorts the incentives of educators, from system leaders down to teachers. One particularly well-documented phenomenon is the practice of redirecting (scarce) resources towards those students on the threshold of whatever arbitrary bar has been deemed the cutoff for the […]
What is authentic assessment?
Throughout the ongoing debate around Rhode Island’s new high-stakes testing graduation requirement, folks in our state have been hearing a lot of talk about standards and expectations. This controversy has not, however, sparked a real conversation about the fundamental issue here, which can be boiled down to this question: what is authentic assessment? What does […]
Phoenix on Aaron’s Law
I don’t want anyone to miss the recent piece in the Providence Phoenix on the positive organizing that has emerged out of the tragic loss of Aaron Swartz, particularly around the push to pass “Aaron’s Law” to amend the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act: There are several critiques of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Courts have […]
New Education Movement: High Stakes Test Boycott
In the last month we’ve seen some very exciting developments in the world of democratic education. A decision by teachers in one public high school in Seattle to boycott a standardized test lit a fire that spread to teachers and students in other schools in Seattle. And now, it appears, the fire is spreading to […]
Students Call On Chafee To Stop High Stakes Tests
Public high school students, teachers, and other community members staged a press conference today to protest Rhode Island’s new high-stakes testing graduation requirement, calling on Governor Chafee to end a policy they described as unjust and ineffective. “We are here today to explain why we believe this graduation requirement will do nothing to improve the […]
Protest High-Stakes Testing Wednesday At State House
Are you fed up with the standardized test-ification of our public schools? Think that high-stakes testing has distorting effects on education? Or do you just believe that it is wrong to punish individuals for larger systemic failures? If you answered “yes” to any of these question, then be sure to join the Providence Student Union […]
Providence Student Union Is Now Online
It’s official! The Providence Student Union finally has a home on the web. You should check it out: www.providencestudentunion.org For those who haven’t heard of PSU, it is a youth-led, school-based organization that brings young people together to build the collective power of high school students across Providence to ensure youth have a real voice in […]
Columbus Theatre Revival: This is How We Rebuild RI
Saturday night I went to the Revival! show, which reopened the Columbus Theatre on Broadway after years of vacancy, finally allowing the Theatre’s years-old ‘Opening Soon’ marquee to host a far cheerier message: “Sold Out.” The Columbus was packed and the sets by Brown Bird and The Low Anthem were, unsurprisingly, excellent. And the building, […]
Protest RIDE’s High-Stakes Testing Policy Thursday
Next Thursday youth, parents, and other advocates will be heading to the Board of Regents meeting to protest against the new high-stakes testing graduation requirements that Commission Gist and the Regents passed last year. This discriminatory policy, which is scheduled to be implemented in Rhode Island schools this October, is an absolute disaster. It uses […]
New Comments