Legislative sessions have opened in every state in the 50CAN network. Some will last all year, some for only 30 days. But in every state in our network, our local advocates are working hard to secure big wins for kids.

Together, we know that we can change the lives of tens of millions of children. Here’s how we’ll do it in 2018.

DelawareCAN

• Change the state’s funding formula to one that provides sufficient flexibility and accounts for student poverty, English-language learners and special education.
• Ensure Delaware’s 2019 budget restores full investment in tiered reimbursement for early childhood centers.
• Pass legislation that streamlines the school choice application process and moves Delaware closer to a common enrollment system.

GeorgiaCAN

• Support high-quality school options by ensuring all public schools are equitably funded and eliminating the funding disparities public charter schools face.
• Pass legislation to raise the cap of the tuition tax-credit scholarship program to benefit more children seeking an educational alternative and increase the transparency of the program.
• Restore the AP exam subsidy for low-income students.

HawaiiKidsCAN

• Revise the state Board of Education policy to allow computer science courses to count toward mandatory graduation credits for math or science.
• Pass a bill that enables all high schools to offer computer science professional development to teachers.
• Pass a bill to appropriate $10 million to support charter schools for facilities projects and rent assistance.
• Work with coalition members to create the outline of a pilot fund that will enable public schools to apply for dual-language immersion program startup support through the Department of Education.

JerseyCAN

• Create more equitable and sustainable school and facilities funding solutions that address the needs of all schools, including district and charter schools.
• Promote and protect high standards for NJ students and aligned assessments so we can accurately measure students’ progress and college readiness.
• Support ecosystems that encourage growth, sustainability and demand for high-quality school options in Newark and Camden.
• Create broader and more equitable access to STEM learning opportunities.

NewMexicoKidsCAN

• Pass legislation to create an additional pathway to allow highly effective and exemplary teachers to earn a Level III license without a master’s degree.
• Strengthen New Mexico authorizing practices to ensure charter schools are held accountable to clear, objective and measurable performance outcomes to earn the right to continue serving students.
• Ensure the New Mexico Public Education Department completes annual updates to the New Mexico Educator Equity Plan and makes the updates available to the public.
• Ensure the New Mexico Public Education Department releases Teacher Prep Report Cards for all New Mexico teacher preparation programs and establishes the process in administrative rule prior to the end of the current administration.

NorthCarolinaCAN

• Preserve $2.5 million for the state’s charter transportation grant and extend the grant to Tier 3 schools.
• Secure comprehensive Innovative School District operational language in the 2018-19 continuing budget resolution.
• Pursue a community engagement strategy for the Innovative School District by identifying at least 50 advocates in Durham and Robeson counties and hosting a town hall for advocates.

PennCAN

• Create a constituency of grassroots and grasstops leaders who will demand more high-quality school options in Pittsburgh.

RI-CAN

• Ensure fair and equitable funding for Rhode Island’s charter public schools by improving access and funding for facilities.

SouthCarolinaCAN

• Engage faith leaders and leverage their influence to ensure the faith community becomes more actively engaged in the effort to improve South Carolina schools.
• Engage thousands of Charleston County residents and educate them about the current performance of students, especially African-American students in Charleston County School District by the end of 2018.
• Ensure that the Charleston County School Board adopts the best practices of publishing their meeting agendas at least three business days in advance, logging all votes into meeting minutes with supplemental information and streaming all school board meetings in real time.

TennesseeCAN

• Continue the state’s investment in the Charter School Facilities Grant Program to support charter schools’ success, or open additional avenues for funding through policy change.
• Support and provide feedback on the implementation of the state’s new fiscal transparency pilot, resulting in a clear and usable system for displaying individual school funding for the public.
• Support the state’s implementation of an A-F school letter grading system and support rollout of the state’s ESSA plans.
• Increase funding for special education and response to intervention and ensure access to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act high-cost reimbursement for all public schools.

We will send campaign updates as our states wrap up their legislative sessions throughout the year. Meanwhile, you can keep up with the work of our advocates on the ground by following our #FromtheField posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For a complete list of all that we’ve accomplished together to date, check out our policy wins, secured since 50CAN’s founding.

We look forward to sharing our progress with you in the months to come.