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The only thing standing between many families and a descent into homelessness and poverty is trained legal representation. In courtrooms every day, the fight for basic human needs is played out in cases against landlords who have served eviction notices, employers that have withheld wages, state agencies that have denied benefits and various other civil matters. Yet unlike in criminal court, there is no constitutional right to an attorney in a civil suit. This puts people who cannot afford representation at a severe disadvantage in cases that could alter the courses of their lives.

For more than a half century, New Haven Legal Assistance has worked to balance the scales of justice by providing free legal counsel to vulnerable clients.

“We are building on the history that we’ve created, a history of being rooted in the community and putting our clients first,” says Executive Director Alexis Smith. Continue reading: 

Do you ever wonder why the wealthiest country in the world has so little money to feed the hungry, educate the youth, care for seniors, provide universal health care, fix the potholes, house the homeless, ensure clean water, guarantee safe bridges and dams? 

Alder Richard Furlow, chair of the Board of Alders’ Human Services Committee, invites you to participate in a public hearing on Thursday, January 26 at 6 p.m. in the Alder Chamber of City Hall, 165 Church St.

The hearing concerns a resolution submitted by the New Haven Peace Commission. It seeks to stimulate a public discussion on what “the extent of the city’s public and human services needs are, what the gaps are between the city’s needs and all funds provided by taxes, grants and debt, and how those gaps could be met by reducing the annual national military budget.”

Alder Furlow asks that you imagine if -- in a perfect world -- what sort of budget would your department need to accomplish all of its goals and what would you do with the additional funds. Due to enormous military funding, our cities are not provided with the financial support they need to meet human needs and improve the infrastructure. The Peace Commission resolution hopes to correct this situation. 

The resolution follows a nonbinding referendum on the 2012 city ballot which asked: “Shall Congress reduce military spending; transfer funds to convert to civilian production; create jobs to rebuild our infrastructure; and meet pressing human needs?” The referendum passed overwhelmingly, by nearly six to one.

The annual cost of past, present and future wars is $1.2 TRILLION. This is double the nominal Pentagon budget, which itself is 54%, $600 billion, of the Federal discretionary budget. All other programs have to share what remains.  

Common Ground is seeking an experienced, creative professional who can work with teachers, school leaders, students, families, and community partners to strengthen our curriculum and classroom teaching — ensuring it is driven by standards, rooted in our local community and unique site, culturally relevant and inclusive, contributing to social justice, and pushing students towards both environmental leadership and college success. This Curriculum Development Consultant will:

• Work closely with Common Ground’s 9th grade teachers and our “Teaching Our Cities” team to develop an integrated, ready-to-teach 9th grade curriculum — a common, interdisciplinary experience that all students will share — including units of study, performance tasks and other assessments, projects, and culturally relevant texts.
• Partner with Common Ground teachers, students, parents, and community partners to develop the themes, topics, and structures for new courses to be added to our curriculum.
• Develop shared curriculum planning tools including templates for interdisciplinary, project-based units and courses, and horizontal and vertical skills progressions in consultation with Common Ground teachers and leadership staff.
• Create rubrics and processes for evaluating existing and future curricula in collaboration with staff and other stakeholders to ensure they reflect Common Ground’s commitment to standards-driven, environmental and social justice oriented, place-based, interdisciplinary, culturally responsive, project-based learning.  
• Develop and facilitate a collaborative process that engages a range of stakeholders in curriculum development work.

Common Ground is seeking an individual or organization to act as a consultant on this project for a fixed fee contract of $30,000, starting in February 2017 and continuing through the start of September 2017. Common Ground intends to extend this contract into the 17-18 school year, based on this initial partnership and available funding.

Common Ground is seeking outstanding candidates with:

• Deep experience and skill in standards-based curriculum development incorporating vertically and horizontally-aligned skill sequences and backwards design
• Deep understanding of and commitment to culturally responsive teaching, social justice education, and the role of education in anti-racism and anti-oppression work.
• Demonstrated capacity to create project-based, place-based learning experiences using  performance tasks as assessment tools.
• An ability to build positive, collaborative relationships with other educators, and to facilitate a curriculum development process that engages other key constituencies — students, families, community partners.
• Classroom teaching experience.
• Connections to and knowledge of the New Haven community and/or experience in place-based education in urban settings.
• Strong background in and passion for environment, sustainability, social justice, and related topics.
• Facility with Common Core State Standards, C3 Social Studies, and Next Generation Science Standards
• A fierce commitment to helping all students succeed, and to engaging students from racially and economically diverse urban settings
• Bachelor degree; Masters strongly preferred
• Creativity, sense of joy, and commitment to collaboration

Common Ground is particularly eager for candidates that help us fulfill our commitment to building a genuinely diverse staff, reflective of our students’ cultural backgrounds and lived experiences.

At Common Ground, a racially and socioeconomically diverse community of 200 students from 16 different towns experiences a mix of high academic standards, active learning and leadership opportunities, and small school supports that are producing dramatic educational results. More than 93% of our students are accepted to college, and our students’ graduation rates and test scores have pushed above the state average.

Please send cover letter and resume to:

Lizanne Cox, School Director
Common Ground High School
358 Springside Ave., New Haven, CT 06515
lcox@commongroundct.org

By: William W. Ginsberg 

The start of a new year is a time for resolutions. Defying the temptation to hunker down in this cold and dark season, the beginning of January is a time to take stock and to look forward with clear priorities and renewed optimism. The beginning of 2017 feels different. Read more...