• About Us
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    • Profile of an Honesty Leader
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    • Become An Honesty Partner
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  • Statehouse
    • Legislation Tracker >
      • SB 1
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      • SB 83
      • HB 6
      • HB 8
      • HB 9
      • HB 10
      • HB 11
      • HB 12
      • HB 38
      • HB 48
      • HB 63
      • HB 103
      • HB 117
    • TAKE ACTION
  • State Board of Ed
    • About the State Board
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    • Anti-Racism Resolution
    • TAKE ACTION
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HONESTY FOR OHIO EDUCATION
  • About Us
    • What is Honesty in Education?
    • Profile of an Honesty Leader
    • Our Partners
    • Become An Honesty Partner
    • Jobs
    • Give To The Coalition
  • Statehouse
    • Legislation Tracker >
      • SB 1
      • SB 11
      • SB 14
      • SB 17
      • SB 29
      • SB 30
      • SB 49
      • SB 83
      • HB 6
      • HB 8
      • HB 9
      • HB 10
      • HB 11
      • HB 12
      • HB 38
      • HB 48
      • HB 63
      • HB 103
      • HB 117
    • TAKE ACTION
  • State Board of Ed
    • About the State Board
    • Superintendent
    • Gerrymandering
    • Title IX Resolution
    • Anti-Racism Resolution
    • TAKE ACTION
  • Schools
    • Honesty & DEI
    • Book Bans
    • Know Your District
    • TAKE ACTION
  • Events
    • Lunch & Learn
    • Education Exchange
    • Teach-In
  • News & Updates
    • Media
  • Youth Coalition
    • Events
  • Resources
    • Know Your Rights
    • Elections
    • Support Honesty

First Fridays
LUNCH & LEARN

​Building our capacity to ​KNOW better and DO better for Ohio
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​You're invited! Join us every first Friday of the month to connect with practitioners, advocates, and experts across Ohio.
Learn
about honest student and family-centered approaches to learning and wellness that support our students,
​engage our families, and build stronger communities throughout Ohio.

Pull up a seat to the table where we build capacity to KNOW better and DO better for Ohio.

​COMING UP...
April 2023
​
Friday, April 7, 12pm

Education Matters: 
Higher Education Censorship and LGBTQ+ Rights

Featuring:
  • Professor David Jackson, Political Science, Bowling Green State University; Ohio Conference of American Association of University Professors
  • Equality Ohio
REGISTER
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Ohio legislators continue to sponsor harmful bills that censor honest, inclusive education on higher ed campuses and target LGBTQ+ students.  Senate Bill 83 is a sweeping bill that bans DEI programs, affinity spaces, academic relationships with China, and worker rights in higher education. House Bills 6, 8, and 68  ban transgender students from sports, ban gender-affirming healthcare for minors, and ban private discussions with teachers and staff.

Join us for lunch in April to learn about these bills and their impact on Ohio students and education.

ICYMI...

March 2023
​
Friday, March 3, 12pm

Education Matters: 

New Bills and Priorities in the Ohio Statehouse

Featuring:
  • Darold Johnson, Director of Legislation, Ohio Federation of Teachers
watch
slides
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Since January, Ohio legislators have introduced more than 20 bills impacting honest education, the rights and safety of Ohio students, and equitable school funding. Several of these bills resurrect failed attempts to overhaul public education and silence the voices of students, families and educators.

Join us for lunch to learn about new and not-so-new education bills in the Ohio Statehouse and ways you can make an impact. Where does your senator or representative stand on these important issues? Let's talk!

Learn more about these bills HERE
February 2023
​
Friday, February 3, 12pm
​
Funding Ohio Education:

All In For Ohio Kids Campaign

Featuring:
  • Dr. Tanisha Pruitt, State Policy Fellow, Policy Matters Ohio
  • Molly Shack, Co-Executive Director, Ohio Organizing Collaborative
slides
watch
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All eyes are on the Ohio Statehouse as legislators, policymakers and education stakeholders advocate for equitable public school funding in the upcoming biennial State Budget.

School districts and communities across Ohio continue to suffer from decades of inequitable, unconstitutional school funding, while certain state leaders re-direct needed state funds away from public education and disadvantaged districts.

Join us to learn about All In For Ohio Kids, a statewide coalition effort to codify an equitable, sustainable, transparent school funding plan that serve all students across Ohio.
January  2023
​
The New Face of the 
State Board of Education 

Meet Ohio's New State Board Members!

Friday, January 6, 12pm

Featuring:
  • Former State Senator Teresa Fedor, District 2
  • ​Katie Hofmann, District 4
  • Tom Jackson, District 10
watch
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In January 2023, the State Board of Education will onboard five elected State Board members and four appointed members, vote for a new Board president, and re-build its standing committees.

Join us for lunch to meet the newly elected members of the State Board:
  • Former State Senator Teresa Fedor, District 2
  • ​Katie Hofmann, District 4
  • Tom Jackson, District 10
​
​Learn about their backgrounds, why they ran for State Board, and their priorities for 2023.​
DECEMBER 2022
​
Lame Duck & Education
The Impact of Partisan Politics on Education

Friday, December 2, 2022, Noon​

Featuring
  • Former State Senator Teresa Fedor and Incoming State Board of Education Member 
  • Darold Johnson, Director of Legislation, Ohio Federation of Teachers
watch
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Lame duck is a high stakes, fast moving time in the Statehouse when bills are fast-tracked and legislative deals are brokered before year-end.

In Ohio, there are several education bills scheduled for hearings and potential votes in the coming days. 

 Join  a conversation with newly elected State Board of Education Member, former State Senator Teresa Fedor, and and Darold Johnson, director of legislation for OFT, to get their perspectives on which education bills will move and why.

You don't want to miss this lunch!
NOVEMBER 2022

Courageous Conversations Over the Holidays
​
Friday, November 4, 2022, Noon​

Featuring
  • Caitlin Johnson, Communications Director, Policy Matters Ohio
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While the holidays are generally a time of joy and celebration, they can also be a time of tension, conflict, and passionate debates about ideological differences.

With so much on the line for our students, families, and educators, it's important to navigate these situations with a care and conviction.
 
Learn how to have honest, productive  discussions that center honest education and the multidimensional experiences of our students and educators.
​Pull up a seat, roll up your sleeves, and lean into the uncomfortable, difficult conversations to
​help build pathways for understanding and unity.
​OCTOBER 2022

Coming Out and Coming of Age
​
Friday, October 7, 2022, Noon​

Featuring
  • Alex Carbone (they/them), Student, Hudson High School
  • Emma Curd (she/her), Student, Hoover High School
  • Amanda Erickson (she/her), Director of Education & Outreach, Kaleidoscope Youth Center

Moderated By:
Ken Schneck, Ph.D., Editor, The Buckeye Flame

Join Honesty and friends for a conversation hosted by The City Club of Cleveland, led by Ken Schneck, Editor of the Buckeye Flame, that centers LGBTQ+ youth voices in advance of National Coming Out Day.
WATCH

​In Partnership with The City Club of Cleveland
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Growing up can be hard enough. For LGBTQ+ youth, coming out adds to the pressures and challenges as they come of age. Studies have shown that LGBTQ+ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers. But when those kids are given access to LGBTQ-affirming spaces, they reported lower rates of suicide attempts, according to The Trevor Project.

​Yet, American public schools have become lightning rods in the culture wars and incubators for public policy targeting controversial topics. This includes discussions of sexuality, gender identity and LGBTQ+ related topics in classrooms. Just seven years after gay marriage was legalized in the United States, today's youth and young adults are facing a changing climate in their schools and communities. It begs us to ask how they are faring, and what can be done to ensure all students are provided a safe and inclusive classroom.
​SEPTEMBER 2022
​

Planting Trees of Hope
Lessons Learned about Honest History
​from Otto Frank

​

Friday, September 2, 2022, Noon​

Featuring

Cara Wilson-Granat, Author and Public Speaker
watch
Join us for an inspirational discussion with Cara Wilson-Granat about planting trees of hope and rooting ourselves in honest history, through the eyes of Holocaust survivor and father Otto Frank.

​Cara will share what she learned from Otto Frank about humanity and unity 
during their incredible 24-year relationship, which began in 1957, as a 12-year old girl auditioning for The Diary of Anne Frank movie. ​
​Their decades-long correspondence culminated into nearly 100 letters and cards that shaped Cara's hopeful view of the world during the violent and tumultuous 1960's and 70's. They were able to meet shortly before his death in 1980, the impact of which continues to influence her life today.

Cara recently published Tree of Hope, a book documenting her life-changing relationship with Otto Frank, and donated the letters to the University of South Carolina Anne Frank Center.
​MAY 2022
​

Mental Health and Education:
The Importance of SEL for Students

​
Friday, May 6, 2022, Noon​

Featuring
  • Alison Paxson, Policy & Communications Associate, Children's Defense Fund Ohio
  • ​Andrew Smith, District Social Worker, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City Schools, Chair, OEA Wellness Cadre
watch
SEL Standards in Ohio Education
May is Mental Health Month!

Join us for an important discussion about the pivotal role that Social-Emotional Learning plays in student wellness, academic achievement, and supportive classrooms. 
•••
Social-Emotional Learning is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. CASEL
​APRIL 2022
​

Combatting Book Bans in Ohio - Protect OUR Stories!
​
Friday, April 1, 2022, Noon​

Featuring

Red, Wine & Blue, The Unicorn Express, Kent State University College of Communications
WATCH
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Learn about three local efforts to combat book bans across Ohio and ensure that students and communities still have access inclusive, award-winning authors who boldly center stories of race, gender, and sexuality. 
  • Red, Wine & Blue Book Ban Busters campaign that tracks book bans across the nation with an interactive website
  • The Unicorn Express online service that ships banned books lifting LGBTQ+ stories
  • Kent State University Breaking Bans Read-In on April 13, 2022​​​
​MARCH 2022

2022 YWCA
Stand Against Racism Challenge 


Featuring
  • Taylor Curtis, Advocacy Manager, YWCA Dayton
  • Lalitha Pamidigantam, Policy Advisor, YWCA Columbus
watch
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YWCA Ohio sister agencies share Stand Against Racism, a national opportunity for communities across the country to unite their voices to educate, advocate, and promote racial justice. The Columbus and Dayton agencies will discuss the importance of platforming an anti-racist and intersectional approach to education that supports service-oriented programs and dismantles systems of oppression.

REGISTER FOR THE STAND AGAINST RACISM CHALLENGE​​
With Warm Thanks to Previous Lunch Guests...
February 2022:  State Board of Education Members Dr. Christina Collins, 5th District, Dr. Antoinette Miranda, 6th District, Michelle Newman, 9th District, and Meryl Johnson, 11th District. ​

December 2021:  Wondering how to have tough conversations with your neighbor, friend or relative? Presenters Maki Somosot from the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and Caitlin Johnson from Policy Matters Ohio helped us build our skills. 

November 2021: Mark Swaim-Fox, Executive Director, from Facing History & Ourselves, and national staff members Dr. Steven Becton, the Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer and Abby Weiss, Vice President and Chief Program Officer on teaching honest history. 

October 2021 : Rev. Marvin McMickle, PhD, Senior Pastor (interim) at Antioch Baptist Church, who recommended Caste by Isabel Wilkerson and The Matter of Black Lives, edited by Jelani Cobb and David Remnick. Rev. Mickle also published this opinion piece, "​Let's Recognize 'Critical Race Theory' Hyperbole for the Misdirection It Is".

September 2021: Tracy Nájera, Executive Director, and Alison Paxson, Communications and Policy Associate, from Children's Defense Fund - Ohio (check out their post, Expose the Boil, about Ohio House Bills 322 and 327)
  • About Us
    • What is Honesty in Education?
    • Profile of an Honesty Leader
    • Our Partners
    • Become An Honesty Partner
    • Jobs
    • Give To The Coalition
  • Statehouse
    • Legislation Tracker >
      • SB 1
      • SB 11
      • SB 14
      • SB 17
      • SB 29
      • SB 30
      • SB 49
      • SB 83
      • HB 6
      • HB 8
      • HB 9
      • HB 10
      • HB 11
      • HB 12
      • HB 38
      • HB 48
      • HB 63
      • HB 103
      • HB 117
    • TAKE ACTION
  • State Board of Ed
    • About the State Board
    • Superintendent
    • Gerrymandering
    • Title IX Resolution
    • Anti-Racism Resolution
    • TAKE ACTION
  • Schools
    • Honesty & DEI
    • Book Bans
    • Know Your District
    • TAKE ACTION
  • Events
    • Lunch & Learn
    • Education Exchange
    • Teach-In
  • News & Updates
    • Media
  • Youth Coalition
    • Events
  • Resources
    • Know Your Rights
    • Elections
    • Support Honesty