A prominent academic has resigned from the State University of New York Board of Trustees, one of two groups with the power to approve charter schools, saying the university is approving charters that increase inequality and needlessly divide the community.Click here for the rest of the article.
Click here for pdf versions of the flier in English & Spanish.
The Panel for Education Policy (PEP) will be voting on whether or not to phaseout (close? transform?) Los Sures’ beloved Roberto Clemente School, PS 19.
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012; 6pm
WHERE: Brooklyn Technical High School, 29 Fort Greene Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217.
The Southside Community Schools Coalition will be MOBILIZING the community to attend this crucial hearing. Stay tuned for how to join us at this critical venue!
But wait!
Speak up now! The public comment period is still open. Oral and written comments regarding the proposed PS 19 phaseout will be accepted until February 8, 2012 at 6:00PM. Call or email Carrie Marlin of the NYC DOE: Carrie Marlin D14Proposals@schools.nyc.gov or (212) 374-0208.
To learn more about the NYC DOE’s plans for the PS 19 phaseout, read this document. Click here for the Spanish version.
A Cobble Hill teacher has created the blog, “Inside Colocation”:
THE PUBLIC SCHOOL WHERE I’VE BEEN TEACHING FOR THE LAST 8 YEARS HAS BEEN TARGETED FOR A “COLOCATION” WITH A CORPORATE-MODEL CHARTER SCHOOL. MOST PEOPLE, INCLUDING ME, DON’T KNOW WHAT A COLOCATION LOOKS LIKE, THOUGH WE’VE HEARD BLEAK STORIES. I’VE STARTED THIS BLOG TO DOCUMENT IT AS BEST I CAN.
Click here for “Inside Colocation”.
In May 2011, Eric Grannis (founder of charter school developer The Tapestry Project…and husband of Eva Moskowitz) wrote an opinion piece in the New York Daily News that potentially lays out the groundwork for an oft-observed Success Academy Network tactic: recruiting affluent/middle-class families to attend Success Charter Schools that should be targeting higher-needs families (based on location, and district needs).
To encourage diverse charter schools, the laws regarding admissions should be changed. Currently, a charter school must give preference to applicants from the school district in which it is located. But these districts seem designed to maintain segregation. For example, District 4 encompasses East Harlem, a primarily Hispanic area. Its southern boundary separates it from the primarily white upper East Side, while its western boundary separates it from the primarily African-American Central Harlem.
Instead, charters should be allowed to design admissions zones to promote integration. A school on the upper East Side, for example, should be allowed to include East Harlem in its catchment zone.
[SCSC note: And perhaps a school in Los Sures should be allowed to include ___ neighborhood in its catchment zone?]
While charter schools have traditionally served to boost options in poorer neighborhoods, Moskowitz has already opened one school on the upper West Side and has approval for another in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.
Some critics say this shift is an effort by Moskowitz to shore up political support for charter schools among middle class families.
Video courtesy of Grassroots Education Movement
Video Courtesy of Not An Alternative
Williamsburg community unanimously rejects Success Academy charter school from Not An Alternative on Vimeo.
Dear Chancellor Walcott,
I write with both outrage and sadness at the Department of Education’s decision to close P.S. 19, the Roberto Clemente School. This move is predicated on the school’s low score on the City’s progress report, which was caused by a shockingly poor commitment to P.S. 19’s performance. In essence, this indifference has choked off the success of P.S. 19. Such tactics are causing pain in our community, as many children and parents face an uncertain future regarding their educational choices. As a result, I am asking that the Department refrain from closing P.S. 19 and instead make a new and stronger commitment to its future…
Southside Community Schools Coalition 