Commissioner King and the New York Board of Regents have scheduled 16 events around the state to tell parents how terrific the Common Core is, how good they should feel about their child’s failing grade on the Common Core tests, and how overall magnificent the State Education Department is. There are 12 hearings and four televised presentations. No hearings are scheduled for Néw York City, although parents there (including potential troublemakers) can always watch on TV.
Here is a statement by the Grassroots Education Movement and Change the Stakes:
STATEMENT: NYC Parents Deserve to be Heard
October 22, 2013 · by Grassroots Education Movement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: changethestakes@gmail.com
New York City Public School Parents Deserve to be Heard by Education Commissioner John King
New York City – It is unacceptable that State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. and the State Board of Regents are planning to hold a series of 12 forums across the state to meet with parents and educators to discuss the Common Core Standards and other education reforms, yet not a single forum will be held in New York City. NYC’s one million public school students account for a third of the state’s total public school enrollment. Change the Stakes calls on state legislators who represent NYC students, their parents and their teachers to demand that the Board of Regents schedule a public forum in each of the five boroughs. These forums must offer meaningful public discussion in which education officials acknowledge and respond to questions and concerns rather than dismissing them or explaining them away.
The Regents scheduled the forums, along with four additional events to be broadcast on public television, after Commissioner King abruptly cancelled four state-sponsored PTA town hall meetings after parents responded angrily at being given little time to speak at an event in Poughkeepsie. King later alleged that the meeting was “co-opted by special interests whose stated goal is to ‘dominate’ the questions and manipulate the forum.” The newly scheduled forums will undoubtedly be much more tightly controlled than the original large, town hall meetings.
King’s outrageous statement about “special interests” and the shutting down of public debate are indicative of a much larger problem: New York State education officials, from the governor on down, have completely disregarded the genuine, sincere and deeply-felt concerns of parents about what is in the best interests of our children. It is demeaning, demoralizing and downright undemocratic to attempt to silence parents, teachers, principals and others who, day in and day out, witness the harmful effects on children of poorly formulated and rashly implemented state education policies.
Commissioner King: The public school parents and educators of NYC deserve to be heard.
According to an October 18th press release from the State Education Department:
The first forum will be held in the Albany City School District on October 24. Other locations for the forums are Rochester, Westchester, Suffolk County (2), Nassau County (2), Schroon Lake, Binghamton, Amherst, Syracuse, and Jamestown.
The four PBS televised forums will be in Syracuse -WCNY (November 7), Plattsburgh-WCFE (November 20), Binghamton- WSKG (date tba) and Rochester- WXXI (December 3). King said more PBS forums will be scheduled.
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Change the Stakes (changethestakes.org) is a group of parents and educators working to reduce the harm caused by high stakes-testing, which we believe must be replaced by valid forms of student, teacher, and school assessment.
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Is there any way a New York parent (and teacher) could get invited to their local event?
Cuomo needs to be primaried or at least to develop make that a creditable possibility. That’s the only way to make any changes. Prof. Ravitch, you wanna have a go? Know anyone who would? It’s not to win (which won’t happen) but to focus attention on the single worst aspect of Cuomo’s governorship. The man does respond to pressure, which is why we don’t have fracking. So, we need to focus on this disastrous ed. policy.
Completely agree. Ditto for the NY State Legislators. They are the people who appoint the people (The Regents) who appoint the people (The NY State Ed Commissioner) who make these ridiculous policies. How many degrees removed does that make the decision makers from the people whose policies they affect? Anyway, the only people that we can hold accountable are the politicians. They need to understand that their bad decisions will lead to lost elections.
I agree with George Buzzetti, CRASH THE GATES! Infiltrate the events and demonstrate outside. You already know that listening to parents and tax payers is the LAST thing they will be doing so they must be made to listen the only way there is, by using their events to communicate your angetr and righteous indignation to other parents who will be watching. Contact NPR and get details of how the audience is chosen and who is doing the choosing. Hold King accountable and tell him that’s what your 2nd “special interest” is after your children.
NYSED just sent out emails informing school districts across the state that they are officially SUSPENDING THE PARCC EXAMS for 2014-2015 and the future of New York state’s commitment to the PARCC exams is very much in doubt. The email cited reasons for the suspension including, cost to districts and technology logistics. Ding-dong the . . .