Comment

Comment by Mary Adams on July 6, 2011 at 2:06pm

July 14, 5:30-7:30pm Attn All RCSD Families and Supporters - join us!

Autonomous Parent/Community Organizing

Comment by Mary Adams on June 9, 2011 at 9:41am

This Saturday 9-noon School Without Walls, 480 Broadway

Reports on Active Initiatives, features keynotes and dialogue with INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT VARGAS AND RTA PRESIDENT URBANSKI

Details and background:

Tuesday, June 7, 2011


Greetings!

We are once again pleased to report on the ongoing, energetic work that has taken place here in Rochester since the March 2011 Community-Wide Summit For Educational Change.  As you probably recall, the summit was designed as a springboard for further development of concrete short- and long-range goals around CETF's 8 principles for educational change.

Following the summit, working groups reconvened and began the work of prioritizing and beginning to implement their goals.  In assessing the work across the 8 principles, we have identified several important, active initiatives, which are underway. We believe that a shift in our approach (and therefore a change in the language that we use to describe our work) will increase the efficiency of our collaboration across principles, and will more accurately reflect the ways in which important initiatives are interrelated to the goals of more than one principle. 

In practice, this will mean that instead of having regular meetings for each of the 8 principle "working groups", we will move forward with regular meetings and activities organized around the following active initiatives. As we focus our collective energy on these initiatives, we will not lose track of any of the other important goals that were identified at the summit. 



In addition to the following initiative organizing meetings and relevant events (see below), we welcome and support all ongoing participation and activity relating to the work coming out of the summit.  I am going to do my best to send an updated email like this one each week, so that we are all on the same page regarding the many opportunities to be involved in this ongoing work.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Additionally, we would like to invite all who are interested (both on this email list and beyond) to the Summit Reconvening Meeting, which will take place on Saturday June 11th at School Without Walls (480 Broadway, Rochester, NY) from 9am-12noon.  RTA President Adam Urbanski and Interim Superintendent Bolgen Vargas will be our keynote speakers.  Please see the attached flyer for details.



**And finally, many of us at the Community Education Task Force are campaigning for a slate of candidates in the upcoming RCSD School Board election in September.  If you would like to get involved in this work, please contact us at cetf-internal@lists.rocus.org<mailto:cetf-internal@lists.rocus.org>.


Initiatives:
Note: all meetings and events are free and open to the public.  Please mark your calendars!

1. Parent Organizing (with community input and support):
SPECIAL EVENT: On Wednesday, June 15th, we will have Interim Superintendent Vargas to dialogue with parents and community.  Please join us at School Without Walls, 480 Broadway, from 5:30-7pm.
Contact Rahimah at: brentsmom524@gmail.com<mailto:brentsmom524@gmail.com>

2. Anti-Racist Study Group (with a focus on cultural knowledge/equity, libratory pedagogy, and inclusive curricula)
Next organizing meeting/study session: Wednesday June 8th at 4pm RTA Office, 30 N. Union St (meetings are held 2nd Wednesday of each month)
Events/Important Dates: presentation to BOE Excellence in Student Achievement Committee (in conjunction with initiative to develop Alternatives To Traditional Approaches) -- date, time, and location TBA
-On Monday, June 13th, many of us will be traveling to Buffalo, NY to see a lecture by Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu.  Some background here: http://challengercn.com/?p=3280 This lecture begins at 5pm. If you would like to join the caravan, please contact either myself or Howard (emails below).
Contact Tim at: tim.adams85@gmail.com<mailto:tim.adams85@gmail.com> or Howard at: heagle@rochester.rr.com<mailto:heagle@rochester.rr.com>

3. Reforming Standardized Testing and Instructional Methodologies
Next organizing meeting: Monday, June 13th, 3:30pm at the Edison Complex (Emerson St.) in the main conference room.
Events/Important Dates: Tuesday, June 14th, 6pm is hte City Council Meeting to approve the RCSD budget.  All are encouraged to attend and urge the Council to reject the budget.
-Also, Wednesday, June 22nd, 7pm RESCHEDULED forum w/Regent Milton Cofield at SWW (480 Broadway, Rochester, NY)
Contact Dan at: dandrmacich@yahoo.com<mailto:dandrmacich@yahoo.com> or Tracey at: traceyafarmer@gmail.com<mailto:traceyafarmer@gmail.com>

4. Developing Alternatives To Traditional Approaches, i.e. Effective Initiatives, Models, Programs, and Schools
Next organizing meeting: Tuesday June 7th 4pm RTA Office
Events/Important Dates: presentation to BOE Excellence in Student Achievement Committee (in conjunction with Anti-Racist Study Group) -- date, time, and location TBA
Contact Jack at: langerakj@aol.com<mailto:langerakj@aol.com> or Elaine at: eerbland@rochester.rr.com<mailto:eerbland@rochester.rr.com>

5. Educating the Community about Privatization vis-à-vis Public Education
Next organizing meeting: To be announced!
REPORT from the May 26th presentation/discussion on Charter Schools: For those who were unable to attend, please see the following excellent video by Rochester Indymedia! http://blip.tv/indy-tv/charter-schools-reportback-5236043
Contact Mary at maryb_adams@urmc.rochester.edu<mailto:maryb_adams@urmc.rochester.edu>

6. Reducing Concentrated Poverty (Schools Facilities Modernization --- Training / Hiring Practices)
Next organizing meeting: To be announced!
Events/Important Dates: This Thursday, June 9th at 7:30pm there will be a special school board meeting at Central Office "to pass facilities resolutions" (we plan to attend to see what it's about).
MWBE and Services Procurement Committee July 7 at 7:30am, 690 St. Paul, Rm. 425
Regular Monthly Meeting 7/19 at 4:30pm, 690 St. Paul, Rm 415 Cafe
Contact Ricardo at: ricardo_ppu@yahoo.com<mailto:ricardo_ppu@yahoo.com>


Ongoing organizing efforts around Leadership and Accountability (All)

Parent and Community Coalition For Educational Change:
Meets every Monday 4:30pm at RTA Office, 30 N. Union St.

Community Education Task Force:
Meets every Tuesday 5:30pm at St. Stephens Church, 350 Chili Ave
http://communityeducationtaskforce.rocus.org/
Contact CETF at cetf-internal@lists.rocus.org<mailto:cetf-internal@lists.rocus.org>

Coalition For Justice in Education (formerly Coalition for Common Sense in Education):
Next meeting Thursday, June 23rd, 4pm at School Without Walls, 480 Broadway
Contact Dan at: dandrmacich@yahoo.com<mailto:dandrmacich@yahoo.com>


Sincerely,

The Parent & Community Coalition For Educational Change (Community Education Task Force, Coalition for Justice in Education [formerly CCSE], Green Party of Monroe County, Metro Justice, Alliance for Quality Education, International Socialist Organization) in conjunction with Rochester Teachers Association and Rochester Association of Paraprofessionals

Comment by Mary Adams on May 27, 2011 at 4:46pm

John, Thanks for the nice note.  I'll be in touch for tech help soon, I'm sure.

Mary

Comment by Mary Adams on May 27, 2011 at 4:45pm

Hi everyone - please feel free to post and add links relating to public education in Rochester, make this an open forum, aiming for a SW focus whereever possible -- How about that Spelling Bee?   On a more sober note, what are the specific "austerity" implications for the schools in our neighborhoods for next year?  I have an extremely busy few weeks coming up, so appreciate any content contributions to this new group.

Comment by John Boutet on May 27, 2011 at 4:15pm

I'm delighted to see you set up this group on Locatgion19 Mary.  We have a lot of work to do as a community to educate and organize ourselves to make the needed changes to urban public education.