OCCUPY the PANEL FOR EDUCATIONAL POLICY

Breaking News: 

• NYC Educators to Occupy PEP and Public Education
• Public Education Advocate Diane Ravitch to Address Protesters at Occupy Wall Street, Link 99% Movement to Better Schools
• OWS Education Committee issues manifesto and call for action

Here is another leaflet to be handed out at the DA today:

NYC educational activists who have been involved in various degrees with Occupy Wall Street started meeting this past Sunday at the red cube across from Liberty Square to being OWS to the public education arena. I briefly stopped by on Sunday and was gratified to see there would be a follow-up yesterday at 5, an almost surreal experience. Here is my account:

Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011, 5PM
We sat on the ground in front of the red cube in a circle. As people arrived the circle got bigger. Some people went across the street to see if there were educators or others looking to work in this issue and the circle kept growing. We used mic check to repeat the info as people introduced themselves. Just about every single activist NYC group was in the house.

A security guard of sorts came over to tell us we were on private property - funny but it certainly seems to be a public space - and people have been meeting there regularly - part of the general harassment that has been going on to cut off options for people to meet. So we decided to move to an atrium on Wall Street, some walking holding signs saying: Occupy Public Education and doing some chanting. We were a group of about 50 people - most got to turn up Wall but just as we at the tail end got there the cops closed the gates in our faces not allowing access to Wall Street, turning it into an exit only street for pedestrians. "Walk to the next block," they told us. But as we got to the next block the cops again closed the gate in our faces: "You're not marching on Wall Street," they told us. "Age discrimination," I said - Michael Fiorillo was with me. "We're too old to protest." No dice. "Go to the next block," they said. Figuring they would cut us off again, we headed through the UFT Lobby and down the stairs to the New Street exit where we circled around to the atrium which seemed to have all kinds of meetings going on.

The meeting itself was very impressive for an ad hoc event where many people were meeting for the first time - though I was familiar with most. People took notes and everyone got to speak. The decision was to start a process to take back the DOE by focusing on getting people to the PEP meeting next Tuesday at Seward Park HS. (Look for Tweed to move the meeting to Alaska). The idea is to draw more people into the struggle.

I have to reiterate and emphasize that this quickly thrown together meeting was the most representative of the many activists and ed advocacy groups in the city - it was a who's who. If everyone starts moving on this based on being inspired by OWS that will have a significant impact.

Details will follow over the next few days. If you want to get involved:

Next meetings of  Occupy Public Education (OPE):

• Friday at 6pm at the NYCORE meeting at NYU.

Here's a link to the nycore meeting RSVP for Friday where we will have the breakout session following up. We'll have dinner there, so please RSVP so we can have a headcount.

http://www.nycore.org/2011/10/monthly-meeting-10-21-11/

• Sunday at 3PM at the red cube on Liberty and Broadway - across the street from the protest - meeting might be moved if hassled by cops so get there on time.

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Common Core "author" and ed deformer/profiteer David Coleman will be speaking at the PEP.
@gothamschools: Common Core author David Coleman will speak at Oct. 25 PEP meeting to discuss to parents the new standard, Walcott tells district 7 parents
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Ravitch: Greater equity would prevent education cuts, providing students and schools with vital resources:  Ravitch to introduce NYC parent of student at school in danger of closing

Noted public education expert Diane Ravitch will address protesters at Occupy Wall Street in Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park on Thursday, saying the movement’s push for greater economic equity is essential for better schools. Ravitch will also introduce the parent of a child at a New York City school on the list for potential closure to speak to the crowd.

Ravitch’s rebuke of certain popular education reforms – such as high-stakes testing of students, teachers and schools, as well as corporate-style education policies – have placed her at the forefront of the national education debate. Her views support Occupy Wall Street’s warnings about growing class divisions. For instance, she has said she believes that “The best predictor of low academic performance is poverty.”

Ravitch is Research Professor of Education at New York University, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and was Assistant Secretary of Education and Counselor to Secretary of Education in the administration of President George H.W. Bush. Her most recent book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System was a bestseller.

WHEN: Thursday, October 20 – 7:00 PM

WHERE: Zuccotti Park – Downtown Manhattan

WHO: Hundreds of protesters, Diane Ravitch, the parent of a child at a NYC school at risk of closing, and others.

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Valerie Strauss:

Education activists seek to collaborate with Occupy Wall Street

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/education-activists-seek-to-collaborate-with-occupy-wall-street/2011/10/15/gIQAbrDZmL_blog.html?wprss=answer-sheet


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