The main issue that we were trying to understand and address was educational inequity in New York schools. We chose this topic because we knew that some of us will go to public and other high schools next year and we could be faced with these issues ourselves, also a lot of us knew people…
AQENY Parent’s Meeting 12/21
by Elisabeth
We had the opportunity to sit in on a meeting with parents from all different boroughs that worked with AQENY. We came on time, which was apparently a little late. A few parents and two AQENY people were sitting at a large conference table. A slideshow was on a TV at the front of the room.…
P.S. 98 12/14
by Elisabeth
On Monday, December 14th, we were originally scheduled to volunteer at a program called DEER, Drop Everything and Read. It was an animal themed reading program held at the school once a month. When we arrived we found out that the event was actually cancelled because a teacher had called in sick and a class…
Breakfast with Santa at St.Brigids via CSF 12/19
by Elisabeth
Anna, Sophie, Ryann, Reggi and I all volunteered at a Christmas event at St.Brigids with Children’s Scholarship Fund as a joint effort between the educational inequity and the children in poverty groups. Anna, Sophie and I took the bus across town and arrived in front of the school where we met Reggi. Ryann was already…
Lobbying in Albany with AQENY 1/12
by Elisabeth
At 5 in the morning, when the moon was still out, we began our trip to Albany. After driving to One Metrotech and walking around in the freezing cold, we were finally able to board the bus. We were some of the first people on the bus, and we watched as people with a wide…
Protesting at City Hall with AQENY 1/10
by Elisabeth
A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to stand on the steps of City Hall with AQENY as the conducting a protest/press event. As we approached the front gates, people from the organization and parents were already gathered in the area by the steps. They were handing out signs to be held up…
Phone Call with Renee Shaw 1/11
by Elisabeth
Yesterday we talked to Renee Shaw, a tech specialist at Barret Elementary school in Arlington, Virginia. Only a year after her school was renovated in 2004, they already were running out of space. To combat this issue they put in a trailer, a impermanent solution to a permanent problem. They couldn’t afford to renovate the…
Volunteering with the Go Project 12/5
by Elisabeth
A couple of weeks ago we went to volunteer with the Go Project. It was on a saturday at our school, starting at 9:30. When we arrived at the school we were taken to another room with what seemed like a volunteer group from another school. They gave us a quick briefing on the day…
Meeting with Jump Start 11/19
by Elisabeth
Today we sat in on a meeting at the Jump Start offices. The meeting was with a few members of the Jump Start community and three college students. The college students, who taught in Jump Start programs across the city, were talking about their work with the organization and their personal experiences. Jump Start is…
Beyond Measure Screening 11/12
by Elisabeth
Beyond Measure was a screening held by Mya Dunlop, whose son created MyloWrites. Beyond Measure talks about the curriculum that most schools have attached themselves to in recent years called “teaching to the test.” Teaching to the test is when everything you learn is about a test you will take. Instead of projects they spend…
Interview with Halee Sage 11/15
by Elisabeth
Halee Sage was a teacher with the organization Teach for America for 3 years. Teach for America is an organization that sends teachers to under-performing or otherwise not as good schools. Halee taught in Baltimore from 1991 to 1993. She told us about her problems and set backs with the school and how it affected…
Meeting with Maria Bautista from AQENY 11/15
by Elisabeth
AQENY is the Alliance for Quality Education New York. 3 days ago we met with their campaign coordinator, Maria Bautista. The organization that Maria works for is actually mainly focused on the legal and financial sides of public education. They sue the government for under funding their public schools, which happens more often then you’d…
Waiting for Superman 11/9
by Elisabeth
Our group watched the movie Waiting for Superman directed by Davis Guggenheim. Waiting for Superman focused mainly on charter schools, and the lotteries that are required to enter them. Since charter schools are held in such high esteem, most often more people are applying for spots than spots available at the the time. So, they…
