NYC parents, teachers Occupy the DOE

[madfloridian]

Run time: 05:13 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbmjMickJMA   Posted on YouTube: October 26, 2011 By YouTube Member: meerkatmedia Views on YouTube: 34708   Posted on DU: October 30, 2011 By DU Member: madfloridian Views on DU: 1069

 
NYC has a history of not listening to parents and teachers. It has followed the path of listening only to the reformers who are not so much about "reform" as about profit.

The 99% speak and the leaders who have catered to the 1% finally walk out instead of staying to listen and understand what the people want. Please note the looks of pure disgust on their faces as they leave.

Department of Education: #Occupied

Whose schools?

Our schools!

The audience was alive last night at a special meeting of the Panel for Educational Puppetry. On the agenda: a Conversation with the Chancellor about the Common Core Standards, a Gates-funded initiative to remove any remaining local control from the development of classroom curriculum in NYC. Even the “architect” of the program, David Coleman, was in attendance – among an army of suits – delivering his take-it-or-leave-it monologue. Usually, a Blackberry or well-hidden netbook would suffice to insulate the panel members from the long hours of public comment. But this time, it was the audience that wasn’t listening.

Mic check! Mic check!

Tonight, the agenda has changed. White-shirt cops stand confused watching each other and the ignited crowd. Chancellor Wolcott tries hopelessly to rein in the “conversation”. Panel members whisper to each other hurriedly, slightly bemused that the long-silenced parents and teachers have finally found a way to speak over the DOE’s booming microphone.

And a great piece from the website of the NYC Public School Parents.

Last night at the Panel for Educational Policy, we occupied the DOE!

Last night was inspiring as, for once, the 99% had their say at a Panel for Educational Policy meeting.

The meeting, supposed to be a presentation of the Common Core standards, was very quickly taken over by teachers, parents, students and education activists, some of them from Occupy Wall Street. We used the "people's mic" to drown out the speeches of Chancellor Walcott and David Coleman, who soon exited the stage to give their lessons upstairs.

Most of us remained in the auditorium for another hour and a half, talking about the rising class sizes, the overemphasis on high stakes testing, the way real learning is being squeezed out of the classroom because of the repeated budget cuts and damaging priorities of the 1% , including Bloomberg, Bill Gates and the Walton family, who are setting policies for our schools against the priorities of the 99% and the needs of our kids.

:applause: for the parents and teachers and students who occupied.

[rainy]

1. Watching this gave me goosebumps. Awe-inspiring. Nt

[madfloridian]

3. Yes, it is.

:)

[thecrow]

2. Excellent Excellent ! I hope we will see much more of this

School board meetings, homeowners associations, town halls where the candidates are not answering the questions asked.

As the winter wears on, I'm sure we will see more and more of this.

[madfloridian]

4. Me, too. It is much needed.

Reformer groups are spending huge amounts on school board races now. We can't fight them with money, but speaking out will make a difference.

[madfloridian]

5. They occupied with planning and organization.

Well done.