March 9, 2017 In December of 2016, President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced NCLB and requires states to develop a new accountability system for their schools. ESSA mandates that schools be rated mostly on academic factors, including test scores and graduation rates. But it also allows the inclusion […]
1. I will be speaking on the national and state push to privatize public education tomorrow Saturday, March 4, 2017 at the Westchester-East Putnam PTA Advocacy Breakfast. The event is free; just RSVP to [email protected] What: Westchester-East Putnam PTA Advocacy Breakfast Where: The Education House, 5 Homeside Lane, White Plains, NY When: Saturday, […]
On Tuesday, Feb. 28, the NYC Council held joint hearings of the Education and Finance Committees on the myriad problems with the city’s dysfunctional process of school planning and siting. Many parents, students and advocates pointed out how the capital plan is underfunded, the enrollment projections inaccurate, school siting too slow — all resulting in […]
2017 Presentations on school overcrowding and capital plan Citywide District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5 District 6 District 7 District 8 District 9 District 10 District 11 District 12 District 13 District 14 District 15 District 16 District 17 District 18 District 19 District 20 District 21 District 22 District 23 […]
February 8, 2017 Yesterday, the US Senate approved Betsy DeVos to be the US Secretary of Education as we had feared, with Mike Pence casting the tie-breaking vote. Though disappointing it was in its way historic: the only time in US history that a Cabinet secretary has needed the vote of the Vice President to […]
January 6, 2017 1. Senate hearings on the nomination of Betsy DeVos to become Secretary of Education will be held Wednesday, January 11. As I explain in this month’s Indypendent, she is the most unqualified person every to be nominated to this position and is out to wreck our public schools. Please call your […]
December 31, 2016 1. It’s your last chance to give a tax-deductible donation to Class Size Matters in 2016. You can also check out what Diane Ravitch wrote about our efforts to improve schools and protect student privacy. If you would like to support our work going forward, please send a check to the address […]
February 21, 2017 A week from today, the City Council will hold hearings on the need to improve school planning and siting process. When: Tues. Feb. 28 starting at 10 AM Where: Council Chambers, City Hall What: City Council joint hearings of the Education and Finance committees on the school siting and planning process As […]
Cross-posted on NYSAPE’s website. Below is a memo that Class Size Matters and NY State Allies for Public Education sent to Commissioner Elia and the NY Board of Regents last week, on what may seem like an arcane and technical subject but is actually critical to ensure that opt-out students aren’t counted as failing in […]
Please consider donating to Class Size Matters on #GivingTuesday. We are continuing to push for smaller classes and less overcrowding in our public schools. NYC added nearly a billion dollars to the capital plan last spring to build more schools, in part because of our advocacy. Yet the plan is still underfunded, the process of […]
Sign here to urge NYC to implement a real, multi-year strategy to lower class size, as the law intends, without exempting up to half or more of all students.
Talk out of School radio show and podcast airs Sunday night at 7 PM on WBAI 99.5 FM or online at www.wbai.org when Leonie Haimson and Daniel Alicea interview guests and discuss issues affecting public schools in NYC, the state level and nationally. You can stream or subscribe to the podcast here; or at iTunes, Spotify or Google.
We held our annual Skinny award dinner Wed. June 28, 2023, honoring Rep. Jamaal Bowman, former Bronx principal and now a progressive trailblazer who is fighting in Congress to protect and improve our public schools. More photos on Facebook .
