[ProgressiveEd] Community Control

Mon, 14 Apr 2003 09:18:21 -0400

Dear One & All,
I can recall picketing at Madison High School in Brooklyn against the UFT-led strike against community control (Ocean Hill-Brownsville).  As Donna pointed out these struggles emerged out of the civil rights movement.  Brooklyn CORE had led the struggle to desegregate NYC when the World's Fair opened in Queens.  Protesters on the subways were beaten as the Freedom Riders were down south.  Operation Shutdown, organized by Bklyn CORE's Major Owens (later a Congressman)  in 1964 resulted in 100,000 children staying home. 
Perhaps the die was cast back then - create CSDs but assure that they are marginalized.  And they were.  School board elections were a travesty, community forces were frequently challenged by UFT-led slates.  Before, then  and now- white communities have to a large degree, have controlled thier schools.  District policies have been race-based, e.g. a predominantly white K-6 elementary in Washington Heights expands to the 8th grade to avoid the overwhelmingly Domincan middle school.  Schools with mostly white 'gifted' tracks that once again separated and sorted kids. And so on.
Desegration is not the #1 demand these days but I still beleive it to be a worthy and necessary goal.  As in 1954 'separate but equal' still is illegal and makes no sense.  Small progressive open-zoned schools offering parents a choice have an opportunity to provide integrated and inclusive settings.  PENNY has been trying to bring these issues to a city-wide level.  What else can we do?
PENNY AND PENNY SCHOOLS SHOULD JOIN WITH THE CAMPAIGN FOR FISCAL EQUITY AND SUPPORT THE MARCH FROM NYC TO ALBANY.  THE SMALL SCHOOLS MOVEMENT MUST SEE ITSELF WITHIN THE LARGER MOVEMENT TO DEMOCRATIZE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
CONTACT TEH CAMPAIGN AND SEE HOW YOU CAN HELP - MARCH TO ALBANY OR JOIN IN ALONG THE WAY.
SID MASSEY
Small progressive schools serve a diverse student population.  
-----Original Message----- 
From: Donna Nevel [mailto:[email protected]] 
Sent: Sat 4/12/2003 3:23 PM 
To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Bruce Kanze 
Cc: 
Subject: [ProgressiveEd] Re: recent comments
	A couple of responses to recent comments: NYC schools have always been segregated and racist. They were segregated before decentralization, and have been so since then. There is absolutely no evidence that Klein and Bloomberg have shown any commitment to desegregation.  The school decentralization movement followed a very organized movement to integrate NYC pucblic shcools. Recognizing that  schools continued to be segregated and racist, the movement for community control---led by communities of color--wanted to at least insure that communities of color would have control to create anti-racist schools (with anti-racist teachers and administration) that respected and reflected the community. Whatever one thinks of the current school boards and their successes and failures, it seems to me that the principle of  community control/decentralization  is fundamental to challenging the system of apartheid that so characterizes our schools and so! ciety and to creating what communities of color, low-income communities, and others have fought long and hard for--the basic human right to just and equitable public education.  Donna Nevel
	>From: [email protected] 
	>To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 
	>Subject: Re: [ProgressiveEd] Report on Friday's NYS Senate Majority Task Force 4/4 Pub... 
	>Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 13:44:52 EDT 
	> 
	>As we decide where we stand on preserving the local school districts and 
	>boards, I think Shael's questions are extremely important. In District 3 my 
	>experience has been that the school board has been generally accountable and 
	>responsive to the majority of parents though certainly there have been groups 
	>that have been underrepresented and others whose wishes have had more 
	>response because they were well organized and articulate. 
	>I know this is not true of all school boards and districts and I believe we 
	>cannot try to keep the status quo if it has not worked for the majority of 
	>parents just because it has worked for us. 
	> 
	> > I strongly agree with Shael that as the networks are created over the next 
	> > few months, it is incumbent on progressive educators to argue for diverse 
	> > networks of schools that are not segregated by race and class. 
	> > 
	>Ann Wiener 
	>Principal, Crosssroads School 
	> 
	> 
	> 
	>In a message dated 4/10/03 20:29:27, [email protected] writes: 
	>Dear Colleagues: 
	> > 
	> > I want to raise a question that has remained largely unspoken in the debate 
	> > about preserving the local school districts.  To what degree are the 
	> > efforts by local politicians to preserve school districts connected to 
	> > their desire to preserve white middle class enclaves in our school system?  
	> > Have these district offices really been accountable and responsive to the 
	> > majority of parents?    If there is an educational argument to preserve the 
	> > districts I would like to hear it because nothing mentioned in the press 
	> > thus far has discussed how these structures have worked to support teaching 
	> > and learning. 
	> > 
	> > As the networks are created over the next few months, I think it is 
	> > incumbent on progressive educators to argue for diverse networks of schools 
	> > that are not segregated by race and class. 
	> > 
	> > Shael Polakow-Suransky 
	> > Principal, Bronx International High School 
	> > 
	> 
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