Demonstrating for public education; Showing support on Main Street

Posted 8/21/12

LIBERTY, NY — There are a couple of major divisive issues facing the education system in New York State. One is the Common Core program, which has resulted in increased testing for students, which …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Demonstrating for public education; Showing support on Main Street

Posted

LIBERTY, NY — There are a couple of major divisive issues facing the education system in New York State. One is the Common Core program, which has resulted in increased testing for students, which in turn has an impact on teacher evaluation. The other issue is the push for more charter schools in the state, which are funded with public school money.

The Liberty Faculty Association (LFA) and the union that represents the teachers there wanted to show support for public schools, and organized a rally at LaPolt Park in Liberty on May 15. The event attracted more than 100 teachers, students and parents.

Ebony Jones, a junior at Liberty High School, addressed the Common Core standards in a conversation with The River Reporter. She said, “School is so hard, you don’t even know what you love anymore. All this stuff distracts you from what your goal was when you were little. It’s just so hard.”

Asked if it was increased Common Core testing that makes it hard, she said, “It’s that, it’s the stress, the pressure; you lose sight of what you used to love, what drives you to go to school every day.”

Maureen Crescitelli, president of LFA, said the rally was about both issues and more. She said, “It’s about public education and keeping the priorities in the districts, and not letting education go into a business mode. It’s about not over-testing our kids, and it’s about doing what’s best for our children and making sure they have the best possible education.”

There have been many demonstrations regarding education across the state in recent months. Crescitelli said she believes the message is getting through to policymakers. She said, “I think Gov. Andrew Cuomo is seeing that we’re not going to back down, and we really do want what’s best for our kids. It’s grass roots, and people are starting to mobilize, and I think we’re going to change education.”

In a sign of growing opposition to the direction of education in recent years, an estimated 200,000 students in public schools in the state—about 20%—chose to not participate in Common Core tests for grades three through eight, which were administered in April.

Tim Hamblin, vice president of LFA, “I think the whole parental push with the opt-out really opened some eyes at the board of regents and with the governor, and I think we’ll have some results.”

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here