Tag Archives: Tell your Friends & Family
Out of the mouths of babes…
Last night the Paterson Board of Education and the community members wrestled with the latest version of Paterson’s school transformation plan. Of the more than three hours of comment and debate, the contribution of the children stands out for me. Faced … Continue reading
Paterson Kids Count Full Report
How are the children? Stuggling. We all know that. However, Paterson Kids Count shows us a detailed, rounded picture of our children’s conditions over the past five years. For us at PEF, the critical point is the low literacy achievement by … Continue reading
Lawless in NJ? School funding redux
This could be the week we hear from the NJ Supreme Court about the School Funding Reform Act of 2008. Is the state required to follow the law? Or can a governor and legislature simply ignore the law? If the governor … Continue reading
You are not alone if you organize
I’ll tell you a secret. At some point, every parent feels like they are the only one with the problem. You are angry, maybe embarassed. You don’t know what to do. It feels too big to tackle. You get angry … Continue reading
Can you hear the children?
Tonight, PEF will hold its annual School Board Candidate Forum. I’ll be listening for the candidates to talk about the needs of our children. Do we have enough teachers? Are classrooms overcrowded? How do we reduce the use of suspensions? … Continue reading
Where is the money? Come and look.
We have moved tonight’s PEF “Follow the Money” workshop to Wednesday nite as the Paterson Public Schools moved the budget hearing until next week. So plan to join us Wednesday nite at 6 pm at the PEF offices to unearth … Continue reading
Can I get a witness? NJ Supreme Court Jan. 5th
On January 5th, the NJ Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of the School Funding Reform Act of 2008 [SFRA]. I hope that you will plan to join us in Trenton at the hearing to represent our children and our … Continue reading
Are we ready for change? Dr. Evans forum raises rigor & questions
More choice. Academic rigor. New school configurations. School/teacher reward plans. I listened to Dr. Evans at Thursday night’ forum with hope and dread. Hope: Because the strategic plan and this year’s targets are bold and doable. Dread: Because the foes … Continue reading
All alone, waiting for Superman
Yesterday, I went to see “Waiting for Superman, with four colleagues. Going with my trusted colleagues is very important to this story, because I didn’t go alone. As I think back upon the film, I’m stuck by the isolation of … Continue reading
12 things you can do to help Paterson schools: Our children need you!
Twelve Things You Can Do to Change Paterson Public Schools Making change in Paterson is NOT a spectator sport! We need everyone’s help to move forward. Here are 12 things you can do to make change. 1. Take action, don’t just grumble. … Continue reading