N.Y. parents must unite to demand better school choices
Speaking of Eva, she sent me this email yesterday:
As you may know, last night was our second and controversial space hearing at P.S. 123. Hundreds of our parents came out in support. It was, of course, a heated discussion, but was so incredibly moving to see parents speaking to each other about the issue of quality public schools.
In conjunction with the space hearing, I wanted to make sure to send along this terrific op-ed in today’s Daily News written by one of our parents, Kyesha Bennett. Kyesha has a son in kindergarten at Harlem Success Academy and is one of the founding parents of Harlem Parents United.
It is indeed a wonderful op-ed -- an absolute must-read. Here's an excerpt:
Flash forward 22 years. Last year, I needed to find a school for my son. I assumed that things would have changed somewhat - and for the better - within 20 years. I was shocked to find my options in Harlem were almost identical to my mother's in the 1980s. I remember crying to my mother on the phone out of frustration.
Finally, I heard about a charter school in the neighborhood. People said good things about it. I put my son in the lottery.
He was 114th on the waiting list - but I prayed for him to get in, and after a few twists and turns, he did. He's there now and we love it.
My experience made me realize that all parents should have good school choices. That's why I've joined with other mothers and fathers to found a group called Harlem Parents United. I consider this a civil rights movement - because civil rights is about freedom, and freedom is about making choices...
But the swell of support from the grass roots hasn't made a difference to some in my community. Indeed, a hearing last night at PS 123 attracted plenty of opponents to the new charter school.
What's even worse is that some of our elected officials are stoking the anti-charter flames rather than fighting for better options for all our kids.
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N.Y. parents must unite to demand better school choices
By KYESHA BENNETT
Wednesday, April 2nd 2008, 4:00 AM
My mom gave me an early lesson in school choice. I was going to a school in Harlem that didn't meet standards, so she got me into Public School 87 on the upper West Side. I was 9, and I had to get myself and my 6-year-old sister to a school 2 miles away by public bus. Every morning, we'd wake up early to take the M106. I would hold my little sister's hand and make sure I had my emergency dimes for phone calls.
Maybe it sounds crazy to you for kids to travel alone in New York City, but my mom believed that going to my "zoned school" was more dangerous for my future. Most parents in her predicament sent their children to parochial school, but my mother is a fighter. She believed that education was a civil right, and that, as a matter of principle, she should not have had to pay to have her kids attend an adequate school.
posted by Whitney Tilson at 8:45 AM
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