Students for Education Reform

I met a couple of weeks ago with an amazing group of Princeton students who’ve started Students for Education Reform.  They gave up a week of vacation to come to NYC to visit high-performing schools like KIPP, AF and Harlem Success and meet with various ed reformers.  I think this could be VERY powerful – see the article below about the impact student activists can have – so if you want to help or get involved, please contact one of the leaders of the organization, Catharine Bellinger, at cbelling@princeton.edu.  Here’s an email from her with further details:

 

The name of the group you saw today was the Princeton University Breakout Brooklyn Trip (pace.princeton.edu/breakout), but the group that I started on campus is called Students For Education Reform. You can find info about SFER at: http://americanedreview.blogspot.com/2009/09/announcing-students-for-education.html#more, and we blog at americanedreview.blogspot.com.  We also have a Facebook page here, with over 200 members:

www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=171815075851. The group was started one week ago, and we are aiming to double our numbers by the end of next week. [I just joined.]

 

Here’s an excerpt from the article on the front page of the business section of today’s NYT, underscoring the impact students can have:

The anti-sweatshop movement at dozens of American universities, from Georgetown to U.C.L.A., has had plenty of idealism and energy, but not many victories.

Until now.

The often raucous student movement announced on Tuesday that it had achieved its biggest victory by far. Its pressure tactics persuaded one of the nation’s leading sportswear companies, Russell Athletic, to agree to rehire 1,200 workers in Honduras who lost their jobs when Russell closed their factory soon after the workers had unionized.

 

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Labor Fight Ends in Win for Students

 

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

Published: November 17, 2009

www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/business/18labor.html

The anti-sweatshop movement at dozens of American universities, from Georgetown to U.C.L.A., has had plenty of idealism and energy, but not many victories.

Until now.

The often raucous student movement announced on Tuesday that it had achieved its biggest victory by far. Its pressure tactics persuaded one of the nation’s leading sportswear companies, Russell Athletic, to agree to rehire 1,200 workers in Honduras who lost their jobs when Russell closed their factory soon after the workers had unionized.