Community-Wide Summit for Educational Change March 11 and 12

Community-Wide Education Summit In March

The Community Education Task Force (CETF), Coalition for Common Sense in Education (CCSE), Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), and Metro Justice (MJ) -- known collectively as Parent and Community Groups for Educational Change --- in conjunction with the Rochester Teachers Association, Rochester Association of Paraprofessionals, Board of Education Nonteaching Employees and the Association of Administrators of Rochester, have been working to bring together a broad-based group of community leaders. They are hosting a Community-Wide Education Summit in March to build on existing momentum toward the development of an ongoing movement for educational change and improvement in the Rochester city schools. The summit will begin Friday evening, March 11 followed by a full day of work on Saturday, March 12.

The Friday evening welcoming plenary will feature former Rochester Mayor William A. Johnson, Jr. and Dr. Adelaide L. Sanford, Vice Chancellor Emeritus, New York State Board of Regents. It will begin at 6pm in the East High School Forum room.

Saturday’s agenda (8:30am – 5pm at Rochester Plaza Hotel) will emphasize focused working sessions organized around eight </span><span>Principles for Fundamental Educational Change developed by the CETF as a starting place for the summit’s work. Morning registration will be accompanied by light breakfast and lunch will feature reflections from distinguished guests. Collaborating groups have convened a broad representation of Rochester parents, students, educators, and community leaders to develop the agenda for the summit.

Organizers aim to launch a movement to fundamentally change education in Rochester . They anticipate a large turnout of parents, students, educators and other community members who will be asked to identify a focus area of interest to them (one of the CETF’s eight Principles for Change) and to collaborate intensively with others interested in that focus. Each group will be asked to propose two short-term and two long-term goals for fundamentally improving education in city schools. The work will not end there: participants will be invited to join ongoing efforts to implement those goals.

All summit events are free and open to the public. Ongoing new co-sponsorships for the summit are welcomed. Checks or money orders are tax deductable and should be made out to Leadership For Reform Institute/CETF, and mailed to PO Box 15604 , Rochester , NY 14615 .

The Community Education Task Force is a group of parents, grandparents, students, educators and community activists working for community-led, fundamental educational change in Rochester . The group meets every Tuesday at 5:30 PM at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 350 Chili Ave. For more information 585 317-2367 </span><span>http://communityeducationtaskforce.rocus.org/</span>

CETF Working Principles In Brief

1. Eliminate racism and establish cultural equity in schools

2. Establish relevant and broad-based parent, student and community involvement

3. Demand measurable accountability for all stakeholders

4. Increase local control and reject further attempts to privatize the public school system.

5. Produce widespread, broad-based civic and political engagement of all stakeholders

6. Reform standardized testing

7. Implement effective and proven approaches, including early childhood education

8. Eliminate/mitigate devastating effects of concentrated poverty