Media Advisory - Tues. June 6, 5:30 PM: Press Conference as Parents and Educators Reject NY State Education Department’s Flawed ESSA Proposal & Process Before Brooklyn Hearing

For immediate release

CONTACT: Kemala Karmen |  917-807-9969 | kemala@nycpublic.org

MEDIA Advisory

Parents and Educators Reject NY State Education Department’s Flawed ESSA Proposal & Process in Advance of Brooklyn Hearing

WHEN: Tuesday, June 6, 5:30 PM

WHERE: In front of the Prospect Heights Educational Campus, 883 Classon Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225. (2/3 trains to Eastern Parkway station, near Brooklyn Museum)

WHAT: The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the successor legislation to the Bush-era No Child Left Behind (NCLB) bill. Because ESSA gives states more latitude in defining their school accountability systems than did NCLB, New York’s families and educators were looking forward to the state creating an accountability system that incentivized schools to provide children with a high quality, well-rounded education. Instead, the New York State Education Department, under Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, is proposing that the Board of Regents adopt a system that doubles down on testing, counts opt out students as having failed the exams for the purpose of school accountability, and guarantees the continuation of narrowed test-prep curriculum that has spurred the nation’s largest test refusal movement.

WHY: To let the public and Board of Regents know that parents and educators reject NYSED’s proposal and the flawed process which led to it, including a “think tank” composed of working groups where NYSED controlled the discussion and pre-ordained the damaging outcome.   

WHO: Speakers to include public school parents Lisa Rudley, Executive Director and founding member of New York State Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE); Jeanette Deutermann, founder of Long Island Opt Out and NYSAPE; Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters; Kemala Karmen, NYC Opt Out.  Both Haimson and Karmen were members of the NYSED ESSA Think Tank working groups.

VISUALS: Parents and educators, signs, banners, giant keys

NYSAPE is a grassroots coalition with over 50 parent and educator groups across the state.

Class Size Matters is a non-profit organization that advocates for smaller classes in NYC’s public schools and the nation as a whole.

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