News From SWW

February 11, 2002 Community Board Meeting Minutes

Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 01:28:30

To: School Without Walls Community Board Members
From: Dan Drmacich
Re: Feb. 7th Community Board Minutes

Present: David Quick, Ellen Asprooth, Norm Bauer, Al Smith, Dan Drmacich, Peter Mitchell

Discussion & Action:

1. Norm Bauer volunteered to reassume the duties of Community Board Chairperson. All present approved.

2. The Board worked on reviewing & approving the final draft of the Community Board's position statement on how we believe the standardized education reform agenda of the State Education Department & Board of Regents is undermining the teaching of democratic values in schools. Norm agreed on the minimal changes suggested & volunteered to contact the D&C Opinion Page editor to determin their interest in printing it. Dan will contact the City Newspaper to work out details on a half-page ad. We will also work to distribute the statement to every organization possible for the purpose of inviting discussion. Dan will also send the final text to Betsy Delaney for distribution through the SWW website.

3. Dan distributed the dates for State-wide Regents hearings on middle school Regents Exams. The Coalition for Common Sense in Education (CCSE) & the New York Performance Assessment Consortium (of which SWW is a member) are attempting to organize folks from around the state to speak out against Regents high-stakes Exams. Although the focus of the hearings are middle school, the concept of the exams being detrimental to the education of all students is the same. We need to encourage anyone we know who has something to say against Regents Exams to speak out at one or more of these hearings.

They are:

• 3/7: Buffalo @ Raddison Hotel, 3-8 pm.
• 3/21: SUNY @ Stoneybrook, 1-5pm
• 3/22: Adlphi University, 8:30-12 noon
• 3/26: Monroe County, 3:30-7pm @place TBA
• 3/27: Auburn @ Holiday Inn, 1-4pm
• 3/28: Oneonta: Holiday Inn, 10am-3pm
• 4/8: Utica, Hartz Hill Inn, 4-8pm
• 4/9: Canton Community College, 9-3pm
• 4/10: Central Valley , Central Valley School District, 9am-1pm

4. Dan also shared information on how the CCSE is working with the Rochester Teachers Association to develop a joint plan on fighting high-stakes testing. He distributed a resolution passed by the Faculty Congress of the City College University of NYC, that strongly opposses high-stakes testing and calls for a joint resolution by AFT & NYSUT against it, as well as action against it.

5. Next meeting is March 28th, 4:30pm @ SWW. Please mark your calanders. It should be another very interesting meeting.

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