News From SWW

July 7, 2002: BIG NEWS ITEMS

Date: 7 Jul 2002

To: School Without Walls Community Board Members
From: Dan Drmacich
Re: BIG NEWS ITEMS

1. If you've opened the previous e-mail I forwarded you, you'll see that the NYS Legislature is going to hold hearings this Fall on the impact of the Regents Exam driven reform effort on teaching and learning. This is exactly what we had hoped for. It will give SWW supporters and those who oppose high-stakes testing in all schools the opportunity to speak out publicly around the state. We will need to assist in this effort by organizing teachers, students, administrators, alumni, parents, community people and college-level folks to speak at the hearings around the state. This will be our chance to present data and personal stories on how th Regents Exams and curriclum has negatively affected students and schools. Please start thinking about who you know in various parts of NYS and what you can do to influence them to speak at the regional hearings in the Fall. It is very important that individuals representing schools ,other than those like SWW, speak out, I will also be sending you another e-mail which states that a Regent is also calling for an independent Regents investigation of the Regents Exams. It is important that the Co-chairs of the NYS Legislature's Ed. Committee do not see this as reason to abandon their planned hearings. A phone call to Senator Kuhl and/or Assemblyman Sanders to encourage them to follow through with the hearings would be in our best interests. Their names and addresses can be accessed off the NYS Senate or Assembly websites.

2. The second piece of big news is that the SWW Community Board has been awarded another $10,000 grant from the NYC Community Studies, Inc. organization; which is funded by the Gates Foundation to encourage small, innovative schools. We'll need to meet to discuss means of using the money to assist with their goal.

3. Could each SWW Community Board member (and those of you who would like to be members) e-mail me with the weeks this summer you are unavailable and the best times of day that you are able to meet. Our organization of the Fall Hearings and the question of how we can creatively use the funds for helping to make the hearings a success should be major agenda items for us.

I am still confident that we will win this war!!!

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