The Real Impact of Charters on Education Equity, Accountability

The crowd that filled Madison Park High School’s Cardinal Hall on January 25 heard a wide-ranging, rich presentation on the impact of charter schools in Massachusetts. Parents, educators and advocates provided a multifaceted presentation on the charter schools, with several unifying themes.

 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Charters Foster Inequity – Winners and Losers

Keynote speaker Dr. Daniella Ann Cook, Assistant Professor in the Department of Instruction at the University of South Carolina, reported on her research into the transforming of the New Orleans Public Schools into, as of next year, the nation’s first all-charter system.

Cook said school reform is far more than a technical discussion of curriculum and instruction; it is always political, social and racial. She noted that charter proponents saw New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina as a “green field of opportunity,” a way to wipe away the existing system and put in place something entirely new. She noted that among those wiped away from this mostly black school system were black teachers (an issue that resonates in Boston).   → Read More

Conference Honoring Darwin | Nov. 20, 2009

On Friday, November 20, 2009, a conference for scientists and science teachers will be held in Cambridge, MA, at the Whitehead Institute, honoring the 150th Anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species.”

A morning session for the MIT community will feature lectures by some of the foremost experts in the evolution of the vertebrate eye and vision science (8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.).

A special two-hour afternoon session beginning at 4:15 p.m. will be geared towards high school biology teachers, with the opportunity to hear from the same experts who lectured in the morning, including Darwin scholar John Durant, director of the MIT Museum; Dr. Graeme Wistow, section chief on Molecular Structure and Function at the National Eye Institute; Prof. Nancy Kanwisher, investigator at MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research; and Prof. Constance Cepko, a Harvard Medical School geneticist.

After the afternoon talks, breakout sessions will allow teachers to explore specific topics in small groups with the scientists.   → Read More

CPS Presents “Educating the Whole Student” | Oct. 17, 2009

Whole Child Conference

Whole Child Conference - October 17, 2009

Citizens for Public Schools is proud to present a conference for parents, students, community leaders, educators, activists, advocates, policy makers, and anyone interested in the education and welfare of our children. REGISTER NOW: IT’S NOT TOO LATE!

Date: Saturday, October 17, 2009
Location: Bunker Hill Community College
250 New Rutherford Ave., Boston, MA 02129.
Time: 10am-2pm (Registration opens at 9am) in Lecture Hall C202. Complete directions and parking information are here. Note: Due to construction on Rutherford Ave., enter parking lots via Austin St., opposite the 99 Restaurant.
Cost: $25 registration fee before October 12   *$12 students & seniors

Morning refreshments and lunch will be provided for Conference Registrants

Also Featuring: Keynote speaker Deborah Meier and Dr. Louis Kruger’s insightful documentary about the failings of the MCAS, which will be screened before and after the conference.

Registration: Please click the Donate Now button below and select “October 17 Conference” to register for the conference.

   → Read More