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REPRINTED FROM THENEXTMAYOR.COMApril 5, 2007 press release, (submitted via e-mail) |
*** Media Advisory *** Media Advisory *** Media Advisory ***
MAYORAL FORUM: CANDIDATES TO FACE QUESTIONS ON SCHOOL VIOLENCE AND INEQUITIES AMONG SCHOOLS
CONTACT
Ali Kronley, ACORN, 267-408-5582
Andi Perez, YUC, 215-416-3862
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2007
WHAT: A mayoral candidates' forum on education, led by students and parents; release of recommendations for the next mayor.
TIME AND LOCATION:
April 12, 2007 Time 7:00 PM
Place: Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad (enter on Mt. Vernon)
PURPOSE: Philadelphia public school parents and students are gathering to ask mayoral candidates for their plans for improving the public schools, particularly neighborhood schools.
Candidates will be asked, among other things, to articulate their plans for reducing school violence and improving achievement at neighborhood high schools.
Referring to the promised – but stalled – new school for West Philadelphia High School, Philadelphia Student Union member Lawrence Mahoney-Jones remarked, "We deserve the same chance as everyone else to have the kinds of resources for the new school that were promised to us. Making West Philadelphia High School into smaller schools will change the climate and make it safer for everyone." Members of Philadelphia Student Union and Youth United for Change have examined research showing that small schools both reduce violence and raise student achievement, in part by enabling students to have a voice and to develop relationships with teachers.
"It’s time to put to rest the myth that the mayor is not a key player in city schools,” explained Ken Jones, a member of ACORN, a community organization. “The mayor has substantial power and influence in determining the fate of our schoolchildren. The mayor appoints two members of the School Reform Commission, controls hundreds of millions of dollars in city funding for schools ,and plays a key role in securing other funding. And on critical issues like school safety, dropouts, social services, and attracting skilled staff, city government needs to be working hand-in-hand with the District to make any real progress."
“Parents stand united with our youth to call for the end of citywide school inequity. The promise of an equitable education for all Philadelphia students remains unfulfilled,” asserted Dolores Shaw, a public school parent and Vice Chair of the Eastern Pennsylvania Organizing Project.
Philadelphia Cross City Campaign is a coalition of local education groups that are committed to improving Philadelphia public schools through organizing parents, students, and other stakeholders for change. Members include: ACORN, Eastern Pennsylvania Organizing Project, Education Law Center, Good Schools Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Citizens for Children & Youth, Philadelphia Education Fund, Philadelphia Student Union, and Youth United for Change.
The forum is in collaboration with the Philadelphia Inquirer-U.Penn Great Expectations initiative and is co-sponsored by Parents United for Public Education, Temple's Youth VOICES project, and Teach for America – Philadelphia.