June 5, 2009 - Citizen Action of New York Action Alert

June 4, 2009 - ONE Massachusetts Update

June 3, 2009 - NJ Violates Recovery Act In Proposed Use Of Federal Stimulus Funds For Education

June 2, 2009 - CAYL Institute Hosts "Statewide Open House Day for Family Child Care Programs"

June 1, 2009 - Almost half of New York City students attend overcrowded schools

May 18, 2009 - Training the Next Generation of Progressive Policy Leaders

April 22, 2009 - The New England Journal of Higher Education Spring 2009 Edition Features Annual Special Report on "Trends & Indicators," Forum on Internationalization

April 21, 2009 - Wilson-Giarratano named president, CEO of Girls Inc.

April 17, 2009 - CAYL President Honored by BAEYC

April 13, 2009 - Announcing the 2009 Nellie Mae Education Foundation Early Care and Education Policy Forums

April 8, 2009 - An Appetite for Taxes and a Civics Lesson

March 29, 2009 - Tough tasks for Regents' chief Merryl Tisch

March 27, 2009 - Reception honored men in early childhood education by recognizing that men in the field are an "endangered species"

March 26, 2009 - In Budget Talks, Higher Tax Brackets and No Increase in School Spending

March 25, 2009 - Activists denounce education cuts at State House rally

March 22, 2009 - A Diverse Set of Voices Struggles to Be Heard on School Control

June 3, 2008 - 'Sex and the City' star Cynthia Nixon rips school cuts

April 10, 2008 - New York City and Long Island Benefit From Deal in Albany

March 24, 2008 - New Faces, New Education Funding Questions in New York

Citizen Action of New York Action Alert

This has certainly been an interesting week, and today’s events were no different. As Republican Senators filed into the chamber this morning, a group of protesters led by Citizen Action chanted “Voters Not Donors” and “Senate Not For Sale.”

At the same time, protests in Buffalo and Rochester were also taking place – Buffalo’s in front of the State Office Building, and Rochester’s in front of the Paychex offices (Tom Golisano’s company).

Today we sent a strong message that a billionaire’s political power grab will not silence the people’s reform agenda – legislation that would create affordable health care and housing, environmental protections, marriage equality, and public financing of elections.

And throughout the week, you made calls and sent emails and faxes to key members of the legislature. Our actions this week have really made a difference. We’ve made it clear that New York State government must work for all New Yorkers.

Yesterday, we asked you to take 3 actions: call the Democratic Senator(s) closest to you, sign up to be a Citizen Action First Responder, and fill out a friends and neighbors list.

Today, we need you to do it again:

1. Even if you made calls to Senators yesterday, your call today and tomorrow can still have a strong impact. See the full list of Democratic Senators below. Tell them "we voted for a Democratic Majority in November and we will not accept this hijacking of democracy. We will continue to support you and the Democratic Majority we elected."
2. Over 65 people signed up to be a Citizen Action First Responder yesterday. If you weren’t one of those people, we need you! Our First Responders team will be able to act within a day’s notice to make real change. Click here to become a First Responder now!
3. Did you fill out a friends and neighbors list yesterday? If not, click here to do it now! Spreading the word about our work is the only way we’ll grow the movement – and your list of contacts is the perfect place to start.

Thanks so much for everything you’ve done this week!
Karen Scharff
Executive Director

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ONE Massachusetts Update

Weekly Highlights

How often do you have one of those moments when you look around you and truly believe that you are among people who not only can, but will make a difference in our world?

Even as folks who work on a daily basis with grassroots organizations and community activists, this Tuesday's trainings - focused on youth organizers and their capacity to make real change - was an inspiring event! Organized by the Youth Policy Initiative, we gathered with nonprofit staff and student activists from across the state to discuss how they talk about government - and how they interact with their communities. For more information on this exciting day, see Community News below.

With the importance of ongoing discussions surrounding our state budget priorities and tax policies, we only hope that we can all be as engaged as these young adults are. That is why we are renewing our offer to provide Train the Trainer sessions in your community!

For more information on how you can be a founding member of one of our regional member-training teams, see below under Civic Engagement.

Here is a look at what else has been going on across Massachusetts:

Civic Engagement

Goal: By 2013, the voice and input of the state's multi-racial, multi-ethnic communities will create a counterweight to the currently dominant voice and will be tangibly reflected in the public decision making process.

Get Involved:

• Regional Training Teams - Sign Up Now! It is clear to Massachusetts advocates, as well as our legislative and executive leadership, that the revenues currently being debated by the State Budget Conference Committee will not go far enough to address our structural deficit and to support our public structures. This means that we will see ongoing revenue discussions this fall. These debates over state tax policies and budget priorities will have profound implications for the future of all of our communities.

Now more than ever, it is critical for concerned residents to weigh in on the important decisions being made by legislators and state officials.

That is why ONE Massachusetts is offering updated trainings - in English and Spanish - designed to give Massachusetts residents the tools they need to understand the implications of tax and budget policies and to advocate effectively on all areas of public policy.

To take place in a free Train the Trainer session - either for your own education, or to become a ONE Massachusetts Regional Trainer - contact one of the following ONE Massachsuetts staff members:

• Western Massachusetts, North Shore, South Shore - Harmony Blakeway
• Central Massachusetts - Carmen Arce Bowen
• Greater Boston - Yawu Miller

• Boston Residents - Ask Your Questions! MassVOTE wants to know what questions you would like asked of the Boston Mayoral and At-Large City Councilor candidates. Contact Cheryl Crawford at MassVOTE with your questions today!

Updates:

• Neighborhood Discussions. This past Monday, over forty Neighbor to Neighbor members met with the Governor in Worcester to discuss N2N's priorities and hold him accountable to their needs... They stressed the need for new progressive revenue to protect programs from cuts and invest in our state's health care, education and housing systems for the long-term. They also asked for his commitment to push CORI reform this year and to work with N2N on a long-term plan to reform the state's income tax.

Revenue

Goal: By 2013, a fair, adequate, and stable tax system will be implemented. It will raise sufficient revenue so that state and local governments can fund the array of services needed.
 
Updates:

• Governor Releases FY10 Budget Rewrite. Gov. Deval Patrick staked out budget veto positions Thursday, challenging lawmakers on politically tricky terrain like police benefits, state employee health insurance contributions, and Medicaid for unauthorized immigrants in a revised version of his fiscal 2010 spending plan.

With policymakers still scrambling to erase the red ink in the current fiscal year, the Senate passed a $646 million supplemental spending bill that includes $64 million for the Boston Medical Center, spending the House opposes, setting up a likely conference committee on budget fixes for the fiscal year that has 26 days remaining. Legally required due to a $1.5 billion downgrade in tax projections, Patrick's budget rewrite, overdue by about two weeks, lowers spending by 2.5 percent below projected fiscal 2009 levels and by roughly 3.8 percent below his original fiscal 2010 budget, calling for $794 million more in cuts. [State House News Service] [More on Governor's Budget - including above video - at Boston.com]

• MBTA Fare Increase? James Aloisi announced a possible 15-20% hike in MBTA fares this fall. "We need to have a multi-year solution," Aloisi said. He's hoping this fare increase will prevent another one from being necessary for at least two to three years.

Government Reform

Goal: By 2013, a transparent, accessible and accountable state and local policy-making process will be in place.

Upcoming:

• Comprehensive Ethics and Procurement Reform. In light of the recent federal indictment of former Speaker Sal DiMasi, statements have been made by Governor Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, and Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo are calling for the passing of comprehensive ethics reform.

In a joint statement, the three leaders said, "The news of yesterday's indictments and the nature of the charges are deeply disturbing. All three of us have put forth serious proposals dealing with ethics, lobbying and campaign finance reform, the details of which are currently being negotiated in conference committee. In light of the recent developments, we believe it is critical that we stand united in our shared commitment to restoring the public trust. Therefore, we have agreed that ethics reform legislation will be passed and signed into law swiftly that includes the best provisions from all three of our proposals. We owe the people of Massachusetts nothing less."  [More information on Ethics Reform: Emily Rooney Video, Boston.com]

• Budget Transparency. MASSPIRG released a letter yesterday to the Budget Conference Committee members, requesting support for budget transparency reforms in outside sections 7A and 15.

Outside Section 7A calls for Secretary of Administration and Finance to create and maintain a searchable website detailing the costs, recipients, and purposes for all appropriations, including contracts, grants, subcontracts, tax expenditures and other subsidies funded by the state government. The database will include state revenue sources and expenses including the "quasi-public" agencies. The web portal shall be accessible to the public and updated on a regular basis. 

Outside Section 15 will allow a meaningful review of the hundreds of millions of dollars spent each year in tax credits for various initiatives from historic preservation to brownfields restoration, to economic stimulus to employment.

For more information on the letter, or on budget transparency, please contact MASSPIRG.

Community News

Exploring Attitudes About Youth & Talking About Government

Over one hundred and fifty community advocates - both adults and students - gathered Tuesday to explore deeply-held beliefs in the United States surrounding our government, and the perceptions of youth in our communities. Because research has proven that teens are often somehow seen as both 'our hope for the future' and 'the cause of all of our problems," the group explored ways to effectively communicate about their activities within our communities to build safer, healthier places for all of us to live.

A few facts about the Millenial Generation (those born between 1982 and 2003) that surprised some attendees included the following:

• The Millenial Generation is three million people larger than the Baby Boomers.
• The Millenials are a Civic Generation - groups that come around every eighty years (like the G.I. Generation) that are willing to put aside political and ideological differences to take action and make a real change in how things are done.
• The Millenials are the most tolerant and educated generation in U.S. history.
• The Millenials, more than any previous generation, believe in the mission and purpose of our government, and are willing to pay for it.
  
  More information about the Millenial Generation can be found at: MillenialMakeover.com

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NJ Violates Recovery Act In Proposed Use Of Federal Stimulus Funds For Education

June 3, 2009 – Newark, NJ

The Education Law Center (ELC) is calling on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to reject New Jersey’s application for federal education stimulus funding because the State does not propose to fund increases and “equity and adequacy” adjustments in its new school funding formula.

New Jersey’s amended application is dated May 28, 2009, and requests an initial allocation of State Fiscal Stabilization Funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Today, ELC sent Secretary Duncan a letter detailing defects in the State application.

“The ARRA is quite clear on how stabilization funds are to be used for fiscal years 2009 to 2011,” said David Sciarra, ELC Executive Director and author of the letter to Secretary Duncan. “New Jersey does not intend to fund state funding formula increases, including ‘equity and adequacy adjustments,’ as the ARRA requires.”

In an earlier letter to Governor Jon Corzine, ELC noted that the proposed state budget for FY2010 does not fully fund the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA), the State’s school aid formula enacted in January 2008. The under-funding of formulas enacted prior to October 1, 2008, is contrary to express provisions of the ARRA.

The letter to Secretary Duncan also notes that, according to New Jersey’s application, the state plans to spend almost 80% of its stabilization funds in FY2010, “leaving only $239.5 million to address formula funding in FY2011.”

“Most importantly, the State’s application provides no assurance, or any other information, on how New Jersey will meet the formula funding requirements of ARRA in 2011,” Sciarra writes, “particularly when the SFRA will generate further equity and adequacy increases for New Jersey’s at-risk students and school districts.”

ELC also notes that the State’s application contradicts the May 28 NJ Supreme Court decision in the landmark Abbott v. Burke litigation. This decision allowed the State to implement the SFRA, but conditioned on full funding of the formula. The Court noted that federal stabilization dollars provide a “substantial cushion” to allow the State to fund the SFRA formula through 2011.

Read the full text of the ELC letter to Secretary Duncan and New Jersey’s May 21, 2009, ARRA Application and May 28, 2009, Amended Application.

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CAYL Institute hosted a "Statewide Open House Day for Family Child Care Programs"

On June 2, 2009, the CAYL Institute hosted a "Statewide Open House Day for Family Child Care Programs" from 10 AM - Noon. Massachusetts families, advocates, and legislators are invited to visit high quality, exemplary family child care providers in action across the Commonwealth.

Dr. Sherri Killins, Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care Commissioner, visited the Funtimes Family Child Care in Watertown (pictured).

State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz spent the morning with a family child care program in Jamaica Plain (pictured).
 
This Statewide Open House Day was followed by a CAYL Nellie Mae Education Foundation Policy Forum held on June 3, 2009 at Cambridge College, 1000 Mass. Avenue. Over 70 people attended this Policy Forum, titled "Caring, Credibility and Credentials: Advancing Family Child Care in Massachusetts." The Forum included a presentation by Deborah Moore, Senior Policy Analyst, Maryland Committee for Children, Inc. and panelists Benita Allen-Adejube, Quality Care for Children, Georgia; Lisa Anes, Florida Family Child Care Provider; Daphne Cole, Tennessee Family Child Care Alliance; Joan Matsalia, Harvard Achievement Support Initiative; Ana Thomas, Massachusetts Child Care Provider; Kathy Modigliani, Family Child Care Project; Lynson Beaulieu, The Schott Foundation; and Kathy Gallo, North Shore Community College.

For more information, background materials, and photos and video (coming soon), please visit: http://cayl.org/fccpolicyforum

The Policy Forum is sponsored by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation and the Schott Foundation for Public Education.

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Almost half of New York City students attend overcrowded schools

CFE Proposes Action Plan to Relieve Overcrowding, Launches Website for Parents to Track Overcrowded Schools in their Neighborhood

New York City — A new report from the Campaign for Fiscal Equity finds that 48% of New York City’s public school students attend an overcrowded school or a school that utilizes a temporary structure such as a trailer or annex.

The report, Maxed Out: New York City School Overcrowding Crisis, examines data from every school in New York City to provide a comprehensive overview of the most urgently overcrowded schools and school districts and proposes a policy framework for the Department of Education (DOE) to tackle the crisis.

The report found 515 school buildings with a total enrollment of 501,632 students (approximately 48% of the 1,042,078 students enrolled in the city’s public schools that year) were either overcrowded or had associated temporary structures during the 2006/07 school year based on the city’s own data available in its Enrollment–Capacity–Utilization Report for the same school year.

“Every day, nearly half of New York City’s school children go to an overcrowded school or are forced to attend class in a trailer or annex that is cut off from their main school building,” said Geri Palast, Executive Director of CFE. “This level of overcrowding makes it impossible for New York City to lower class size consistently across the city, has led to the loss of countless arts and science classrooms and libraries and limits space available for special education.”

Helaine Doran, Deputy Director of CFE, who directed Maxed Out, explained: “Previous counts of overcrowding have swept temporary structures under the rug. But this study’s comprehensive accounting remembers that schools with temporary structures are overcrowded. Their common spaces— gyms, libraries, and cafeterias— are overtaxed and their principals— whose main job should be as instructional leaders— spend too many hours overseeing the smooth running of all their buildings.”

CFE also analyzed the city’s Enrollment – Capacity – Utilization Reports dating back to the 1997-98 school year and found that 129 of the 515 schools have been overcrowded for more than a decade.

“The report’s analysis shows a snapshot in time of the overcrowding in our schools, but clearly, this is a sustained crisis, not a fleeting problem,” added Doran.

With the release of Maxed Out, CFE launched OvercrowdedNYCSchools.org, a website aimed at parents, educators and policy makers that uses an interactive, database-driven school building utilization map to visualize and track overcrowding at the borough, district and school grade level.

“Overcrowding is making it especially difficult for us to serve our lowest performing and highest needs schools and students,” Palast added. “More than 162,000 students in low performing schools attend class in an overcrowded building while more than a third of all the temporary structures such as trailers and annexes are located at low performing schools – cutting off some of our highest needs students from the broader school community.”

The Court of Appeals’ decisions in CFE v State of New York specifically cited overcrowding as a deficiency in schools with struggling students, and stated the problem of overcrowding is inseparable from excessive class size.

The report found that 105 low performing schools on the state’s 2007/08 Schools In Need of Improvement (SINI) and Schools Requiring Academic Progress (SRAP) lists— attended by a total of 162,274 students— were located in overcrowded school buildings. At the same time, 75 schools on the 2007/08 SINI/SRAP lists— with a total enrollment of 95,089 students— had 86 temporary structures between them, over 34% of the 252 temporary structures across the city.

In addition, the report found that 391 school buildings— with a total enrollment of 381,582 students, 37% of the city’s public school students that year— were overcrowded during the 2006/2007 school year, with utilization rates greater than 100%. Of those, 299 were elementary school buildings, 20 were middle school buildings, and 72 were high school buildings. At the same time, 215 school buildings— with a total enrollment of 207,236 students— had 252 temporary structures. These schools included 191 elementary school buildings, 13 middle school buildings, and 11 high school buildings.

CFE identified 51 highest priority schools that have utilization rates greater than 150%; are SINI/SRAP schools and overcrowded with utilization rates greater than 125%; or are SINI/SRAP schools, overcrowded, and have temporary structures. There are 20 schools in the first category, including 18 elementary school buildings, 1 middle school and 9 high school buildings, with a total of 32,794 students enrolled in buildings that have a targeted capacity of 20,131 students. There are 12 schools in the second category, and 18 in the third.

RECOMMENDATIONS

CFE called on the Department of Education to leverage the next capital plan and underutilized space to combat overcrowding in the 51 highest priority schools identified in the report. In addition the report recommends that the DOE develop a long-term strategy to eliminate overcrowding, with specific criteria, including releasing an annual written report for public review.

New School Construction

CFE called on the DOE to use 80,000 planned new seats to eliminate overcrowding in their 51 high priority schools. The DOE’s primary tool in relieving overcrowding is new school construction— funded through the New Capacity Program in their 5-year capital plan.

The current DOE capital plan, ending this June, aimed to construct approximately 63,000 new seats, but only approximately 21,000 have come on line, while 34,239 seats are underway but incomplete and 8,000 postponed until the next capital plan. The new 5-year plan proposes to build approximately 25,194 new seats— including the approximately 8,000 seats rolled over from the current plan. Together the two plans have the potential to add 80,000 new seats to New York City’s public school system.

The report recommends DOE re-position the new capital plan to focus on eliminating the most egregious overcrowding - particularly for high need students.

The proposed capital plan for FY2010 to 2014 contains vague goals with no specific plan to eliminate the worst conditions through either the building of new schools or other strategies.

Given that the 34,239 seats currently under construction—over 50% of the funded total seats in the last capital plan— will not begin to come on line until September 2009 and will extend out to 2012, as well as the seats that have been postponed to the next capital plan, CFE also recommended the DOE re-examine their timelines to ensure critical projects are completed in a timely manner.

Underutilized Space

The report recommends DOE develop a plan to ensure that under-utilized space is used to combat overcrowding. The report identifies 308 underutilized school buildings— with fewer than 75% of their seats filled and a cumulative excess capacity of 128,618 seats. The new DOE capital plan proposal states that there are approximately 100,000 available seats. CFE recommends the DOE identify all school buildings with space available and proximate to overcrowded buildings, use rezoning to eliminate overcrowding, and establishing new programs in underutilized buildings.

Declines in Enrollment

The report cautions against relying on projected declines in enrollment to address overcrowding. DOE enrollment projections forecast significant declines in many neighborhoods. However these declines are not evenly spread throughout the city and throughout school buildings. Projected declines —if they occur as predicted— have the potential to impact overcrowding in only a limited number of neighborhoods in Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn. Enrollment projections will have little impact on overcrowding in Queens and Staten Island and in the balance of the other three boroughs.

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Training the Next Generation of Progressive Policy Leaders

In recent years, the progressive movement has succeeded in convincing more politically conscious young people to work in grassroots activism. Yet too few college students from underrepresented communities view careers in public policy as a way to further their activism after they graduate. DMI Scholars is a program designed specifically to address this challenge. It creates a national pipeline for college activists to enter government, offering extensive training, leadership development, and networking opportunities to enable today’s campus activists to become tomorrow’s policy experts.

This year DMI poured over 250 applications to select 10 students to join our selective program. Training begins in August at our Summer Institute, an intensive two-week boot camp that exposes these students to all aspects of the public policy world. During the academic year, Scholars will continue to work with a policy research and writing coach, and learn how to build relationships with policymakers and influencers in Washington. Next summer, Scholars will be placed in policy internships and jobs within the offices of elected officials, government agencies, think tanks, and advocacy organizations.

Please join us in welcoming our 2009 class of DMI Scholars!

The DMI Scholars Summer Institute will be held in New York City August 1- August 15, 2009.  For more information about the program, please see our website: www.dmischolars.org.

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The New England Journal of Higher Education Spring 2009 Edition Features Annual Special Report on "Trends & Indicators," Forum on Internationalization

BOSTON—New England's population continues to grow more slowly than the rest of the United States and though the region outperforms the nation on most indicators of "college readiness," New England's college costs still take a bigger bite out of family incomes than those in other regions, according to data in the Spring 2009 issue of The New England Journal of Higher Education (NEJHE).

The Spring 2009 issue features NEJHE's annual special report on "Trends & Indicators in Higher Education," which includes 60-plus updated tables and charts exploring New England's demography, high school performance and graduation, college enrollment, college graduation rates and degree production, higher education financing and university research.

The annual trends data are complemented with a thought-provoking typology of "multiple pathways" to success and measures of college readiness from the College Board, among other features. Supplemental College Board data is available online here.

The Spring 2009 issue also features a Forum on the internationalization of higher education. NEJHE asked Forum authors to explore angles such as foreign enrollment in the United States, study abroad and critical issues in international partnerships.

Among articles in the Spring 2009 NEJHE:

Needed in School Teaching: A Few Good Men · The number of male teachers is at a 40-year low for reasons ranging from fear of abuse allegations to low pay. Valora Washington, president of the CAYL Institute, explains how her Cambridge, Mass.-based outfit aims to close the gender gap in teaching.

Thriving Through Recession · The constant flow of alarming economic and business news, rapidly declining endowments and potential disruption to the student-loan industry have all beaten down optimism about higher education's financial outlook. Moody's Investors Service VP Roger Goodman explains how good financial management can help colleges and universities survive the downturn, emerge more nimble and fuel overall economic recovery.

Many Sizes Fit All · To increase the number of young people with skills to succeed in the 21st century, New England needs "multiple pathways" to high-quality postsecondary options, according to independent education consultant Ephraim Weisstein and David Jacobson, senior education specialist at Cambridge Education. The two authors of a Nellie Mae Education Foundation research paper, "Building Multiple Pathways: Approaches, Relevant Programs and Implementation Considerations," offer a typology of pathway options.

Urban Interventions · Joseph Cronin, the former Massachusetts secretary of education and past president of Bentley University, who is the author of the book Reforming Boston Schools: Overcoming Corruption and Racial Segregation 1930-2006, explains how universities have contributed thousands of hours trying to help city schools to improve and asks, "With what effect?"

New England's State of College Readiness · Roxanna P. Menson, Thanos Patelis and Arthur Doyle of the College Board paint a picture of college readiness in New England by assembling the national organization's indicators of academic knowledge and skills, success in college-level courses, SAT performance and college and career planning.

Creating a Retention Quilt · Southern Vermont College President Karen Gross and her colleagues Albert DeCiccio and Anne Hopkins Gross explain how the Bennington, Vt., college uses tools ranging from discussion of Robert Frost to fireside chats to create a learning community and boost retention.

First Generation, Low-Income Students · Lyndon State College President Carol A. Moore and colleagues Donna Dalton and Robert Whittaker advance strategies to bolster the first- to second-year retention rate of first-generation, low-income students.

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Wilson-Giarratano named president, CEO of Girls Inc.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009
By Michael Goot
Gazette Reporter

SCHENECTADY — Girls Incorporated of the Greater Capital Region announced today that Gail Wilson-Giarratano has been named president and chief executive officer.

Wilson-Giarratano has 20 years of experience in the nonprofit field. She relocated to the Capital Region from Springfield, Mass., where she was most recently executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Western Massachusetts.

Wilson-Giarratano joined Girls Inc. on April 1 following a national search.

“We are delighted to introduce Gail to the Capital Region. Her background in human and social services and nonprofit management, including child and family services, as well as her personal dedication to the well being of girls, makes her the ideal leader for Girls Inc.,” said Lisa Reddy, chairwoman of the board of directors of Girls Inc. of the Greater Capital Region, in a press release.
Wilson-Giarratano has held leadership positions at the Brightside Treatment Center in West Springfield, Mass., the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition in Greenfield, Mass. and the Early Childhood Centers of Greater Springfield.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Winthrop College in Rock Hill, S.C., a master’s degree in leadership and policy from Wheelock College in Boston and is a Ph.D. candidate in applied management/decision science at Walden University in Baltimore. Wilson-Giarratano has been a Leadership Fellow in the Schott Foundation for Early Care and Education since 2004.

Wilson-Giarratano succeeds long-time Girls Inc. executive Teri Bordenave, who left the organization last November to help organize efforts to build low-income houses both internationally and in the United States.

The organization delivers educational programming to more than 20,000 youth annually between the age of 5 and 18 in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Fulton, Montgomery and Schoharie counties.

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CAYL President Honored by BAEYC

On April 17, 2009, Valora Washington, Ph.D. received the Abigail Eliot Award at the Boston Association for the Education of Young Children (BAEYC). The award, presented annually by BAEYC, is named after Abigail Adams Eliot, a pioneer in both early childhood education and training for teachers of young children.

The Eliot Award is given to honor outstanding commitment to young children and the early childhood profession not only through the work on behalf of BAEYC, but also through a record of distinguished professional achievement.

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Announcing the 2009 Nellie Mae Education Foundation Early Care and Education Policy Forums 

April 13, 2009 - Cambridge, MA

- The Nellie Mae Education Foundation has awarded a $30,000 grant to the Cambridge-based CAYL (Community Advocates for Young Learners) Institute to enhance and build the

2009 CAYL Nellie Mae Education Foundation Policy Forums

Since 2004, the CAYL Schott Fellowship in Early Care and Education (a program of the CAYL Institute), also funded by the Schott Foundation for Public Education, has offered a series of statewide Policy Forums, convening national and regional leaders on topics that are timely, relevant, and immediately actionable in the Massachusetts early care and education field.

"Bringing people together to talk about critical policy issues for young children is a priority of the CAYL Institute," said CAYL President, Dr. Valora Washington  "These Forums enable state leaders and advocates to focus on solutions and to improve the quality of services to children and families."  

"We're excited and proud to be working with the CAYL institute and the Schott Foundation to provide these important opportunities for leadership to examine how to better educate and care for our youngest citizens," said Nicholas C. Donohue, President and CEO of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. "The future of our state and our region is directly tied to the health and prosperity of today's children and we know that investing in their development and enrichment benefits all of us."

The Massachusetts early care and education environment is rapidly changing, and the CAYL Policy Forums have proven to be a constant and reliable source of information about these changes. CAYL consistently has a strong statewide audience of people who count on the Institute for this unbiased and straightforward information and for the opportunity to collaborate on the direction of change for children. Over 320 people attended the three state-wide CAYL Policy Forums held in 2008.

The 2009 CAYL Nellie Mae Education Foundation Policy Forum topics and dates are:
 
May 5, 2009: "Bringing it All Together: Enhancing the Early Care and Education Workforce"

- Research has consistently demonstrated that young children perform better when their teachers have a good education and are well compensated. Yet, nationwide, less than half of teachers of young children have either two or four year degrees. Of those that do, few have degrees in early childhood education or child development. All over the country, early care and education professionals often make little more than minimum wage and receive few, if any, benefits, which leads to the inability of the field to attract and retain well-educated professionals. High turnover rates, up to 50% in many programs and centers, can significantly impact continuity of care and create attachment difficulties for children.

Join the CAYL Schott Fellows and expert panelists as we explore how Massachusetts might create a comprehensive, coordinated system that enables our workforce to achieve higher qualifications.

Details: Tuesday, May 5, 2009, 10 AM-4 PM, 80 Prospect Street, Cambridge MA
Register online at: http://cayl.org/workforceroundtable2009

June 2, 2009: "Statewide Open House for Family Child Care Centers"

- Massachusetts families, advocates, and legislators are invited to register to visit family child care providers in action across the Commonwealth.  This Open House Day will be followed by the Policy Forum on June 3, 2009.

Register online at: http://cayl.org/fccpolicyforum

June 3, 2009:  "Care, Credibility and Credentials: Advancing Family Child Care in Massachusetts"

- This Policy Forum will explore strengths and challenges of family child care, homes that serve over 4,000 Massachusetts children each day.

Details: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 10 AM-4 PM, 1000 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA
Register online at: http://cayl.org/fccpolicyforum

July 28, 2009: "Ready to Educate All Children? What Can Massachusetts and Higher Education do to Ensure Cultural Competence?"

- This Policy Forum will examine the current issues of how well-and how useful-higher education is to the preparation of the early care and education workforce.

Details: Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 10 AM-4 PM, Location to be announced at www.cayl.org

October 6, 2009: "Ready, Set, Together: Supporting Readiness Across All Regions of the Commonwealth"

- It is common for people in areas such as Cape Cod and Western Mass to feel that the needs of their children and families are neglected. This Policy Forum will recommend ways that all regions on Massachusetts can be better served.

Details: Tuesday, October 6, 2009, 10 AM-4 PM, Location to be announced at www.cayl.org 

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An Appetite for Taxes and a Civics Lesson

April 8th, 2009
By Judy Meredith

I wish you had been there to watch the young people who waited till 4:30 to testify in favor of some of the Governor’s tax proposals yesterday in a packed Gardiner Auditorium.  The pretty thorough reporters from WBUR, the State House News via the Globe, and the Patriot Ledger missed them.

Here you see Wilne Ledesma from the Boston Arts Academy and the Youth Education Collaborative.

Here you see Co Chair Jay Kaufman asking Secretary Bigby earlier in the day, "If we give you this much in revenue, how does that correspond in the way of restored services to vital youth human service programs”?

The Youth Education collaborative got up after a parade of public officials, public health advocates and small business groups had testified and left, and these four young people out of a delegation of 18 from Sociedad Latina, Hyde Square Task Force, Boston Student Advisory Council, Boston Area Youth Organizing Project, Chinese Progressive Organization, Youth on Board, Sub/Urban Justice, and the Boston Student Alliance for the Future of Education, told the Committee their story of a year long self imposed civic lesson majoring in budget and tax policies affecting public education: they had gathered student opinion via interviews; held a series of student forums and briefing sessions within their organizations; brought delegations to meet with the Superintendent of Schools, the Mayor and every single member of the Boston School Committee and were in the midst of adding to the 1000 signatures in a petition supporting the following statement:

In the short term we support a local option meals tax and a local option hotel tax to allow cities and towns to raise much needed revenues and we support long term efficiency measures including “greening” of our buildings and eliminating waste in the school lunch program.

Props to the Youth Education Collaborative for sitting in the gallery for 6 hours after all the press had left and submitting some informed testimony. They promised to follow up with each member of the Revenue committee individually and I bet they will.

They've developed an appetite for taxes! 

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Tough tasks for Regents' chief Merryl Tisch

Daily News, March 29th 2009
By Meredith Kolodner

Merryl Tisch, who takes the helm of the powerful state Board of Regents this week, has performed a balancing act few accomplish: earning praise from city school officials - and their critics.

The daughter of a rabbi and Hebrew school principal who grew up on the lower East Side, Tisch ascends to the post at a crucial time.

She faces immediate challenges: choosing a new state commissioner and steering the state education system through a mix of budget cuts, anticipated federal dollars and the lurking issue of control over the city's schools.

The law granting the mayor control of the schools was passed in 2002 and is up for renewal in June in the state Legislature.

The Regents - who approve charter schools, oversee the commissioner and set some school policy - have no formal role in the decision, but legislators are expected to consider Tisch's position seriously.

Sitting in the board's Park Ave. offices last week, the former first-grade parochial school teacher spoke bluntly about the achievements and failures of the city's school system.

"I give them remarkably high marks for taking some of the challenges they took on," said Tisch, 53. "It's so easy to write off their success."

But Tisch didn't mince words about what she said were excesses of mayoral control.

"They took away their voice, and I think that was a mistake," she said, referring to low- and moderate-income parents.

She praised Bloomberg for rooting out dysfunction and corruption, but said the academic record under him was mixed.

She is "very concerned" about the discrepancy between rising state test scores and flat national scores.

Tisch - who was 20 when she married her husband, James, who owns the Loews Corp. - was first appointed to the Board of Regents in 1996 and elected vice chancellor in 2007.

She was just tapped to fill out the remaining year of outgoing Chancellor Robert Bennett's three-year term.

City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein has called her election a "terrific choice."

Many of his critics agreed: Diane Ravitch praised her as an "outspoken advocate" for accuracy on graduation rates, and leaders of the Alliance for Quality Education and the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lauded her insistence on matching increased standards with adequate funding.

The charter school advocate promised a change in direction for the state Education Department from one that "punishes schools" to one that helps promote the best practices.

Tisch said she was proud to be the first woman to head the Regents, but wants to go past that.

"At the end of my tenure, I'd like them to lose that description," she said. "I'd like them to just say she was an effective chancellor."

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Reception honored men in early childhood education by recognizing that men in the field are an "endangered species"
 
March 27, 2009

In response to the dire lack of men in the early care and education field, the Community Advocates for Young Learners (CAYL) Institute, the Massachusetts Association for the Education of Young Children (MassAEYC), and MenTeach - New England (Men in Education Network) hosted a Men's Interest Forum Reception on Friday, March 27, 5 - 6:30 PM, at the MassAEYC Conference at the Westford Regency Inn and Conference Center in Westford, MA.
 
Men in early care and education are an "endangered species", according to the recent report, "Where Are the Men? Promoting Gender Diversity in the Massachusetts Early Childhood Workforce", issued by the CAYL Institute Schott Fellowship in Early Care and Education - read the report here:  http://cayl.org/files/Men.pdf 
 
The Reception featured the presentation of the Steve Shuman Award in Support of Men in Early Education and Care to honor the individuals who work tirelessly for gender balance and equity in the profession of early childhood education. The 2009 Award went to Steve Shuman himself, to honor his career promoting children and encouraging more male involvement in the field.

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In Budget Talks, Higher Tax Brackets and No Increase in School Spending

New York Times, March 26, 2009
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and DANNY HAKIM

ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson and the Legislature have tentatively agreed to freeze state education aid and trim back a proposed tax increase on health insurers, while the Assembly and Senate have both begun serious discussions about the size and structure of an income tax increase for the wealthy, virtually ensuring its inclusion in the final budget deal.

They are also close to agreement on overhauling New York’s scandal-plagued Empire Zone program, officials and lawmakers involved in the discussions said on Thursday.

Mr. Paterson’s proposal to allow grocery stores to sell wine appeared headed for defeat on Thursday night, as did a major expansion of the state’s recycling laws, which earlier this week appeared to have won the approval of key lawmakers.

But with this year’s budget negotiations shrouded in unprecedented secrecy and Democrats in the narrowly divided Senate still undecided on major spending items, it remained impossible to say with any certainty which deals would remain on the table when the budget deadline arrives at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and his staff have been particularly close-mouthed; when Mr. Silver does speak, he sometimes contradicts what other Assembly members have said. Emerging from a meeting Thursday evening with the governor and Malcolm A. Smith, the Senate majority leader, Mr. Silver would not discuss any detail of agreement, saying only that he was optimistic the budget would be finished soon.

But Mr. Silver and Mr. Smith said they were negotiating a bailout of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — which on Wednesday voted for substantial fare increases and service cuts — in tandem with budget talks.

“Nobody likes the actions of the M.T.A. board, in terms of outrageous fare increases and outrageous service cuts,” Mr. Silver said. “So we’re going to have to take some less outrageous actions to raise some revenue to avoid those actions.”

Mr. Smith said they were “looking at every option” to avoid the steep fare increases, some of which will otherwise go into effect on May 1. Though some senators appeared to support using money from an income tax increase to bail out the authority, Mr. Silver said he “would be surprised if that’s the conclusion.”

Officials involved in the negotiations said that with the economy continuing to deteriorate, the state faced a budget deficit of more than $10 billion in the next fiscal year, even after factoring in $6.5 billion in federal stimulus aid. The gap has become so large, the officials said, that the final budget is now certain to include both severe spending cuts and some form of income tax increase. The only question remaining is how much of each.

The rough agreement on education aid would use the federal stimulus to restore some of Mr. Paterson’s cuts but essentially postpone $1.5 billion in new aid due to New York’s schools under a 2006 court decision, leaving spending unchanged from last year. Advocates for increased education outlays said they would continue to pressure lawmakers.

“President Obama and the Congress did their part, prioritized education, and gave New York sufficient education funds to restore cuts to last year’s budget levels,” said Geri D. Palast, executive director of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, an education coalition whose lawsuit led to the 2006 ruling. “New York State must now commit its fair share of state resources to make a down payment on the third year of C.F.E. funding.”

Assembly Democrats have proposed adding three higher brackets to the income tax for individuals making $300,000, $500,000 and $1 million. The new taxes would raise roughly $4 billion, according to Assembly projections. The current top rate of 6.85 percent applies to those who make $40,000 a year or more.

Senate Democrats discussed a range of proposals on Thursday night, including one that would raise taxes for those making $500,000 and above, but at a higher rate than the Assembly plan. Others are pushing for a plan that would raise as much as $6 billion, with some dedicated to the transportation authority, though that would meet resistance from Mr. Paterson and Mr. Silver.

A tentative agreement on expanding the recycling law, which would require a nickel deposit on water bottles, appears to have been scuttled in the Senate. And the proposal to allow grocers to sell wine — which Mr. Paterson hoped would raise $100 million in new revenue — has met sharp resistance in the Assembly, where Mr. Silver appears opposed to a compromise that would allow liquor stores, in exchange, to sell items like cheese and crackers.

“I don’t understand why people are so opposed to it,” said Assemblyman Keith L. T. Wright, a Manhattan Democrat. “But I think it is gaining momentum in the Assembly and is something that could still possibly go forward.”

The three leaders appeared to have agreed to drop $120 million in tax increases on insurers, a victory for the health care lobby. But fewer details were available on the Empire Zone program, which has provided billions in tax breaks to New York businesses but has become so riddled with abuse that some lawmakers have pushed to shut it down. Administration officials said that they expected significant changes to the program but that specifics were still being negotiated.

The only pronounced pushback on an income tax increase came from Tom Golisano, the Rochester billionaire and political gadfly, who visited the Capitol on Thursday express his displeasure.

With the state’s top elected officials largely absent from public view, Mr. Golisano said their budget would continue to make New York less competitive than other states, while failing to contain spending growth. “We can’t spend that much more money than we take in and expect the federal government and the credit suppliers to bail us out year after year,” Mr. Golisano said.

His political action committee, Responsible New York, worked to tip the balance of power in the Senate toward the Democrats in last year’s elections, but he warned that that could change.

“Responsible New York probably had a leaning towards the Democratic Party this year,” Mr. Golisano said. “Maybe next time that leaning won’t be there.”

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Activists denounce education cuts at State House rally
Districts facing woes despite stimulus funds

Boston Globe, March 25, 2009
By Matt Viser

Hundreds of education activists swarmed the State House yesterday, staging a rally to draw attention to drastic budget cuts local school districts face despite aid in the form of federal stimulus money.

"Every school district is looking at layoffs and program cuts, even with stimulus aid," Leslie Nicholson, the state director for Stand for Children, said in a written statement. "And families everywhere feel a sense of urgency about protecting children from recession fallout."

The group, which held the rally in Gardner Auditorium, called on lawmakers to implement new taxes and give cities and towns more tools to raise revenue and drive down healthcare costs. Lawmakers have not yet voted on whether to let municipalities raise taxes on meals and hotels, a proposal that has been pushed by Governor Deval Patrick.

After the rally, residents from more than 90 cities and towns dispersed to deliver to lawmakers about 7,500 postcards carrying a plea: "All children deserve a quality education. All means all."

Speakers at the event, which was hosted by House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, included Boston public schools Superintendent Carol R. Johnson, Lowell City Manager Bernard F. Lynch, and Representative Jay Kaufman, a Lexington Democrat and chairman of the Joint Committee on Revenue.

The statewide organization, which has members in more than 70 communities, is also seeking more early education and expanded-day programs.

They told lawmakers that with 10,000 Massachusetts students a year dropping out of school, children need quality education now and can't wait for the economy to turn around.

Patrick announced $162 million in federal stimulus money for the state's public colleges and universities yesterday. Last week, Patrick said that he wanted to allocate $168 million to school districts that would otherwise fall below state-mandated funding levels. All told, the state is expecting US aid of $819 million to spend on public education over the next 27 months.

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A Diverse Set of Voices Struggles to Be Heard on School Control

New York Times, March 22, 2009
By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ

Zakiyah Ansari sat in the back row of the auditorium at New York City College of Technology with a dog-eared sign reading “Don’t Believe the Hype!”

For the fifth time in seven weeks, Ms. Ansari had spent a long day at a public hearing of the State Assembly’s Education Committee on whether to renew the 2002 law that gives New York City’s mayor control over its schools and expires on June 30. She had grown accustomed to the vending-machine lunches, the long slogs to unfamiliar corners of the city and hours upon hours of quarreling between lawmakers and bureaucrats from the City Department of Education.

And she was hardly alone. Several hundred people turned out for the final hearing on Friday in Downtown Brooklyn, many waking early to car-pool or ride the bus with their friends and stake out seats.

Each hearing followed a familiar routine, taking on the aura of a trial with lawmakers as the chief prosecutors. Each morning around 10 a.m., a familiar set of players filled the seats: education policy devotees, advocates for teachers and, in large numbers, parents affiliated with organizations that either feverishly oppose or passionately support the idea of centralized power. Often they stayed until after dark.

Ms. Ansari, a mother of eight (four currently in public schools), is part of a group called the Campaign for Better Schools, which has suggested major changes to the system of mayoral control. When an Assembly member asked Department of Education officials for graduation rates for black and Hispanic students on Friday, she shook her head as education officials seemed unable to find the numbers.

“How do you forget that?” Ms. Ansari said quietly. Then she held up a report by her group containing the bleak numbers and proclaimed, “I have them!”

City officials ultimately found the data, showing a gap of as much as 26 percentage points between white students and black and Hispanic students.

“That does not show racial progress,” Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries said. “That is an embarrassing number.”

On the other side, members of the East Brooklyn Congregations, rallied in the early-morning snow, moving into the auditorium to cheer and stomp their feet as their minister testified in support of the mayor.

At one point, the group gathered in the hallway to pray. “We ask you, God, that our children be kept first,” said the minister, the Rev. David K. Brawley.

Enrique Diaz, 17, a member of the group, had not heard of mayoral control before Thursday. But when his economics teacher at Bushwick Leaders’ High School for Academic Excellence explained the concept, he decided to attend the hearing.

He said he supported keeping mayoral control of the school system. “Education should be our first priority,” he said. “I think if control stays in the city, they can provide more services to the children.”

Earlier in the day, William C. Thompson Jr., the city’s comptroller and a candidate for mayor, outlined a detailed position on the city’s education system for the first time, to cheers from critics of the mayor in the audience.

At the center of Mr. Thompson’s proposals were significant changes to the Panel for Educational Policy, the 13-member body that replaced the old Board of Education; critics say it has turned into something of a rubber-stamp board for the mayor’s policies.

Mr. Thompson proposed creating a 19-member advisory board of teachers, parents, business leaders and administrators that would nominate three people for each of nine seats and allow the mayor to choose among them. Currently, he appoints 8 of the 13 panel members on his own.

Mr. Thompson also echoed critics of mayoral control in calling for more channels for parental participation, an independent body to audit data and more power for local education councils.

“The current administration has sought to avoid debate and public scrutiny,” Mr. Thompson said, “while fundamental decisions regarding education reform have been made by executives with very little education background.”

As the day progressed, city officials sparred with lawmakers over test scores, class size, test preparation and no-bid contracts. Parents booed, hissed and applauded, flashing signs and passing out pamphlets.

Two of the heavyweight parent groups at the hearings were the Campaign for Better Schools and Learn NY, a nonprofit organization that supports mayoral control. Both organizations estimated that they had recruited hundreds of parents to attend the hearings.

Some parents — and children — had negotiated days off from work and school to attend. A group of older women knitted as officials droned on about national test scores and contract procurement.

Laura Acosta, an organizer for Learn NY who does not have children in public schools, said that she had learned over the course of the hearings that even representatives of warring groups could find common ground. She said every parent she had spoken with agreed that parents should have more of a voice in education decisions.

“If people really took the time to listen to each other,” she said, “maybe we can come to some sort of happy place.”

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'Sex and the City' star Cynthia Nixon rips school cuts

Daily News, June 3, 2008

By Erin Einhorn

Cynthia Nixon leads rally against school cuts in Manhattan, Monday -- TV ads, walkouts and protest marches. Now, opponents of the city's plan to slash hundreds of thousands of dollars from the budgets of most city schools are using sex to get their way - "Sex and the City," that is.

Cynthia Nixon, who stars in the TV hit-turned-blockbuster-movie, led a rally Monday of hundreds of parents and educators opposed to the cuts at Sesame Street" - slammed Schools Chancellor Joel Klein for his claim that rules attached to state education dollars force him to spare struggling schools from severe cuts while gutting elite schools like Stuyvesant. Nixon said her son's elementary school would lose nearly $260,000 and will have to eliminate teaching assistants, tutoring and after-school programs. And her daughter's middle school could lose a treasured theater program and aides who enable kids to go outside during lunch. "I think it's outrageous and we want to make as much noise as we can," she said.

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New York City and Long Island Benefit From Deal in Albany

New York Times, April 10, 2008

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New Faces, New Education Funding Questions in New York

By Lindsey Luebchow

After being sworn in as the Governor of New York on last Monday, David Paterson went right to work on the state budget and its near $5 billion deficit. Education advocates are anxiously waiting to see how the new Governor approaches state education funding. Previous Governor Eliot Spitzer had promised to spend a lot more on education in order to comply with the ruling in a school finance lawsuit, and, equally important, to combine that spending with increased accountability for local school districts. Richard C. Iannuzzi, president of New York State United Teachers, said that Spitzer's resignation was "an overwhelming blow to a process that was under way with respect to equity in education.

"Will Paterson continue the commitment to education funding?"

For this budget cycle, it looks like Paterson isn't going to prioritize anything. He proposed a 2 percent across-the-board reduction in spending in order to slash $800 million from Spitzer's $124 billion budget. The cuts are needed to balance the state's budget, which has been hit hard by Wall Street's recent woes. An across-the-board cut is politically the easiest way for Paterson to reach budget goals?and given that he has only two weeks to negotiate, probably the only way he could finish the budget on time. The more important question is, looking forward, will Paterson continue to fight for education spending increases that are necessary to comply with court decisions in school finance lawsuits?

After the Campaign for Fiscal Equity won a lawsuit against New York in 2006 that ordered the state to spend an additional $1.93 billion on New York City Schools, Spitzer pledged to bring funding levels into compliance with court rulings. Spitzer's 2007 budget provided a $1.4 billion statewide increase in funding and planned to increase funding to $7 billion in four years. But his 2008 budget plan was not as generous, causing many education advocates to criticize him for not living up to his promise.