Students

 
Across the state of New Jersey, high school students staged a one day strike Tuesday to protest cuts to the state's education budget.
 
The action was organized mainly through facebook, where an event page calling for a statewide walkout drew over 17,000 attendees.
 

On, Tuesday April 20th around 2pm, Philadelphia Student Union conducted a 3-minute action. In only 180 seconds, we showed the power and leadership that young people have when we are organized for non-violence.

By Dan Jones & Azeem Hill
A key feature of any public education system is its purpose. Right now, a lot of people are putting forward the idea that the purpose of our schools is to prepare students to “compete in the global economy.” The proponents of this framework span the political spectrum, from Newt Gingrich to Barack Obama, but is it really the best thing for students?

My experience in school has been hard because I have been told that I would never amount to anything. I’m organizing with the Philadelphia Student Union (PSU) to prove to those people who have counted me out that I am somebody and my opinion matters. I come from University City High School, which is an Empowerment School. Empowerment Schools are the district’s “lowest performing” schools on standardized tests. So the message that I get is that I am a troublemaker, that I am low class, or that by the time I get to 12th grade I will drop out.

A new model of teacher development is emerging that could help 'hard to staff' neighborhood schools build and retain a base of effective teachers by recruiting young adults in the neighborhood to choose a career in teaching.  This model is called 'Grow Your Own' and it is happening in Chicago, thanks to the organizing work of students and communities. Dan Jones interviewed Rod Wilson of Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO) in Chicago, about how 'Grow Your Own' is changing the way teachers and communities interact.

Tuesday evening, members of Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP) and union officials gathered together students, Temple staff and community members to educate the Temple community on the day-to-day realities of healthcare providers at Temple Hospital. President of AFSCME Local 1723 and Temple University Staff Paul Dannenfelser began the discussion by sharing that this was another chapter in the story of Temple University’s approach to Labor on campus. He shared that his union went through a similar two-year fight for a contract in which Temple University was “not only anti-union but anti-worker.” He expressed earnestly the energy of the room, saying, “The nurses’ fight is our fight, the student fight is our fight. We are all in this together.”
 

 
The School District of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) have agreed to an extension of their current collective bargaining agreement.  The contract is now scheduled to expire on January 15, 2010. This extension agreement maintains the same wages, health benefits and working conditions stipulated under the agreement currently in effect for PFT members. Learn more about the contract, and read the Philadelphia Public School Notebook article: Backdrop to Contract Talks.

(Thanks to the School Notebook and Gustavo Martinez for the great story...)
 
Student activist María Marroquín is deeply involved in the fight for getting the DREAM Act approved. This is a vital issue for her, an undocumented student majoring in Political Science.

Last week Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the Reverend Al Sharpton and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich came to our city as part of their  “Listening and Learning Tour” regarding a national agenda for public education reform.  Students, parents, teachers, and community organizations were left wondering who the group was really listening to, since none of us were included in the tour’s agenda.  We were only able to speak with them through a locked and guarded wrought-iron fence.

In this piece, several Philadelphia Student Union members were interviewed about how they learn best, and about how that is different from the ways they are taught in school. Their answers are very insightful, and point out reasons why some students don't like school and or don't feel like their school is a true learning environment. This piece also offers clues as to how we can improve things. By Gregory Jordan-Detamore.