Monday, March 30, 2009

Political Announcement & Event: Monique Washington (Ndigo) Announces Candidacy for City Council District 7

Political Announcement & Event: Monique Washington (Ndigo) Announces Candidacy for City Council District 7

Time:
10 AM
Day & Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Note: Press Release can be downloaded from the CSH Flyer Depot here.

Location:
In Front of the Statue of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.

Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building
163 West 125th Street
New York, New York 10039

Contact:
People for Monique "Ndigo" Washington
P.O. Box 1580
New York, NY 10027
Phone 212-561-6791
Email peopleformwashington@hotmail.com

Background:
Mother and Community Organizer announces Candidacy for City Council tomorrow morning at 10am in front of the statue of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. at the State Office Bldg.

Event: Your Rights and Responsibilities when interacting wiith the police (Stop, Question, & Frisk procedures)

Event: Your Rights and Responsibilities when interacting wiith the police (Stop, Question, & Frisk procedures)

Time: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Day & Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Food: Refreshments served

Location:
PSA6
2770 8th Ave @ 148th St

Contact: For more information contact PSA 6 Community Affairs
Officer John Ramos
Tele: 212-694-7723
Email: john.ramos@nypd.org

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Event: Emergency Meeting - Response to Al Sharpton's National Action Network's (NAN)annual gathering for 6PM Monday, March 30, 2009 @ DC37!!

Event: Emergency Meeting - Response to Al Sharpton's National Action Network's (NAN)annual gathering

Purpose: To plan an "informational rally" for either Thursday or Friday at the Sheraton Hotel (actually across the street).

Time: 6 PM
Day & Date: Monday, March 30, 2009

Location:
DC37 (125 Barclay & West Side Hi-way)

Sponsors:
  • DC37
  • BNYEE
  • NY Coalition for Neighborhood School Control
Background:
The Sponsors of this emergency meeting position: We can't let the Sharptons of the world run their hustles unchecked-- especially when it's about our children's future. The Learn NY and Education Equality Project have gone unchallenged for such a long time that they feel confident that they can win over the majority of NY's citizens with there multimillion dollar smoke and mirrors hype machine.

National Action Network’s Annual Convention | April 1 - 4, 2009

Event: National Action Network’s Annual Convention

Fee: Free and open to the public; please register

Location:
Sheraton Hotel & Towers (811 7th Ave., NY, NY)

Time & Day & Date:
Thursday, April 2, 2009 (Entire Conference April 1-4th)
  • 10:00 -11:00 am: Plenary Session: Arne Duncan, United States Secretary of Education
  • 6:00 - 7:30 pm: American Conversation: Reverend Al Sharpton and Newt Gingrich
Friday, April 3rd: Education Equality Project Day
  • 10-11:30 am: "How to ensure a high-quality education for your child"
    Featuring:
    Joe Williams, Democrats For Ed Reform
    Ginny Ford, Executive Director of D.C. Parents for School Choice [PRO CHARTER]
    Kyesha Bennett, Harlem Parents United [PRO CHARTER]
    Bill Jackson, GreatSchools.net
  • 11:30 am - 2:30 pm: Luncheon - A Conversation on Education
    Featuring:
    Reverend Al Sharpton – President/Founder, National Action Network
    Joel Klein – Chancellor of New York City Public Schools
    James Mtume – Radio Personality
    Margaret Spellings - Former United States Secretary of Education
    Adrian Fenty – Mayor, Washington, DC
    Mike Bloomberg – Mayor, New York City
    Antonio Villaraigoso – Mayor, Los Angeles
    Kevin Johnson – Mayor, Sacramento
    Claudio Sanchez –National Public Radio
  • 4:00-5:30 pm: Panel: "Schools that work"
    Featuring:
    Kevin Chavous, Former Chair of the Washington D.C. Council Education Committee
    David Whitman, Author of Sweating the Small Stuff
    Jarvis Sanford, Principal of Dodge Renaissance School
    Ben Chavis, Principal of American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland
    Ryan Hill, TEAM Academy
    Steve Barr – Green Dot Schools
Co-sponsor: EEP.

Background:
Join the National Action Network in New York City on April 2nd and 3rd as leaders like U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigoso, Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, and former U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings discuss how to close the achievement gap in our public schools and restore the civil rights of children to an equal education.

The event is part of the National Action Network’s annual convention. It brings together leaders from government, nonprofits, and the business world to discuss today’s pressing civil rights issues. The discussion will focus on the building blocks we can put in place today to close the achievement gap.

LINK: http://www.educationequalityproject.org/page/s/NANconvention

The Myth of the "Powerful" Teachers' Union

Bill Maher Reveals His Ignorance...Again

The Myth of the "Powerful" Teachers' Union

By DAVID MACARAY

There’s a myth circulating out there that not only threatens to ruin the reputation of America’s school teachers, but has the potential to side-track any realistic hopes of education reform. It’s the assertion that “powerful” teachers’ unions are responsible for the decline of public education in the United States in general, and California in particular.

Propagators of this myth claim that the reason test scores of American children have sunk so low in recent years is because our public school teachers are too incompetent and lazy to provide adequate instruction.

Moreover, because the teachers’ unions are so domineering and evil—because their leaders will do anything to maintain union hegemony, including not allowing demonstrably inferior teachers to be fired—school administrators are powerless to act.

You hear these charges everywhere. Arianna Huffington, the late-to-the-party liberal and celebrity blogger, has been echoing such claims for years. For Huffington to be riffing on the state of public education is, in itself, remarkable, given that she lives in Brentwood, her daughters attend prestigious private schools, and the closest she’s ever come to an inner-city school was the day she accidentally drove by one, causing her to hastily lock the doors and windows of her Prius and speed away.

On Friday, March 13, comedian and uber-liberal Bill Maher joined the attack on his HBO show. In one of his signature tirades, Maher, a California resident, railed against the “powerful” California teachers’ union, accusing it of contributing to the crisis in public education by not allowing the school district to remove incompetent teachers.

Maher came armed with statistics. He noted with dismay that the U.S. ranked 35th in the world in math, 29th in science, and that barely 50% of California’s public school pupils manage to graduate from high school. He blamed the teachers for this.

Although every teacher in the LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District), has a college degree and a teaching credential and managed to survive the scrutiny of a lengthy probationary period, Maher piously maintained that these teachers were unqualified to run a classroom.

Granted, Maher is a professional comic trolling for laughs, and not a “social scientist” dispensing wisdom, so we shouldn’t be looking to this man for enlightenment. Still, considering his liberal creds (from the environment to civil liberties to corporate mischief to drug law reform), it was demoralizing to hear someone this hip say something so stupid and simplistic.

Maher made a huge deal of the fact that, because of the union’s protective shield, less than 1% of California’s tenured/post-probationary teachers get fired. Although this ratio clearly outraged him (he appeared visibly upset by it), had he taken five minutes to research the subject, he’d have realized that this figure represents the national average—with or without unions.

In Georgia, where 92.5% of the teachers are non-union, only 0.5% of tenured/post-probationary teachers get fired. In South Carolina, where 100% of the teachers are non-union, it’s 0.32%. And in North Carolina, where 97.7% are non-union, a miniscule .03% of tenured/post-probationary teachers get fired—the exact same percentage as California.

An even more startling comparison: In California, with its “powerful” teachers’ union, school administrators fire, on average, 6.91% of its probationary teachers. In non-union North Carolina, that figure is only 1.38%. California is actually tougher on prospective candidates.

So, despite Maher’s display of civic pride and self-righteous indignation (“We need to bust this union,” he declared), he was utterly mistaken. The statistics not only don’t support his argument, they contradict it.

Fact: During the 1950s and 1960s, California’s public school system was routinely ranked among the nation’s finest. You can look it up. More significantly, the teachers in those classrooms were union members. The same teachers who were winning those awards for excellence belonged to the “powerful” teachers’ union. Let that sink in a moment: Good schools, good teachers, big union.

Which raises the question: Has anything else changed in California (and the rest of the country, for that matter) in the last 40 years to lead one to believe there might be causes other than labor unions to explain the drop in graduation rates? Have there been any significant changes in, say, cultural attitudes or demographics?

For openers, how about the disintegration of the American family and the decline in parental supervision/involvement? Being a good student requires discipline, application and, perhaps, a certain level of respect for authority. Have we witnessed any “breakdowns” in these areas over the last 40 years?

Or how about the rise in urban poverty? Or the hollowing-out of the middle-class (the average worker hasn’t received a pay increase, in real dollars, since 1973)? Or the assimilation of non-English-speaking immigrants? Or the decrease in per capita funding on California public education? Or the chaos created by school boards arbitrarily mandating wholesale changes in “educational ideology” every two years (LAUSD has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on consultants)?

Ask any teacher, child psychologist, sociologist, or real estate agent, and they’ll tell you the same thing: As a general rule, good schools are found in good neighborhoods, and bad schools are found in bad neighborhoods. Simple as that.

Moreover, people know this “formula” to be true. Not only is the promise of good schools one reason why people with kids buy homes in good neighborhoods, it’s not uncommon for parents in California to lie about their home addresses in order to get their children assigned to better schools.

An experiment: Try moving those “good” teachers from decent school districts—where the kids show up each day, on time, prepared, bright-eyed and attentive, having completed their homework, having eaten a nutritious breakfast, etc.—to one of those South Central LA shit-holes, where crime is rampant, neighborhoods are ravaged, families are in crisis, and 40% of the students live in foster care.

See if these “good” teachers, by virtue of their innate “classroom abilities,” are able to improve the test scores of these stunted, overmatched and underprivileged kids. See if these “good” teachers can do what a generation of parents themselves, and society itself, can’t seem to do; see if the graduation rates in these depressed communities rise significantly.

And, as part of that same experiment, move the “incompetent” teachers to these healthy, self-sustaining districts and see if the students in these schools don’t continue to score significantly higher, even with the “bad” teachers now running the show.

Fact: Oregon has a good public school system. So do South Dakota, Vermont, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Maine and Washington, among others. Is that because the folks living in these states are exceptionally bright? Is it because their teachers are extraordinarily talented?
Or is it because these school districts are stable, relatively homogeneous, and don’t face a fraction of the challenges facing California?

For the record, the teachers in these aforementioned good schools are overwhelmingly unionized. Oregon and Washington teachers are 100% unionized; Wisconsin is 98%; Connecticut is 98%; etc.

Also, comparing the scores of American students in foreign countries is a bit misleading. The United States was not only the first nation in the world to offer free public education, it was the first to make it compulsory.

In the U.S., by law, you must attend school until at least age 16 (some states have even higher age requirements). That means our national average is going to incorporate test scores of every kid from every background in every neighborhood in the country.

In India (where I once lived and worked), great emphasis is placed on education; accordingly, India has a decent school system, one that scores well. But school attendance is not mandatory. Indeed, India has 400 million people who are illiterate. One wonders what their national test scores would be if those many millions who can’t read or write were factored in.

Fact: Teachers can be fired. Who honestly believes a teachers’ union—whether in California, Oregon or Connecticut—has the authority to insist that management keep unqualified teachers? Since when does a labor union dictate to management? Since when does the hired help tell the bosses what to do? The accusation is absurd on its face.

Fact: During the first two years of employment, any teacher in the LAUSD can be fired for any reason, with no recourse to union representation and no access to the grievance procedure. Two full years. If the district doesn’t like you for any reason, they fire you. No union. No grievance. Nothing. Could any arrangement be more favorable to management?

Yet, the myth persists, the myth of the Unqualified Teacher. Instead of identifying the real problems facing California’s schools (daunting as they may be), and trying to solve them, people stubbornly insist that thousands of our teachers—every one of them college-educated, credentialed, and having survived two years of scrutiny—need to be fired.

Let’s be clear; no one is suggesting that all teachers are “excellent.” Obviously, you’re going to find marginal workers in any profession. But, realistically, how many “bad” teachers could there be?

Surely, America’s colleges, universities, and credentialing system can’t be so hideously flawed that we no longer trust their output—that our teachers aren’t worth a damn. Moreover, if it’s the unions who are protecting them, why does South Carolina—where 100% of the teachers are non-union—fire only one-third of one-percent of them?

Fact: The fault for unqualified teachers remaining on the payroll lies entirely with the school administrators. These overpaid, $120,000 a year, gutless bureaucrats want us to believe that we live in a world turned upside down. A world where, fantastically, the bosses answer to the employees.

Arguably, the problems facing America’s public schools are staggering. But because politicians are essentially spineless—fearful of doing or saying anything that would risk antagonizing their “base”—they refuse to address the real issues. Instead, they play little mind-games with the voters. It’s not a pretty picture, but it’s where we stand.

And if television personalities like Arianna Huffington and Bill Maher honestly believe all this anti-union propaganda being circulated, they’re more gullible than we thought.

David Macaray, a Los Angeles playwright (“Borneo Bob,” “Larva Boy”) and writer, was a former labor union rep. He can be reached at dmacaray@earthlink.net

Published: CounterPounch.org | Weekend Edition | March 20-22, 2009
LINK:
http://www.counterpunch.org/macaray03202009.html

Event: Defend Public Education: Counter the Education Deformers

Event: Defend Public Education: Counter the Education Deformers

Time: 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Day & Date: Saturday, March 28, 2009

Purpose: Conference/Strategy Session on fighting testing/school closings/ATR

Location:
John Jay College
North Hall Building | Room 1311
445 W 59th St.

Conact:
Norm Scott - normsco@gmail.com, norscot@aol.com, 917-992-3734
Angel Gonzalez - asc-ice@gmail.com, 718-601-4901
Sam Coleman - sam_p_coleman@yahoo.com
Transportation: Train - A,C,D,B, 1 to 59th St.

Background:
Will charter schools and small elite schools drain away the highest performing students, leaving the public schools and the teachers in them to be branded as failures because they are working with the students who need the most help but are denied the resources to do an effective job? Have we seen the end of the zoned neighborhood schools in poor urban school systems? As school after school is closed, often for nefarious reasons, will we end up with a corps of teachers forced to move from school to school teaching in subject areas for which they were not trained in what is fast becoming a dead end career? And a corps of children and parents shut out of their own neighborhood schools?

We see this conference as a first step in building a coalition of teachers, parents and students to plan campaigns to take back public education from the privateers.

Angel Gonzalez, Sam Coleman and Norm Scott, three of the organizers of the "Stop the School Closings/Defend Public Education" Conference at John Jay College on March 28 appeared on WBAI radio Thurs. Mar 26. at around 7:40. Education At The Crossroads WBAI - 99.50 fm with Basir Mchawi http://archive.wbai.org/files/mp3/090326_190001eatcrossr.MP3

See the video ad produced by Education Notes for the March 28 conference to save public schools at John Jay College in NYC, is a prime example of the manipulation of the community by charter school advocates. Harlem Success, led by Eva Moskowitz has pushed its way into public school spaces with the support of the NYC Department of Education. The push by Bloomberg and Klein to support charter schools is a prime example of their failure to solve the problems that exist in public schools. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEp7rg_L5JI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEp7rg_L5JI

Sponsors:
  • The Independent Community of Educators and
  • The New York Coalition of Radical Educators

Endorsers:
  • ATRs-School Closings Committee of ICE/UFT
  • Justice Not Just Tests (JNJT),
  • Federacion de Maestros de Puerto Rico – Support Committee of NY
  • Teachers for a Just Contract - TJC/UFT
  • Teacher Advocacy Group NYC – TAGNYC
  • Teachers Unite
  • People Power Coalition
  • Center for Immigrant Families
Information Source: Press Release - Education Notes Online

Friday, March 27, 2009

Suit Challenges City Plan to Replace Three Schools


March 25, 2009
Suit Challenges City Plan to Replace Three Schools
By Javier C. Hernandez

The United Federation of Teachers and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Tuesday charging that the city’s Department of Education violated state law by moving to replace traditional public schools with charter schools without proper consultation of neighborhood school boards.

The suit, filed in State Supreme Court on behalf of the teachers’ union and parents with children at Manhattan and Brooklyn schools, argues that the city needed approval from local school boards before it decided to close neighborhood schools and hand their buildings over to charters. Those schools are publicly financed but managed independently, and generally admit students via lottery.

The three schools mentioned in the suit — Public School 194 and Public School 241 in Harlem and Public School 150 in Ocean Hill-Brownsville — were marked for closing late last year because of poor academic performance and lack of popularity with local residents. Education officials offered the families of children attending those schools priority in admission to the charter schools as well as to schools in nearby zones.

The suit said those changes amounted to a redrawing of neighborhood lines and should have been approved by the local board, known as the Community Education Council.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Education declined to comment on the lawsuit or to discuss the broader issue of charters and zoning.

The lawsuit accuses the department of “utilizing its powers over school creation to alter attendance zones unilaterally without the consent or involvement of the people the community school serves,” and adds that it “continues to act by fiat.”

Randi Weingarten, president of the teachers’ union, said in a written statement, “Parents should have a voice when it comes to their children’s education, and by eliminating community schools without public hearings, the D.O.E. is taking away that voice.”

Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in an interview that the failure to seek approval showed that city officials do “not respect the law and the constraints that have been put on their authority.”

“What has been done here is the elimination of attendance zones basically without any consultation or approval,” she said.

The three schools would be the first in the city to be wholly replaced by charter schools. (Up to now, when new charters are opened in existing school buildings, they have occupied a floor or two alongside their traditional counterparts.)

The transition raises tricky legal questions, since charter schools are generally not permitted to discriminate in admissions, though Chicago and Washington have experimented with favoring neighborhood children in admissions. Already, the Harlem Success Academy, which is scheduled to move into the P.S. 241 building, has revised its charter to give priority to students from failing schools in the area.

The lawsuit comes amid the broader debate over whether the State Legislature should renew the 2002 law giving New York’s mayor control of its schools, which expires in June. Since the mayoral takeover, the local school boards have declined in influence, with zoning among their few remaining powers.

“This is our last shred of authority,” noted Jennifer Freeman, a member of the education council that represents much of Harlem, and a plaintiff in the suit.

Ms. Freeman said she did not oppose charter schools but would have liked to have had a constructive exchange with education officials before a final decision was made.

“I would love to have a public process where the community could understand better what we hope to get from charter schools — why this one was chosen over others,” she said. “I would like to be able to air these issues in the open.”

She also faulted the city for failing to consult local school boards before deciding to close schools, and she said the city did not give the community notice about a public hearing on the charter school plan.

Betsy Gotbaum, the city’s public advocate, is also a plaintiff in the suit.

The lawsuit could throw a wrench into what seemed to be an attractive strategy to encourage the growth of charter schools, an educational model that has earned steady praise from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and his schools chancellor, Joel I. Klein.

An important obstacle to fledgling charter programs is acquiring space. Traditional public schools generally do not have to worry about money for facilities, which comes from the district, but charter schools only get money for operations. That means charter operators often struggle to find buildings they can afford, especially in pricey urban markets like New York City, and have to raise funds aggressively to pay for space.

“Finding suitable space for an expanding charter school is one of the greatest challenges we’ve got,” said Nelson Smith, president and chief executive of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. “It’s a major constraint on our growth.”

Mr. Smith said that 15 states allow charter schools to receive public funds for facilities. Many charter schools across the country face resistance from public school districts that have watched the rise of charter schools with caution, worried that they might draw away dollars and talented students from other local schools.

LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/
education/25charter.html?scp=1&sq=Suit%
20Challenges%20City%20Plan%20to%20
Replace%20Three%20Schools&st=cse

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Event: Town Hall Forum on the Federal Stimulus Package


Event: Town Hall Forum on the Federal Stimulus Package
Time: TBD
Day & Date: Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Note: Flyer is located in the CSH Flyer Depot here.

Location:
Harlem Hospital Center
506 Malcolm X Blvd
New York, New York

Sponsors:
Senator Bill Perkins, 30th District
Senator Eric Schneiderman, 31st District
Senator Jose Serrano, 28th District

Contact (For Information):
To be placed on our list to receive mo9re information on this event please fill out the attached form. You may also call Senator Bill Perkins office at 212-222-7315
Background:

Findout:
  • How your community may benefit from the Stimulus Package
  • What projects are eligible for funding
  • What you need to know to obtain that funding

Stop and reverse the loss of teachers of color

Stop and reverse the loss of teachers of color
by Sean Ahern

Mar 19, 2009 2:28 PM

The author is a teacher at Marta Valle Secondary School, an 8-12 school in Manhattan.

One positive change brought about by the Civil Rights/Black Liberation movement was the increased hiring and promotion of educators and administrators of color in the New York City public school system.

Today, that pattern has been reversed. According to Department of Education statistics obtained by Elizabeth Green as a reporter for the now-defunct New York Sun, teachers hired in school year 2000-01 were 25.5 percent black and 16.3 percent Latino, a total of almost 42 percent. In 2006-07, 14.1 percent of new hires were black and 11.7 percent were Latino, for a total of 25.8 percent, a dramatic decline in only six years. Given high turnover and a projected wave of retirements, over 30 years of gains may be erased in less than a decade.

Notwithstanding the welcome election of President Obama, “The Disappearing of Black and Latina/o Educators” (an apt description first coined by Sam Anderson in his 2006 interview with Sally Lee from Teachers Unite) is movement in the opposite direction, a reversal of the gains of the civil rights era. Whether by design, blind indifference, or a combination of factors “The Disappearing of Black and Latina/o Educators in the NYC-DOE” is a systemic failure at the school level to advance to a racially just society.

The United Federation of Teachers does not hire or fire. However, as educators and unionists, we have a keen and vested interest in the promotion of positive role models for the youth and working-class solidarity in New York City. We must establish a close collaboration with the parents and communities of color whose children comprise over 80 percent of the student body in the New York City public school system.

For these reasons “The Disappearing of Black and Latina/o Educators in the NYC-DOE,” which touches on all of the above, merits a concerted response from the UFT, a demand to stop and reverse the loss of teachers of color.

A resolution calling for a committee of inquiry on “The Disappearing” was passed by the UFT’s Economic and Social Justice Committee in October 2008 and forwarded to leading bodies and the Delegate Assembly. Its passage by the UFT Delegate Assembly will hopefully provide support and impetus to those ready to intervene in the hiring process, raise awareness among the membership and place the matter on the City Council and public agendas as well.

UFT members participate on School Leadership teams and on C-30 committees which retain some voice in hiring decisions (however diminished that role may be after two terms of mayoral control). It should be noted that while New York City has had “Disappearing Black and Latina/o Educators,” other large cities have managed, during this same period, to increase the percentage of teachers of color.

The causes for such disparity and the remedies needed to stop and reverse “The Disappearing” in New York City will be likely topics of the committee's inquiry.

School-based administrators, parents and teachers together can keep the hiring door pried open for diversity under any system of governance if they set this as a goal. Together we can keep the dream alive for ourselves and the youth in New York City by an unequivocal, affirmative response that says in effect: New York City schools need more, not fewer, dedicated teachers and administrators of color!

The members and leaders of the UFT are in a key position to make a difference and open a new chapter fitting for a new era. We can build trust between adults and we can model truly collaborative and democratic behavior through affirmative actions. A grassroots democracy is an object lesson of lasting importance spurring great creativity and initiative.

It is the “Change We Can Believe In.” It is the change we need.

LINK: http://www.uft.org/news/teacher/speak/stop_and_reverse_the_loss/

Monday, March 23, 2009

Charter school principals mobilize parents to lobby for Mayor Bloomberg school control

Juan Gonzalez

Charter school principals mobilize parents to lobby for Mayor Bloomberg school control

Friday, March 20th 2009, 12:18 AM

Are parents of charter school children across the city being organized into shock troops for Mayor Bloomberg's continued control of the public school system?

The state law that authorized mayoral control expires on June 30, and the debate over whether the Legislature should extend it has turned increasingly bitter in many city neighborhoods.

Supporters of Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, including principals from many newly formed public charter schools, have launched a well-financed and sophisticated effort to lobby for more charters and for mayoral control.

In recent weeks, those principals have mobilized parents from their schools for "School Choice" community rallies to demand extra space for new charters in existing public schools, and to pack a series of state Assembly hearings on school governance, the last of which will be held in Brooklyn today.

"You see the organizers and the parents brought in on buses, and the sandwiches distributed, and you can tell it's a highly organized effort," said one official who has attended several of the hearings.

Some disgruntled charter school parents have claimed their principals require them to attend such rallies.

A Harlem principal who shares space with one of the new public charter schools is furious at the "obvious double standard."

"If I tried to use my budget and resources to mobilize parents that way, my job would be in jeopardy," said the principal, who requested anonymity. "But the charters have all this extra money to do whatever they want, all with the blessing of Klein."

Asked about the practice, spokesman David Cantor said the DOE does not permit the use of school money to transport parents to political functions, but has paid for buses to take parents to Albany on school funding issues.

"Charter schools ... are independently run and can't turn to a district for this kind of funding," Cantor said. "They have to provide the funding for such activity themselves."

The biggest uproar has been sparked by DOE's aggressive policy of putting new charters in existing public schools without seeking parent approval.

"It's the same in every neighborhood," said Monica Major, president of the Community Education Council in District 11 in the Bronx. "The DOE just tells you they're putting a new charter in your building and you have to force them to even have a conversation about it."

Such directives have turned parents in some neighborhoods into warring factions. Those who favor charters claim others are denying their children the chance for a better education.

jgonzalez@nydailynews.com

LINK: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/03/19/
2009-03-19_charter_school_principals_mobilize_paren.html

The 3Rs Working Group Meeting | Tonight | 6:00 PM

Event: The 3Rs Coalition Working Group Meeting

Time: 6:00 PM
Day & Date: Monday, March 23, 2009



Location

Urban Justice Center
123 William Street | 16th Floor
Manhattan

Transportation | Directions
Accessible by the A, C, E, 2, and 3
Use HopStop.com to find your best route

Web Site:
3Rs Coalition of New York City
http://3rs-coalition-nyc.wetpaint.com/

Submitted by: A-kM

NYSCKRS' Monthly Meeting | 6:30 PM | Monday/ March 23, 2009

The New York Solidarity Coalition with Katrina & Rita Survivors [NYSCKRS] is holding its monthly meeting tonight.

We are in the midst of both an exciting and challenging period : more people are discovering the true nature of this political & econcomic system and more people are taking strong stands to defend their human rights. Gulf Coast survivors are definitely part of this period and are organizing themselves across the country to take bolder steps to build their own movement and to connect with other movements.

We need you there to help further all these important efforts @ our next NYSCKRS' Monthly Meeting:

Time: 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Day & Date: Monday | March 23, 2009

Location:
Middle Collegiate Church
50 East 7th Street(off 2nd Avenue)
New York, NY 10003

Agenda:
Review & F/u Assignments of Survivors Assembly & NYSCKRS Retreat
Update on Ltr to Obama
3/24/09 Gulf Coast Survivors mtg in Gulf
PTH Action
"Storm Angel" Fundraising proposal
New Business

Transportation:
BUS
#6 to Astor Place, east to 2nd Av, south to 7th St;
TRAINS
F to 2nd Av, north to 7th Street;
N to 8th Street, east to 2nd Av, south to 7th St;
4,5,6,N,R,Q to 14th St east to 2nd Av, south to 7th St;
A,E,D,C,,F,V to W 4th Street(exit 8th street), east to 2nd Ave, south to 7th St

Web Site:
New York solidarity Coalition with Katrina & Rita Survivors
http://www.nykatrinarita.org/events_calendar.html

Submitted by: Brenda Stokley

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Video: Harlem's Mart 125: The American Dream | 2007

Past Thoughts!

2 Years Ago


Harlem's Mart 125: The American Dream
January 28, 2007


6 Months Ago

Extended Trailer- Harlem's Mart 125:
The American Dream
September 08, 2008


Monday, March 16, 2009

Event: Hands on Training for Microsoft Word | March - April 2009

Event: Hands on Training for Microsoft Word

Sponsors:
Harlem Business Alliance
Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone

Time: 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Day, Date & Topic:
  • Monday, March 23, 2009 - "Getting Started"
  • Thursday, March 26, 2009 - "The Basics"
  • Monday, March 30, 2009 - "Basic Editing Skills"
  • Thursday, April 2, 2009 - "Skills and Shortcuts"
  • Monday, April 6, 2009 - "Formatting I"
  • Thursday, April 9, 2009 - "Formatting II"
Cost: FREE

Registration:

RSVP to ensure a seat for the workshop
Contact Brittany Harte 212-665-7010 or bharte@hbany.org

Location:
Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone
290 Malcom X Blvd. | 3rd Floor
(Between 125th and 124th Streets)

Note: Flyer can be downloaded from the CSH Flyer Depot.

Event: Small Business Workshop Series | March 18, 2009

Event: Small Business Workshop Series

Sponsors:
Harlem Business Alliance
Abyssinian Development Corporation
Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone

Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Day & Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2009


Registration:

RSVP to ensure a seat for the workshop
Contact Brittany Harte 212-665-7010 or bharte@hbany.org

Location:
Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone
290 Malcom X Blvd. | 3rd Floor
(Between 125th and 124th Streets)

Note: Flyer can be downloaded from the CSH Flyer Depot.

Objective:
Personal Preparation for Starting a Small Business. This workshop seeks to build your entrepreneurial capacity. Learn how to repair your personal credit, build a winning business plan and choose the right financing and structure sound accounting measures to help your small business succeed.

Background:

The small business workshop series is designed to provide entrepreneurs and business owners with the strategies and practical skills necessary to operate a successful small business.

EVENT: Public Hearing - Proposed charter revision to: Harlem Success Academy Charter School 1 | March 16, 2009

EVENT: Public Hearing - Proposed charter revision to: Harlem Success Academy Charter School 1

TIME: 5:00 PM
(Presentation, Comments, and Questions: 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM)
DAY & DATE: Monday March 16, 2009

LOCATION:
Harlem Success Academy Charter School 1
34 West 118th Street
New York, NY 10026

NOTE: Speaker Sign Up for the hearing will begin at 5:00 PM and end at 5:30 PM

Speaker comment is welcomed, speakers must register. Written comments will also be collected on the day of the hearing and can be submitted via email to: charterschools@schools.nyc.gov

BACKGROUND: (As per attached Hearing Notice):
The school seeks to lower its admissions age of Kindergarten students to four years old by August 1st. Additionally, the school will create a developmental Kindergarten that will prepare the students for the regular Kindergarten program.

DOWNLOAD: Following documents from the CSH Flyer Depot

Friday, March 13, 2009

Event: Violence Against Women

Event: Violence Against Women

Time: 10 AM - 1PM
Day & Date: Saturday, March 14, 2009

Location:
Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
Harlem State Office Building
163 West 125th Street | 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10025

Note: Flyer for the Event can be downloaded from the CSH Flyer Depot.

Contact:
Delta Sigma Theta 212-969-0434

Topics To Be Covered:
  • Elder Abuse
  • Teen Abuse
  • Child Abuse
  • Partner Abuse
  • Campus Abuse
Sponsor:
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. | New York Alumnae Chapter

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Event: World TB Day | 3rd Annual Community TB Forum: NYC is STOPPING TB

Event: World TB Day | 3rd Annual Community TB Forum: NYC is STOPPING TB

Cost: FREE

Refreshments: Breakfast will be served.

Time: 9:00am-12:00pm
Day & Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Location:
QUEENS LIBRARY at Langston Hughes
100-01 Northern Blvd.
Corona, NY 11368

Directions: to Queens Library

Information: More information is provided in the Conference Flyer located in the CSH Flyer Depot.

Audience:
Open to local community leaders, service providers, elected officials, media and residents

Registration:
  • In order to comply with site security regulations, registration is required.
  • Register by Friday, March 20, 2009:
  • Online: www.nyc.gov/health/tb or email:tbfreenyc@gmail.com
  • Seating is limited
Contact:
For more information call 212-442-9945

Forum Highlights:
  • Moderated by Bill Bower, MPH- Charles P. Felton National TB Center @ Harlem Hospital
  • World TB Day Opening Remarks by Peter Baldini- World Lung Foundation
  • The Face of TB in NYC presented by Dr. Chrispin Kambili- Bureau of Tuberculosis Control, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
  • Moving Towards a TB-Free NYC presented by special guest speakers from local community organizations
Objectives:
  • Learn basic tuberculosis concepts
  • Discuss the current status of TB in New York City
  • Explore ways to stop TB at the community level
Sponsors:
  • The Coalition for a TB-Free NYC
  • Assemblyman José R. Peralta
  • Urban Health Plan, Inc.
  • The World Lung Foundation and TD Bank
Planning Committee:
  • African Services Committee
  • American Lung Association of NY
  • Bellevue Hospital Center
  • CAMBA
  • Center for Immigrant Health
  • Kings County Hospital Center
  • NYC Bureau of TB Control (NYC DOHMH)
  • NYC Department of Homeless Services
  • NYC East and Central Harlem District Public Health Office (NYC DOHMH)
  • NYC Office of Correctional Public Health (NYC DOHMH)
  • NYS Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance
  • NYS Bureau of TB Control (NYS DOH)
  • Plaza Del Sol Family Health Center (Urban Health Plan, Inc.)
  • RESULTS
----------

Note:
The New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene is now offering information important for the health of all New Yorkers.
To sign up for these new and valuable updates, log-on to our website at http://www.nyc.gov/health/email and select the NYC DOHMH updates you'd like to receive.

Event: Annual TB Conference: NYC is STOPPING TB

Event: Annual TB Conference: NYC is STOPPING TB

Sponsors:
The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
NJMS Global TB Institute

Time: 12:30pm-4:00pm
Day & Date: Friday, March 20, 2009

Cost: Free
Refreshments: Tea & Coffee will be served

Registration:
Contact: Call 212-442-9968 or 212-676-2913

Location:
NYU Kimmel Center
60 Washington Square South, 4th Floor
Eisner & Lubin Auditorium

Directions: Located here.

Information: More information is provided in the Conference Flyer located in the CSH Flyer Depot.

EVENT: Upper Manhattan Economic Summit

EVENT: Upper Manhattan Economic Summit

Time: 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Day & Date:
Friday | March 13, 2009

Location:
Schomburg Center for Research Black Culture 515 Malcolm X Boulevard New York, NY 10037

Note: More information can be obtained from the CSH Flyer Depot.
RSVP:
  • Community Board 9 212-864-6200
  • Community Board 10 212-749-3105
  • Community Board 11 212-831-8929
  • Community Board 12 212-568-8500
Questions To Be Addressed:
  • How will the Economic Stimulus affect you?
  • What will happen to the planned major developments?
  • How will the Economic Stimulus Package help small businesses?
Sponsors:
  • Manhattan Community Boards 9, 10, 11, 12
  • Harlem Community Development Corporation
  • Harlem Business Alliance

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

EVENT: A Salute to H.I.M. [Harlem's Initiative for Manhood]

EVENT: A Salute to H.I.M. [Harlem's Initiative for Manhood]

DAY: 6PM to 8PM
DAY & DATE: Thursday, March 12, 2009


KEYNOTE: Geoffrey Cananda, President and CEO of HCZ Inc.

REFRESHMENTS: Dinner will be served at 6pm.

NOTE: Childcare will be provided.

LOCATION: 35 East 125th Street Cafeteria

CONTACT: Fernando Lorence, Community Organizer
tel: 212-932-1920
fax: 212-663-2590

BACKGROUND:

The Harlem Children's Zone would like to cordially invite you to the inaugural celebration of our Men's Initiative. This is an effort to focus on the enormous positive influence that many of the men in this community have on their friends, families, and businesses everyday, but are not recognized often enough.

The Harlem Children's Zone is in effect trying to honor those of you who are fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, nephews, providers, homemakers, friends and confidants to all of us. We ask that you come out to celebrate yourself and your family with us. A brief presentation will be given by various men's groups within our organization which are now trying to come together and reach out to the community as a whole. Please let us honor the individuals that you know deserve some recognition by coming out to have dinner on us, and let Mr. Geoffrey Cananda tell you about how we are trying to acknowledge your contributions. All those who wish to help us find ways to better acknowledge the men in our community are welcome.

Flyer on the event is available in the CSH Flyer Depot

JOURNAL ARTICLE: The Hidden Dimensions of Poverty: Rethinking Poverty and Education


JOURNAL ARTICLE: The Hidden Dimensions of Poverty: Rethinking Poverty and Education
AUTHOR: Lorraine Kasprisin

JOURNAL:
The Journal Of Educational Controversy
Volume 4 Number 1 Winter 2009
http://www.wce.wwu.edu/Resources/CEP/eJournal/v004n001/
The issue is dedicated to Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, for his work in alleviating poverty. Dr. Yunus has written the prologue for the issue.

Upcoming Issues:
  • Summer 2009: Art, Social Imagination and Democratic Education - an issue dedicated to Maxine Greene. No longer accepting manuscripts

  • Winter 2010: What is the Role of Professionals in the Public Square?Manuscripts due: May 31, 2009
Editor:
Lorraine Kasprisin
Editor, Journal of Educational Controversy
Professor of Educational Foundations, Secondary Education Department
Woodring College of Education
Western Washington University
Tele: 360-650-3871 Fax: 360-650-4845
E-mail: Lorraine.Kasprisin@wwu.edu
Journal of Educational Controversy
http://www.wce.wwu.edu/Resources/CEP/eJournal/

Monday, March 9, 2009

Event: Discussion Group - Charter Schools and the Attack on Public Education

Event: Discussion Group - Charter Schools and the Attack on Public Education

Time: 2 PM
Day & Date: Sunday, March 15, 2009

Note: RSVP to bill.linville@gmail.com or call 608-852-6998

Location:

Karavas Place (a Greek restaurant)
162 West 4th Street
(corner of Carmine St. near 6th Ave)

Transportation: Take the A/C/D/E/F to W 4th Street

Background:
Join an informal discussion group on LA teacher Sarah Knopp's, "Charter Schools and the Attack on Public Education" in International Socialist Review 62, available here.

If you would like a physical copy of the magazine with the article for $2, contact Bill. If you have other suggestions for supplementary readings, please let Bill know so that he can send them out to the folks who have RSVP'ed.

From Chicago to New Orleans to New York City, charter schools are being proposed as alternatives to failing and underfunded schools under public control. We already know that some of the schools that are being closed in NYC are to be replace by charter schools. Join a discussion with other progressive educators on this important issue.

Questions To Be Explored:
  • What are the origins of charter schools and what forces are behind the movement for charter schools?
  • How is this movement tied to the attack on teachers' unions?
  • How do we respond to parents or teachers who are attracted to charter schools because of failures of the public school system?
  • How are charter schools being pushed by private forces?
  • What do we say about "progressive" charter schools?
  • How are non-profit charter schools under simliar pressures as for profit charter schools?
  • Why have for profit charter schools failed to turn a profit?
  • What talking points can we use with other teachers and parents on this issue?
Reported by marissaltorres

Friday, March 6, 2009

EVENT: 2nd Facilities Hearing for Harlem Success Academy 2 Charter School - Tuesday | March 10, 2009

EVENT: 2nd Facilities Hearing for Harlem Success Academy 2 Charter School

TIME: 5:30 PM
DAY & DATE: Tuesday March 10, 2009

LOCATION:
PS 194 (Auditorium)
244 WEST 144 STREET
MANHATTAN, NY 10030

NOTE: Speaker Sign Up for the hearing will begin at 5:30 PM and end at 6:00 PM

Speaker comment is welcomed, speakers must register. Written comments will also be collected on the day of the hearing and can be submitted via email to: charterschools@schools.nyc.gov

CONTACT:

District Family Advocate: 212-769-7500 x235
Central OFEA: 212-374-2323

BACKGROUND: (As per attached Hearing Notice):
The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) has proposed that beginning in September 2009 Harlem Success Academy 2 Charter School, an existing charter school, will reside in the M194 building. A public hearing will be held to discuss this proposal. The hearing will be held at PS 194 (auditorium) on Tuesday March 3, 2009 at 5:00 pm. Speaker sign up will start at 4:30 pm and end at 5:00 pm.

Harlem Success Academy Charter School 2 will introduce its school program. The State University of New York and the NYCDOE will facilitate the hearing and help address any questions or concerns.

DOWNLOAD: Following documents from the CSH Flyer Depot

Thursday, March 5, 2009

EVENT: Regional Solutions to Segregation and Racial Inequity: Can Metro Areas Overcome Inequality?

EVENT: Regional Solutions to Segregation and Racial Inequity: Can Metro Areas Overcome Inequality?
The 2009 Henry Cohen Lecture

ADMISSION: Free (Seating reserved. To RSVP call 212.229.5418 or email centernyc@newschool.edu).

FEATURED: Myron Orfield, Executive Director, Institute on Race & Poverty, University of Minnesota and author, Metropolitics: A Regional Agenda for Community and Stability

LECTURE FOLLOWED BY:
The lecture will be followed by a discussion about the New York region with:
Darrick Hamilton, Assistant Professor, Milano
Alex Schwartz, Associate Professor, Milano
Tom Wright, Executive Director, Regional Plan Association

SPONSORS:
Milano The New Shool for Manaement and Urban Policy
Center for New York City Affairs

TIME: 6 PM to 8 PM
DAY & DATE: Wednesday, March 11, 2009

LOCATION:
Theresa Lang Community and Student Center
55 West 13th Street | 2nd Floor
(between 5th and 6th Avenues)

BACKGROUND:
Suburban growth and development away from central cities have increased segregation and racial inequalities in the U.S. Using the Twin Cities region as a lens, Orfield shows why policy makers must shift from neighborhood-level responses and develop regional solutions that promote equity and integration for housing, jobs, and schools.

Established in 2006, The Henry Cohen Lecture focuses on public policy challenges and solutions for women, children, and families, particularly in impoverished urban settings. The Henry Cohen Professorship, which focuses on these same issues, is an endowed Chair at Milano. The Lecture and Professorship are both named after Milano's founding dean, who served from 1965 to 1983.

For more than 30 years, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy has offered sharply focused programs in management and public policy that are innovative, principled, and practical--in keeping with the mission of The New School and Milano's own values and purpose.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

CB 10 Public Member Application.

The Community Board 10 (Central Harlem) Public Member Application is posted here in the CB 10 Files Section.

A Public Member is allowed to sit on CB 10 Committees as a voting member of the committees. However, a Public Member does not vote during the Business Session of a Monthly General Board Meeting.

Although it limits Community-At-Large input, it is one way to attempt to influence (no matter how minimal) CB 10 decisions.

Community Board 10 (Central Harlem) Calendar for March 2009 and Agenda for Monthly General Board Meeting on March 4, 2009

The Community Board 10 (Central Harlem) Calendar for March 2009 is posted here in the CB 10 Files Section.

Agenda for Monthly General Board Meeting on March 4, 2009 is posted here in the CB 10 Files Section.

Department of Education paid private tutor firm $21M in 2 years, most of it in overhead

Juan Gonzalez

Department of Education paid private tutor firm $21M in 2 years, most of it in overhead


Wednesday, March 4th 2009, 1:38 AM

In its drive to improve school reading and math test scores, the city's Department of Education paid a private company more than $21 million in two years to tutor thousands of public school pupils at home.

But most of that money - more than twice the amount the DOE originally budgeted - went for overhead, management and profit for the company, Champion Learning Center.

Champion got $79 an hour to tutor each pupil for up to four hours per week, according to a copy of the contract obtained by the Daily News.

That adds up to almost $320 a week in tutoring costs per child.

Champion paid its part-time tutors, mostly college students with no teaching experience, an average of $17 an hour.

That's right. The company received an astounding $62 in overhead for every hour its employees spent tutoring a child.

Champion is one of dozens of private companies with state approval to provide tutoring services under the No Child Left Behind Act.

"We received very little training in our orientation," said one college student hired by Champion. "They just told us to follow the instructions in the test prep workbooks they gave us."

Champion hired the student and one of her friends at the same time. Both say they were offered only $15 per hour for their work. In addition, they were told they would have to pay transportation costs to each child's home and they were required to pay a $150 fee each for the cost of fingerprinting and a security check before they could start work.

The DOE's contract with Champion clearly states: "The Contractor shall be solely obligated to bear the costs of all security clearance procedures that involve fees or other costs for any and all persons and/or entities required to undergo such procedures."

Champion's idea of bearing those costs seems to be to pass them on to its employees.

When asked about the fee Tuesday, the company's chief executive, Abraham Sultan, said he did not charge employees, but then added, "It also depends on the situation."

Sultan declined to discuss exactly what his company receives from DOE or what he pays his employees.

"We work that out internally," Sultan said.

The firm, Sultan said, uses "a good group of certified teachers, people with master's degrees and doctorates looking for part-time work, and some college students."

Sultan said word of his company's "excellent performance" has "spread by word of mouth among parents" clamoring to get into his tutoring program.

David Cantor, spokesman for DOE, said Tuesday the department will be reviewing Champion's reports "to determine whether the costs have been properly represented."

"We are also looking at the alleged discrepancy involving payment to tutors," Cantor said.

"If we find that the contractor falsely represented its costs, we would take serious action."

The DOE's original contract with Champion was for $9.6 million over two years, but the company has received $21 million and that amount is expected to go higher by the end of the school year.

Cantor said each company recruits its students, and "actual student attendance [for Champion's program] has exceeded expectations."

This year alone, Champion claims to have tutored 8,600 pupils at home.

But until now, there has been little auditing of these tutorial programs under No Child Left Behind - including those run by Champion.

jgonzalez@nydailynews.com

IMAGE: Theodorakis/News
LINK: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/03/03/2009-03-03_department_of_education_paid_private_tut.html

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

EVENT: Facilities Hearing for Harlem Success Academy 2 Charter School

EVENT: Facilities Hearing for Harlem Success Academy 2 Charter School

TIME: 4:30 PM
DAY & DATE: Tuesday March 3, 2009

LOCATION:
PS 194 (Auditorium)
244 WEST 144 STREET
MANHATTAN, NY 10030

NOTE: Speaker sign up for the hearing will begin at 4:30 PM and end at 5:00 PM

Speaker comment is welcomed, speakers must register. Written comments will also be collected on the day of the hearing and can be submitted via email to: charterschools@schools.nyc.gov

CONTACT:

District Family Advocate: 212-769-7500 x235
Central OFEA: 212-374-2323

BACKGROUND: (As per attached Hearing Notice):
The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) has proposed that beginning in September 2009 Harlem Success Academy 2 Charter School, an existing charter school, will reside in the M194 building. A public hearing will be held to discuss this proposal. The hearing will be held at PS 194 (auditorium) on Tuesday March 3, 2009 at 5:00 pm. Speaker sign up will start at 4:30 pm and end at 5:00 pm.

Harlem Success Academy Charter School 2 will introduce its school program. The State University of New York and the NYCDOE will facilitate the hearing and help address any questions or concerns.


DOWNLOAD: Following documents from the CSH Flyer Depot

The Cost Of Doing Nothing: Town Hall Meeting and Lunch with Congressman Charles Rangel

EVENT: The Cost Of Doing Nothing
Town Hall Meeting and Lunch with Congressman Charles Rangel

SPONSORS:
American Association of Retired People [AARP]
New York Amsterdam News

TIME: 12:30 - 2:30 PM (Lunch will be served at 12:30 pm | The Program begins at 1:00 PM
DAY & DATE: Sunday, March 8, 2009

LOCATION:
The Riverside Church
490 Riverside Drive
New York, NY 10027

REGISTRATION:
  • RSVP using AARP/s toll-free line: 1-877-926-8300
  • Required for this event
  • Limited Seating
CONTACT:
Michael Olender
212-407-3737 or molender@aarp.org

BACKGROUND:
The cost of doing nothing about the Health Care Crisis is just too high!

Join AARP and the New York Amsterdam News for a town hall meeting and lunch with Congressman Charles Rangel to discuss how to provide all Americans with access to quality, affordable health care. Add your voice to the discussion that will feature a panel of distinguished experts, including former New York State Comptroller Carl McCall and representatives from AARP, Harlem Hospital, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Business Roundtable.

The health care crisis facing this country affects us all. And the financial burden it's placing on millions will only get worse if something isn't done now. That is why Divided We Fail is coalling on Members of Congress to keep their promises and make health care reform a priority in 2009. Our country can't afford our broken health care system any longer.
Join us and make your voice heard at this Divided We Fail event.