Cathie Black's 1st Interview

The new NYC School Chancellor, Cathie Black, granted her first interview since her appointment on November 9th, which aired this morning on channel 7 Eyewitness news.  The lively and fast paced interview with Art McFarland touched on many topics including parent choice, which she values!  In fact, she herself exercised parent choice 15 years ago while attempting to secure a quality education for her own children.

During the course of the interview she constantly repeated the mantra, "children first".  When asked about how she might deal with Michael Mulgrew, the President of the NYC teachers union, on the topic of contract negotiation and teacher tenure, she said that hopeful they could meet in the middle somewhere or if not they would likely retreat to their respective corners.  First though, she said that she would likely need to determine whether or not the union realizes that in NYC, it's "children first".  Reading between the lines, I took this to mean that she would not be bullied by Michael Mulgrew and the UFT!  She was asked why she thought she was qualified for the job of Chancellor and how Mayor Bloomberg went about offering for the position.  To this, she dispelled the rumors that this appointment was done between friends in a non-professional setting.      

Overall my impression was that Cathie Black is a whip!  She exudes confidence and seems to have a good background understanding of the history and topics surrounding public education in NYC.  Her sleeves are rolled up and she's ready to hit the ground running on January 3rd when she officially assumes the role of the NYC School Chancellor!  This interview is a must see!  You may view the complete interview at Channel 7 Online.  On the home page it is in the video section.  The interview is entitled:  Up CLose:  Cathie Black Interview.  Note that this interview broadcasts in three parts, all of which may be accessed in the video section by using the Channel 7 Online link.     

Kiss Your Brain New York!  I think that Cathie Black is a friend of the children of this city!  We must continue to impress upon her, Mayor Bloomberg and the City of New York that charter public school parents value parent choice, school co-location and equal funding for our children.  She seems to be an ally; however, this is prime time to cultivate an excellent working relationship... Put on your advocacy hats people and go Beyond Z for our kids!       

The Lottery Film - Academy Award Nominee Finalist

The Lottery Film, a documentary about the Success Academies is a finalist to become an Academy Award nominee.


Here is a link for the trailer of this exciting documentary: The Lottery

It can also be streamed/rented/purchased on Netflix and Amazon.com. Here are the links:

• Netflix: http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/The-Lottery/70138616 ]http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/The-Lottery/7013861
• Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Lottery/dp/B0041JH6VC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1290636125&sr=1-1

Spread the Word!

Real Talk - Real Issue: The World of Cyber Bullying

• I thought the following information would be interesting, as the topic is relevant to my last post on the topic of bullying.  
• 
  
• The North Manhattan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is hosting a workshop on Cyber Bullying.

• What:  Real Talk - Real Issue: The World of Cyber Bullying
• When:  Saturday, December 18th from 11:00am – 1:30pm
• Where:  Columbus Medical Center - Hammer Health Sciences Building (Room 401), 701 Fort Washington Ave @ 168th Street, NY, NY 

• 
  
  For more information contact:  nmac.projectace@gmail.com
• This even is FREE AND OPEN TO PUBLIC AND ALL AGES

Bullies are always cowards at heart...

... and may be credited with a pretty safe instinct in scenting their prey.

~Anna Julia Cooper

Bullying is a white-hot topic in the media right now and has also been a topic of particular concern this school year at Harlem Success Academy 3 (HSA3). Approximately one third of the concerns that have been expressed by parents to the Parent Council Executive Council (PCEC) this year have been around the topic of bullying.

A word of advice to concerned HSA3 parents: HSA3 has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy in reference to bullying, and so should we all. Bullying is hurtful, harmful, unbecoming of a scholar (or any other member of a civilized community), and damaging on so many different levels. Unfortunately bullying is widespread and apparently commonplace in American schools.

What is Bullying?
Bullying is defined as when a person is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and s/he has difficulty defending himself or herself. Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves a behavioral pattern repeated over time that displays an imbalance of power and strength.

Bullying behavior can include:

• Verbal bullying (derogatory comments and name calling).
• Bullying through exclusion or isolation.
• Physical bullying (hitting, kicking, shoving, spitting, etc.)
• Spreading lies and false rumors.
• Being threatened or being forced to do things.
• Racial bullying (racially motivated name calling and physical aggression).
• Having money or other things taken or damaged by the bully.
• Sexual bullying.
• Cyber bullying (aggressive or insulting emails, IMs, or other negative behavior transmitted through electronic means or social networking sites).

The Impact Of Bullying
Bullying has wide reaching effects that affect more than just the victim of the bullying behavior. Kids deserve to be safe at school, but when they experience bullying the effects can be serious and long-lasting. Victims of bullying may suffer from depression, low self-esteem, poor grades, and suicidal thoughts or actions in severe cases.

Those who bully are more likely than others to get into frequent fights, steal and vandalize property, drink alcohol, smoke and report poor grades. Be warned though that not all bullies have obvious behavior problems. Some bullies are highly socially skilled. This trait is even more common of girls who bully.

Observers of bullying, may also feel that they are in an unsafe environment. They may feel fearful, powerless to act, guilty for not acting and tempted to participate.

Schools with bullying issues also suffer the consequences of bullying. When bullying continues and a school does not take action, the entire school climate can be affected. The school develops an environment of fear and disrespect, students have difficulty learning, students fell insecure, dislike school and perceive that teachers and staff have little control and don't care about them.

Bullying Statistics

• 1 out of 4 kids is bullied.  The America Justice Department says that this month 1 out of every 4 kids will be abused by another youth.
• Surveys show that 77% of students are bullied mentally, verbally and physically.  
• 1 in 5 kids admit to being a bully or doing some bullying.
• 8% of students in America miss 1 day of class per month for fear of bullies.
• 43% of American school kids fear harassment in the bathroom at school.  
• Every 7 minutes a child is bullied.  Adult intervention - 4%.  Peer intervention - 11%.  No intervention - 85%.

In short, bullying is real!  If you suspect that your child is the victim of bullying, DO NOT ignore it and expect that the behavior will resolve itself.  Parents need to be the one trusted place that kids can go when things go wrong.  Be a resource for your child!  If they come to you with a concern regarding this topic move swiftly, Go Beyond Z to investigate and put an end to this negative, unwanted and damaging behavior.  Your first recourse should be to speak to your child's teacher.  If no acceptable resolution is reached or if the unwanted behavior is ongoing, request a meeting with the administration at your school.      

Teach Me How To Study

This morning the second and third graders at HSA3 had their first Community Circle (assembly) of the 2010-2011 school year. Ms. Kirchner stood in for Mrs. Rodriguez as the official Master of Ceremony, as Mrs. Rodriguez's ascent to the fifth floor is becoming increasingly slower as her gait becomes more unsteady!

Community Circle at HSA3 is a school-community building event where all scholars and teachers gather to celebrate their individual and group accomplishments. This event usually begins with roll-call, where scholars answer the call with resounding class cheers and chants! Awards are given for going "Beyond Z" in terms of adhering to the school's ACTION values. Birthdays are also acknowledged with a cheerful rendition of the HSA3 original birthday jingle, "It's Somebody's Birthday!" and a certificate. This morning the second and third grade scholars unveiled the new school song, "Teach Me How to Study" (set to the tune of "Teach Me How to Dougie" by the California Swag District).

I left the Community Circle celebration enveloped in camaraderie and school spirit, as I usually do. It's always a pleasure to see children with a renewed enthusiasm marching off to "Go Beyond Z" and accomplish great thing!

Keeping Scholars Motivated

So, as most of my readers know, I am the proud mother of two HSA3 Scholars. Jordan, 7, is a young third grader and Julia, 6, is an even younger 2nd grader. Team Flete is soliciting ideas or suggestions on ways to keep our scholars motivated.

HSA scholars begin their academically rigorous day promptly at 7:45am and are in the clutches of teachers who expect nothing short of excellence for the next almost nine hour until their 4:30pm dismissal. Upon dismissal, the tired scholars are expected to come home and complete no less than 1+ hours of math, spelling, writing and independent reading homework.

Academic results of this schedule are tangible; however, the successes come with a price tag. My children are often cranky as the evening approaches and their deferred need for active play combines with their little bodies' craving for sleep. These most basic needs abruptly collide with the mountain of responsibility that is figuratively and literally placed squarely on the tiny shoulders of every HSA scholar. The mountain of responsibility is displayed in the form of a HSA royal blue backpack where scholars so proudly carry their blue homework folders and book baggies!

Despite Team Flete's best efforts to keep Jordan and Julia focused and on task, inevitably, somewhere between the "small moment story" and the spelling exercise the Flete children lose steam. I'm sorry to report that on most nights the last portion of the homework assignment becomes a chore and threatens to take the entire team down. Most nights I'm a tireless cheerleader, offering an abundance of praise and positive reinforcement. Some nights, I resort to threats and punishment. **I've learned that cranky children could care less about and do not respond well to threats.

Being tired, cranky and unable to focus myself, I pose this question to you: What do you do to motivate your scholars?

I ask that you please leave comments to this question in the comments section on this blog so that everyone may learn from our shared experiences. You may also respond to this question by emailing me directly at: GloJA@aol.com. Please write Keeping Scholars Motivated in the subject line. I plan to publish the most exciting and innovating suggestions in the October 2010 edition of the HSA3 Parent Council Newsletter.

KISS YOUR BRAIN New York!

YAY! New York finally got it right! New York managed to win almost $700 million for schools this Tuesday when it was selected as one of the ten winners of the federal Race to the Top competition. This was a major victory for New York State schools and more importantly New York State school-children who stand to benefit the most from the winnings. New York lost out in the first round of Race to the Top primarily because of the cap on charter schools in the city.

Despite the push back from the state and city's teachers unions who were initially opposed to many of the proposed changes, most notably, increasing the number of charter schools and standards for evaluating teacher performance, success was finally realized. Among other things, this money will allow New York state to create an immense tracking system to monitor how students perform from kindergarten through college and standardized tests are also slated for revision.

Though New York City will receive only approximately $380 million of the federal prize winnings, officials acknowledged its significance. The additional funding will allow the city to make changes to its curriculum and state standards which will enable great things to happen as a result of those changes. The bigger picture suggests that the teachers unions may be softening their position or at the very least realize that change is on the horizon and charter schools are here to stay.

Kudos to New York State on a job well done! KISS YOUR BRAIN!

Half-Time Show

The HSA3 space hearing has deteriorated into an unorganized, loud, disrespectful shouting match. I am shocked and appalled at the level of disrespect that the anti-charter protesters have shown at this hearing. At one point they were marching around the venue shouting, "You say charter, we say NO!",while pounding drums.
It is unbelievable that a group of adults with opposing views are unable to have a reasonable and intelligent discourse without it turning ugly. If this group is representative of the teachers, parents and advocates of traditional public education then is not at all hard to imagine why traditional public schools are an overwhelming failure. Civilized people solve problems by talking through them. Savages solve problems by bullying people into taking their side.
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HSA3 Hearing

On site at a public hearing at HSA3 to increase space for our school and to be able to pull additional kids off the wait list. The room is filled with anti-charter protesters. We are outnumbered to the tune of five-to-one.

Scheduled to speak on behalf of HSA are Ray Flete, Henry Peña, and John Bosley.


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HSA 3 Field Day

The date was Thursday, June 10th, and HSA3 Field Day was underway! The weather was perfect and the scholars and staff were psyched! Classes trooped over to Thomas Jefferson Park on first avenue to enjoy a healthy dose of competition and fellowship.

HSA3 Scholars participated in egg races, a spirited game of tug-of-war (in which I was hurled to the ground by the mighty scholars of Berkeley), limbo, face painting, sack races and relays. Great fun was had by all!

Parent Council Elections

The cap on charter schools has been lifted. HSA has fought hard and won space for ALL of our new schools and is prepared to welcome our new scholars. Year-end testing is underway and scholars are preparing for HSA Field Day! The school year is almost over, but one there is one more important piece of business to attend to: HSA3 Parent Council Executive Committee Elections!

There are four positions available on the Parent Council Executive Committee: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Officer. I've decided to throw my hat in the race this time and am running for the position of Officer. Wish me luck!

When to vote: Tuesday, June 8 through Friday, June 11 between 7:20am and 5:00pm.

How to vote: If you are a parent of an HSA3 scholar, you can vote in the lobby during arrival and dismissal, or come by the main office during the school day and fill out a ballot.

NYTimes.com: Education Secretary Steps Into a Minefield in Brooklyn

By JENNIFER MEDINA
Published: May 18, 2010

It was meant to be a cheerful visit to put the spotlight on successful teachers and charter schools — an event that more-cynical observers tend to call a dog and pony show. But when Arne Duncan, the federal education secretary, arrived in Brooklyn on Tuesday for a tour of some of its schools, he was stepping into a sensitive moment in New York education politics. News releases and rejoinders flew during the day, and even deciding which schools he would visit provoked a squabble.
Mr. Duncan is prodding states to overhaul their education laws with the carrot of millions of dollars in competitive federal grants, under a program known as Race to the Top.

Among other changes, states can score points by raising the number of charter schools. The New York Senate has passed a bill to do just that, but the teachers’ unions are fighting efforts to pass the same bill in the Assembly. The second round of Race to the Top applications is due June 1.

When word circulated that Mr. Duncan planned to visit Kings Collegiate Charter School in Brownsville and Public School 65 in East New York, Randi Weingarten, the former head of the city’s teachers union, who is now president of the American Federation of Teachers, called him to express her disapproval. The principal of P.S. 65, Daysi Garcia, is one of only a few principals who have managed to have a teacher fired for incompetence. Several teachers have left since she took over several years ago, in part, union officials said, because they felt Ms. Garcia had treated them disrespectfully.  So at the union’s request, Mr. Duncan’s aides added a third school, Public School 241 in Crown Heights, to his itinerary.
And it was there that he stood with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, pleading with Congress to pass legislation that he said would save thousands of teaching jobs. Mr. Bloomberg echoed the plea but focused his demand on the Assembly, calling on the Democrats there to raise the cap on charter schools.

“A number of reform ideas are under consideration by the State Legislature, and while I can’t talk about the specifics of any of them, I can say we share many of the underlying values they propose,” Mr. Duncan said. “The president has called on states to allow good charter schools to flourish while ensuring that there is real and equal accountability.”

As Mr. Duncan spoke at P.S. 241, he was flanked by Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, on his far left and Lauren Harris, the principal of Kings Collegiate, on his far right. Neither of the two spoke during the news conference, but their supporters were battling from the sidelines. Hours before the event at the charter school, the teachers’ union’s press secretary sent reporters a fact sheet titled “A Tale of Two Schools.”

Like many charter schools in the city, Kings Collegiate, widely praised for its high test scores, shares a building with a traditional public school, Intermediate School 588, which does not score as well. The union was trying to point out that students who arrived at I.S. 588 were not as well prepared as their peers at Collegiate.
It also asserted that nearly one-third of the approximately 80 Kings students who entered in fifth grade had left the school by the next year.

Ms. Harris told reporters that approximately 18 students who began fifth grade were held back to repeat the grade and that less than a handful of them left the school. Education Department officials later said that the rate of students who left the school was closer to 20 percent. But documents the school filed with the state show that 11 percent of the students left the school between their first and second years.

A version of this article appeared in print on May 19, 2010, on page A22 of the New York edition.

Deductive Reasoning

This morning, being a usual morning, found "team Flete" involved in mega rush mode as we dressed, scarfed down breakfast and raced to the car. Jordan and Julia counted down to "take-off" as I wrestled the Landcruiser from the tight parking spot where it had been nestled and I somehow managed to avoid hitting all the meteorites (vehicles) and aliens (people) on my way to the Third Avenue bridge.

The kids had finally settled into reading the assortment of shop signs, billboards and street signs on my way down Lexington Avenue on the way to HSA3. Suddenly Julia tapped me on the shoulder and asks in a clear and unwavering voice, "Mommy, what's a nuva-ring?" Now, my inclination was to turn the radio up louder and pretend that I didn't hear my five-year-old ask me about a method of birth control but decided against my better judgement and opted for the standard hard-of-hearing mother response, "What was that, dear?" Julia is the type of child that every parent covets and fears having at the same time. She is energetic, articulate, bright, assertive and stubborn as a bull. She is relentless in her pursuit of answers and this, I was afraid, was about to turn into one of those dreaded question and answer periods. Luckily, by this time we were approaching 122nd street and Lexington Avenue and would not have much time for this discussion.

"Nuva-ring, mommy... what's a nuva-ring?", she repeated.

"What makes you ask? What do you think it is?", I responded shakily. Sweat beads were forming along my brow and I heard Jordan snicker. He'd obviously seen this scene play out between us many times before.

I caught a glimpse of Julia in the rear view mirror. Her brow was furrowed and she was obviously trying to frame her question so that she received a straight answer, as I'm sure she sensed my obvious avoidance. "I don't know what the nuva-ring is. That's why I asked. I saw it on a sign at the bus stop and was wondering what it was."

I saw my out! We were already on 115th and Lexington and had only 4 blocks to go. I was certain that she wasn't able to read the entire advertisement as we whizzed by, much less understand it and surely 4 blocks wasn't enough time to explain it. I made my strategic move. "What did the sign say?" Check.

Right at this time, a big, yellow school bus proceeded to slowly flip out the octagonal, red-flashing stop sign. I was caught. Julia and I met eyes in the rear view mirror. She flashed her winning smile and said, "The sign said the nuva-ring was 99.7% effective at preventing pregnancy if used properly. I don't now what the nuva-ring is, but I know it does something. If you tell me what the word preventing is, then I can probably figure out what it is. Deal?" Check mate.

I was floored! My 5-year-old not only read the advertisement but was attempting to use deductive reasoning to understand it. She could care less what the nuvo-ring was! All's well that ends well. I explained the word "preventing" and she was able to deduce that the nuva -ring "stops" pregnancy. She went Beyond Z this morning and this was all before 7:45am!

ps... The follow-up discussion of how this nuva-ring actually works is bound to be a winner.

Next Steps

So the screening of The Lottery was a success and many of you may be wondering what you can do to help all children get a free, excellent education.  The answer is contact your representatives!  Let's all go Beyond Z today and let our voices be heard!

Leave a voicemail for these four Harlem elected officials to let them know you support parent choice and want the charter cap lifted.  Adam Clayton Powell supports charters, so please make sure to let him know you appreciate his position!  The others do not support parent choice.
Note: you will not reach a live person when you make these calls. Your call will go straight to a voicemail box that will send your messages to the elected officials.

• Adriano Espaillat: (718) 874-1470
• Denny Farrell: (718) 928-9587
• Bill Perkins: (718) 989-2705
• Adam Clayton Powell: (718) 989-2706

Suggested voicemail messages are as follows:

• Assemblymembers Adriano Espaillat and Herman Denny Farrell should hear:  "Hello this is (your name) calling to leave a message for Assemblymember Espaillat (or Farrell. I am calling to urge you to support our public charter schools. Please help us raise the cap on charter schools in New York State by voting for A.10928 and vote against the funding freeze for charter schools in this year's budget. Both of these votes will help our kids and put us in the best position to win $700 million in Race to the Top Funding."

• Senator Bill Perkins should hear:  "Hello this is (your name) calling to leave a message for Senator Perkins. I am calling to ask you to reconsider your position on public charter schools. Please help us raise the cap on charter schools in New York State and vote against the funding freeze for charter schools in this year's budget. Both of these votes will help our kids and put us in the best position to win $700 million in Race to the Top Funding."

• Assemblymember Adam Clayton Powell should hear:  "Thank you Assemblymember Powell for supporting parent choice.  This is (your name) calling to say I would like to thank you for your support of public charter schools. Please continue to support legislation raising the cap and ending the funding freeze. Thank you for supporting our kids and putting us in the best position to win $700 million in Race to the Top funding."

Remember these are OUR elected officials and they need to hear from US. Have a Way Beyond Z day!

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Panel Discussion

A panel discussion took place immediately following the screening. The panelists were: Eva Moskowitz, founder of the Harlem Success Academy; Jim Manley (Deuce), founding Principal of HSA2; Ny Whitaker, parent of HSA3 scholar and Candice Frier, founding teacher at HSA2.
There was a lively discussion regarding the movie, personal experiences and challenges working within the public charter school system. Questions from the floor were taken.

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The Lottery Film facts

As if those weren't disheartening enough:

* Spacing for prisons built in America is based on the school failure rate of black 4th and 5th grade boys.
* It costs $250,000 taxpayer dollars to fire 1 NYC unionized teacher.
* The teacher's union spends more money lobbying Albany than any other entity.
* In this April's lottery, there were 1000 available slots in the Harlem Success Academy schools and over 7000 applicants for these slots.



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Live from The Apollo

Okay! Here we are at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem awaiting the general screening of the documentary, The Lottery! The house is PACKED! Stay tuned for prospective parent interviews and reviews!





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The Lottery comes to The Apollo

Tonight the documentary, The Lottery will be shown at the world famous Apollo Theatre! Doors open at 5:00pm and show time is at 6:00pm.
For those of you who didn't have the opportunity to screen the documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival, here's your chance! It's a riveting film and I encourage you all to come out to the Apollo tonight.
The Lottery Film highlights various opinions on the debate regarding the provision of a quality, public education. Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem Children's Zone, NYC School Chancellor Joel Klein, Susan Taylor the Editor of Essence magazine, Newark's Mayor Cory Booker, and Betsey Gotbaum the former NYC Public Advocate sound off in the film.
For more details please visit: http://thelotteryfilm.com/.
Hope to see you all tonight at the Apollo!

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Teacher's Appreciation Week at HSA3

We parents at the Harlem Success Academy love, love, love our teachers! Last week was Teacher's Appreciation Week. It began on Monday, May 3rd, with breakfast for all of our teachers, spiraled through the week with an assortment of fun activities and ended on Friday, May 7th, in a bang with a barbecue! All the activities were expertly organized by our HSA3 parent council. They bought supplies, coordinated contributions, crafted gifts and essentially, performed magic to rival the instructors at Hogwarts! The following photos are highlights from our barbecue.

My Letter to the Editor

The following is a letter I wrote to the editor of the UFT's newspaper, New York Teacher. The editor's email address is: nytletters@uft.org in the event that you'd like write your own letter. The submission has to be a maximum of 250 words and have a name, address and telephone number attached to be considered for submission in their paper. I've deleted mine from this post for obvious reasons.

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-----Original Message-----
From: gandersonflete@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 6 May 2010 18:14:37
To: <nytletters@uft.org>
Subject: UFT radio commercial

Dear Editor:

I am dismayed by tactics that the UFT has employed, as of late, in terms of the slander campaign aimed at public charter schools. A radio commercial aired on an urban music radio station this morning was, unfortunately, the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back and encouraged me to send this letter. This commercial hooked me by playing on my general interest in children and specific concern for NY's ailing school system. It began by speaking of overcrowded classrooms, cuts in funding and teacher layoffs. The commercial then took a left turn and began to rail against public charters insisting that they were to blame for the ills of the city's educational system.

I am the parent of two Harlem Success Charter scholars and am outraged that the UFT continues to pit traditional public schools against public charter schools. I have no fight with traditional public schools or parents who send their children to them. My decision to go charter came about as a result of my children's unfortunate zip code which tethers them to a failing zone school.

I wish that all traditional public schools were able to provide an environment where all children are afforded the opportunity to receive an excellent, free education; however, that is not the case at this time. I respectfully ask that you pull the radio commercial and stop playing political games with the lives of the youngest and most vulnerable members of our citizenry. Stop making excuses and placing blame. NY traditional public schools have failed a large number of our children for generations. Do our grade schoolers have even one more year to wait for a real change? I say NO... parent choice now!

Gloria Anderson-Flete

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UFT Radio Commercial

Good old Michael Mulgrew and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) are at it again. This time, they're running negative radio commercials alleging that public charter schools are all about making money at the "expense" of the children. This particular commercial was aired on New York's 98.7 KISS-FM, an urban music radio station with a traditionally black and latino listenership. This is especially damaging since these are the parents whose children are likely within the catchment area of the Harlem Success Charter Schools and probably most in need of an excellent and free education.
The UFT is encouraging people to visit their web site to learn how to stop charters. I challenge you all to visit their website, email the editor, call their main offices and encourage them to pull the commercial! Tell them that you support the growth of charter schools! Let's all go Beyond Z today and let your voices be heard!

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Senate votes to lift the cap!

The state Senate voted 45-15, Monday, in favor of lifting the cap on the number of public charter schools statewide! There's just one more hurdle folks. The Assembly has to vote to pass the bill and then it's on Paterson's desk. No worries there... Paterson is a supporter! The bill, however, faces a dismal fate in the Assembly, where Speaker Sheldon Silver and the teacher's union oppose the measure.

The passing of this bill will boost New York's chances of winning federal Race to The Top funding. The Race to the Top Fund provides competitive grants to encourage and reward States that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform. Delaware and Tennessee won the first Race to the Top this March, winning $100 million and $500 million respectively over the next four years. Kudos to them!

New York was eliminated due to the requirement of state legislative action related to Charter schools (raising the cap) and opposition of Charter schools by teacher's unions. New York lost out on $700 million in education dollars, much needed in the midst of our current fiscal crisis. Hopefully we are now on the right track as Phase 2 applications are due on June 1, 2010.

A good education is the only guaranteed ticket to success! Keep the pressure on your local politicians. They need to hear from us! Education reform NOW or else your reelection is in peril!

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Complicated

Complicated (adjective) \ˈkäm-plə-ˌkā-təd\ Consisting of parts intricately combined.

If you are wondering what my life is really like as the parent of two Harlem Success Academy (HSA) students, the only adjective that comes to mind is: Complicated. In the beginning of the school year you are asked to sign “The Contract”.  The contract is an agreement between you and the Harlem Success Academy that says, essentially, if your child is to be a HSA scholar, you are committing your life to HSA. You sign on the dotted line and marry HSA until death (or graduation) do you part!  In sickness and in health this commitment includes the understanding that an HSA parent is an active participant in his/her child’s education.  Uniform compliance, on-time arrival and 100% attendance are MANDATORY and non-negotiable!

The life of a HSA parent is a seemingly endless mélange of shuffling papers, homework packets, rubrics, mandatory meetings, chess games and soccer tournaments… examples of the manageable aspects of parenting a HSA scholar.  The harder to manage aspects involve visiting libraries and bookstores searching for books that have never been read before, having to be constantly mindful of my integrity and exhibiting a perpetual sense of agency.  It’s less than pleasant to have your kid shake their head at you in a judgmental way when you just want to sleep, there’s more [insert chore of choice] to be done and your kid feels you need to try and try.  The unmanageable aspects have to do with reassuring my children that they will do well on a never-ending hamster wheel of standardized tests. Gone are the days of sitting alone in a comfy chair reading a book of my choosing that has more than 100 pages and no pictures.  Gone are the days when I could sleep soundly beyond 5:30am on any given weekday because HSA scholars are expected at school before 7:45.  Gone are the days when my summers were free to romp, frolic and island hop with out a HSA summer reading list and backpack of summer assignments.

The feelings get really complicated when the super inconvenient parts are juxtaposed with the joy I feel when my 5-year-old, kindergartener, who reads on a second grade level, reads to me from her Junie B. Jones series of chapter books.  The awe I’m in when my 2nd grader does rudimentary algebraic formulas without even realizing it… and rejoices in his accomplishment!  I’m amazed when I hear what I believe is arguing and realize it’s only a spirited debate over a chess game.  I’m inspired when I see the pride my scholars have in their appearance and the confidence they exude when they speak to adults.  I’m exuberant at the prospects of them belonging to the next generation of American leaders.  Their enthusiasm for learning is infectious!  I’m proud to be a HSA parent but being married requires a great deal of dedication and commitment and living with the Harlem Success Academy “ain’t easy”!

Panel discussion following The Lottery Screening

Director Madeline Sackler, Chancellor of the NYC DOE Joel Klein, former NYC Council Education Committee chair and Harlem Success Academy leader Eva Moskowitz, and Harlem parent Karl Willingham lead and discussed issues raised by the film. Moderated by talk radio host and political columnist and correspondent Errol Louis.
The panel discussed a variety of topics ranging from the race issue and parent involvement to the merits of having a public lottery. Joel Klein was very vocal in his insistence that the debate needs to be less politicized.

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A MUST SEE

The Lottery is a must see film!!!  Out the blocks this film is a tremendously informative documentary that tries to depoliticize the issue of public charter vs. traditional public schools.  A real tear jerker at times this documentary touches the heart of every parent who has struggled to find and access a phenomenal education for their child.  It tells the story of four families with the help of amazing cinematography and compelling personal accounts.

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NYS Senator

NY State Senator Craig Johnson, just entered the building! He's a major supporter of the Charter School movement. He spoke in favor of Charter Schools at the 13 hour Bill Perkins hearing on April 22nd.
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The Lottery Screening

I'm here! The red carpet has been rolled out and a healthy crowd has formed here at the SVA Theatre on 23rd street. Show time is approximately 7:00pm.

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Tribeca

Great news! I was just notified that I’ve been invited to attend the Tribeca Film Festival screening of The Lottery tomorrow!! This is a film that follows four families as they apply for a spot at the Harlem Success Academy.

There will be a panel after the film with Eva Moskowitz, the founder of Harlem Success Charters, NYC School Chancellor, Joel Klein and HSA2 parent Karl Willingham. Daily News/WWRL radio host, Errol Louis, will moderate this panel.

I'll be blogging live from the event!

Jordan Rocks the Boat

Jordan is a self-declared rock expert and aspiring geologist.  During the course of his day, he goes about searching for interesting specimens to add to his bourgeoning rock collection.  Seems like an innocuous enough hobby, right?  Not so when you have a difficult mother who doesn’t share your enthusiasm for collecting.  Thanks to my Type-A personality and proclivity for meticulous cleaning Jordan has come up with some very interesting places to secure his rock specimens.  I have unfortunately found rocks stuffed into every pair of his shoes and sneakers, rocks in pants and jacket pockets, rocks in his dresser draws, rocks in his book bag and have even found rocks under his pillow.  This kid really loves rocks!

I’m not the only one who has observed this peculiar behavior characterized by the appearance of misshapen and bulging pockets.  Last summer, an armed TSA agent, who looked like he may have been a professional athlete in another life, detained our family in an airport.  My six year old son, Jordan's pockets were bulging as usual as we funneled into a crowded Manley airport in Kingston and waited our turn to check or luggage and move through the body scanners before entering our gate.  Nothing strange there, Jordan’s pockets were always bulging.  Finally our turn came and we placed our carryon luggage, shoes and contents of our pockets on the scanner.  Our luggage emerged from the other side of the scanner and as we collected our assortment of things, the TSA agent asked for Jordan’s backpack. Jordan ignored him and hoisted his homework-laden backpack onto his shoulders.  (HSA scholars have homework during the summer too!) The TSA agent must have figured that my son hadn’t heard his request… I knew better.  The agent put on a large smile, bent down to Jordan’s eye level and made his request again.  Jordan avoided his eyes and proceeded to move around to stand behind me as though no one had addressed him, all while clutching the straps of his backpack.  Up until this point I had suspected that Jordan was transporting a rock or two across international borders, but really, how serious could that be?  The TSA agent asked us all to step off of the line and follow him.  Jordan’s eyes began to fill with water as the agent led us to the isolated bag scanner at the far corner of the room.  The agent explained that his intent was to investigate the contents of Jordan’s backpack or we were not going to be permitted to board our flight.  This situation was suddenly serious.  I began to notice how overstuffed Jordan’s bag really was.  What in the heck could he really have in there?  I knelt down in from of my son and looked him square in the eyes and asked him what he had in his bag.  He hugged me fiercely and began to wail!   He was begging me not to let anyone take his Sedimentary river rock.  Honestly, I did remember he and his father relaying the story of how they came across this ostrich egg sized, smooth, slate gray rock, but frankly had reached my saturation point with Jordan’s rocks and dismissed the entire thing.  Anyway, Jordan revealed the contents of his bag and the unthinkable occurred.  The situation took an abrupt turn for the worse as the TSA agent said, of all things, the rock could be used as a weapon and was going to be confiscated.  By now a crowd was collecting and, the agent and Jordan were engaged in what would have been a comical tugging match over the overstuffed backpack had Jordan not been hysterical.

I was pleading with this federal agent on behalf of my sweating and crying child, when suddenly my somewhat shy child stood erect and declared in a loud and clear voice that he would not be returning to the United States.  He wiped his face on his jacket sleeve and bravely began to hug and kiss us goodbye! He picked up his rock, placed it back in his backpack and explained his position.  He had decided and it was final!   This rock was special and unless he was allowed to bring his river rock that he dived into the bottom of a waterfall in Jamaica with his father to collect home with him he would not be returning with us.  The agent, evidently moved by this young child’s convictions, relented and my son marched through the gate to the applause of many of our fellow passengers.  Kudos to you my beloved geologist to be!

Trapped By a Zip Code

NYC Public Charter Schools are under fire, and as a result may be legislated right out of business. As the insults fly, angry mobs of picketing, flyer-shoving parents form and politicians strategize how best to woo their constituents, the youngest, and among the most vulnerable of our citizenry, are being ignored and overlooked. The real victims or beneficiaries of this less than civil discussion are the one million or more school aged children who’s present and future are tremendously affected by the decision whether or not to allow them access to a free, quality education. Charter Public Schools are free, independently run public schools open to all New York City students. They are innovative in terms of policy and curriculum and the students are diverse. Public Charter Schools are an environment where teachers are empowered and schools are accountable. They serve regular as well as special education students and unfortunately do more with less operating funds.

My story is not so unique. My family and I live in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. Well before the age at which my children would begin their formal education, my husband and I began to search for performance statistics of my neighborhood public schools. Much to my dismay, I found dismal statistics in reading and math and also realized that most traditional public elementary schools have not the resources, or so I believed, to teach science in primary school. I contacted schools outside of my district in reference to admission practices only to find out that my children would require a much coveted waiver in order to place my children outside of their neighborhood and in a better performing public school. It seemed that they were being held captive by their parents’ choice to live in Mott Haven. Being a product of private and parochial schools, I considered this a viable option, only to find out that these spaces are also coveted and scholarship funding is reserved only for the exceptionally academically gifted or most impoverished. My children fit neither of these descriptions. We were faced with making the decision that all parents dread. Accept sub-standard education that my children would receive because of their unfortunate zip code or sacrifice basic necessities to educate them properly.

Let’s think “beyond Z” people! Children and their parents who happen to have zip codes that tether them to failing schools are expected to accept this as their only option or make the decision to live from hand to mouth in order to pay for a private education. Unfortunately, time stands still for no one and the children of New York City don’t have time for an ailing school system to be revived when there are excellent public charter schools now. I wish for all NYC children to be the beneficiary of a free, quality education not the victims of political opportunists who are only concerned with securing their seats in the upcoming election. I now pose this question to all New Yorkers, “What do you expect for the children of our city, access to excellence or mediocrity?” Frankly, even one school year is too much time to waste, much less an entire elementary education. You decide…

Have a Beyond Z Day!

Going Beyond Z

Yuzz, glikk and snee are the some letters of the alphabet that come after the letter "z" if you are Dr. Seuss, read Dr. Seuss or are a scholar affiliated with the Harlem Success Academy (HSA). Well, it's safe to assume that Glo Anderson-Flete is not another pseudonym, for Theodor Geisel. But as you know, I have scholars affiliated with HSA and collectively, we have probably read every Dr. Seuss book ever published, but I'll spare you the grueling details.

This post is less about Dr. Seuss than it is about going beyond Z. Going "Beyond Z" goes to the heart of HSA's school culture. HSA has a philosophy based on the book, On Beyond Zebra!, by you guessed it, Dr. Seuss! As a child, this book introduced the concept of paradigm shifting into my intellectual vocabulary before I even knew what such a thing was! Anyway, I read this book and was forever changed. The concept that our 26 letter alphabet was an arbitrary collection and not a universal constant had never occurred to me. This book sparked an awareness that if I would only try to see beyond the boundaries that were on display... then what?

Dr. Seuss and the Harlem Success Academy has sparked yet another generation of leaders to go On Beyond Zebra!  HSA insists that all of its scholars and their families, experience a paradigm shift that speaks to the infinite possibilities that a quality education can provide. Everyday scholars are encouraged to think outside the box and achieve no less than the mind can conceive and in short, to have a Beyond Z Day!

What's a Charter School?

Hey world! I am the mother of two Harlem Success Academy 3 (HSA) scholars!  The Harlem Success Academy 3, is a part of a network of innovative public charter schools in New York City.  For those who may be wondering, a charter school is a public school that is run like a private school.  There is more flexibility to try new things.  Charter schools empower teachers and their students learn more as a result.

At the Harlem Success Academy, each child is identified by his/her anticipated date of college graduation. This may sound absurd, but it's one of the ways that HSA sets subtle expectations for it's students.  Another way is instead of using room numbers to identify classrooms, classes are named after the undergraduate alma mater of the teacher, again reinforcing the idea of future college attendance.  Having said that, Jordan attends the University of Scranton and is in the graduating class of 2024 and Julia goes to Whitman College and is in the graduating class of 2026.  This blog is the way that I've chosen to share some of our day to day scholarly experiences!  Hope you enjoy getting to know us!