This week’s choice is obvious: New York’s students achieve at a high rate. It’s well documented and acknowledged so why would someone say our students are bad?
Rather than get into reverse psychology and ramifications, do you mind if I just leap to What are you going to do about it?
Tell your neighbors, your friends, your spouse’s friends about where our schools really stand. See list below.
How about putting your money where your mouth is? The Schoharie Teachers Association is developing a television ad. They start filming next week. It’s a positive ad that simply congratulates students, schools and teachers for their achievements. The local union will fund the first $3,000 toward showing it in the Capital Region television area (which ranges from Lake George to Kingston and Gloversville to Pittsfield.) They are seeking donations, which I am confident they will get. (This local has a way of getting things done.) This small amount of money only allows the ad to be shown on one television station but it will still reach 375,000 homes. So if you want to support the effort of airing the ad in the Capital Region market write out a check to the Schoharie TA and send it to the STA at 298 Colby Road, Schoharie, NY 12157.
Also, local president Martin Messner is thinking bigger than that. The local will release the ad to any other NYSUT local that wished to use it in their own media markets. More details on that will come and we will post the YouTube video of the ad when it is complete.
And here’s the list of where our students and schools really stand in the nation.
- First. A CNBC study ranks New York’s education system as first in the nation for providing what business needs. Click here to read their report.
- A second first. New York schools have more Intel semifinalists — 105 — than any other state. The next closest state is California with 41. Other numbers for this prestigious contest are: 1,839 apply and 300 make semifinal status. You can check out the complete list here.
- Second: New York ranks second in the nation for the number of students successfully completing Advanced Placement courses. You can download the complete report here.
- Third: Quality Counts, the report by Education Week, ranks New York third in the nation.Click here for the link to this state by state report card on how the nation does in six areas of educational policy and performance.
Way to go Martin and Schoharie Teachers!, Leading by example. Too bad this required action (and finances) at the local level. Already started spreading the word up here to get support for continued action.
I’m sure NYSUT will do something but whatever they do this will make it more powerful.
We cannot allow Cuomo or anyone else to define our school system as a failure. If Cuomo is successful in this, its our belief that he will be given the power to remake our schools and completely tear down the system. We believe everything is on the table here…Tenure…Due Process…LIFO…destruction of our pension system….you name it.
Just the other day I watched Cuomo say yet again that NY is #1 in spending and #38 in results.
My members will not stand for it and we hope others will join us in this fight. If all locals come together and work to get the simple postive message out that we have good schools and teachers we can turn back the tide. We believe that if we can do this at a large enough level, people will take more pride in their schools and teachers. They will be more prone to ask questions when someone wants to remake public education. Add this to whatever NYSUT is doing and we can beat The Committee to Save NY.
Schoharie can’t do this alone, so we are really hoping that others stand with us on this one and help us get this message out!
thanks Russ for your efforts!!!
This week Local 3115 (Westhill) committed to the ad buy here in Central NY. We hope ours will help seed other commitments by locals around the state.
My conversation with Martin sparked my latest blog post @ http://wdea3115.wordpress.com.
It’s time we stood up to the Gov on a local level. This is the kind of message discipline that is needed to push back against the Gov’s Madison Ave. PR campaign.
I hope more locals sign on to the campaign.