February 2009
A Great Month for Partnerships!
Welcome to the February edition of Keeping It Going, the monthly e-newsletter of The Fund for Public Schools. In February, we celebrate Valetine's Day with the ones we love. One great way to show your love for our city is by getting involved with one of our 1,500 public schools.
A few weeks ago, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg delivered his State of the City Address. In his speech, the mayor annouced a new tool to help families obtain information about their children's schools. Parent 311 will provide an easy, accessible, single point of contact for parents seeking answers about everything from school bus routes to special education services. Utilizing the same infrastructure as the popular 311 system, Parent 311 will enable parents to track their questions and ensure a timely, accurate response. The Fund for Public Schools is proud to have secured critical seed funding for this initiative, which will be launched by the beginning of the next school year.
In addition, February is Black History Month, a time for reflecting on the achievements of African-Americans while remembering that equal opportunity is sadly not yet a reality. Over the last six years, New York City's public schools have made strides in narrowing the achievement gap between racial groups, but much more work remains to be done. By supporting our city's 1.1 million public school students, together we can help keep the progress going.
How to Keep It Going In February
February is a great month to help keep the progress going in our city's public schools! If you know of a volunteer opportunity not listed here, please let us know by emailing info@fundforpublicschools.org.
Share Your Job With A Student
Throughout New York City, hundreds of public school students will participate in a Junior Achievement of New York (JANY) Job Shadow program, which kicks off in February and continues throughout the school year. JANY is looking for a few  good New Yorkers to share their careers with public school students. Volunteers work with JANY to create an agenda for the half-day event, which typically involves a tour of the office, opportunities to meet with senior executives and staff in various departments, and breakfast or lunch with the students. By opening your office and sharing your insight, you can help students learn what it takes to be successful in the workplace. To volunteer as a Job Shadow host, email jobshadow@jany.org or visit www.jany.org.
Volunteer With Behind The Book!
A strong foundation in literacy is the key to life-long learning. Behind the Book brings award-winning authors and their books into individual classrooms to build literacy skills and nurture a new generation of readers. Working with students in New York City's high-need public schools, Behind the Book is dedicated to getting children and young adults excited about reading. Volunteers are always needed to assist students at author visits, helping children to craft stories, write essays, and produce other art and writing projects (teaching experience not required). Volunteers with technology, photography, and/or videography skills are also needed to help with web-based projects. For the latest schedule of author visits and information about getting involved, email Sarata Toriola at sarata@behindthebook.org.
Show Your Support With A Tote Bag
 Looking for the perfect Valentine's Day gift? Want to show your love for someone special and our city's schools at the same time? Make your gift count twice this year! As part of this past year's Shop for Public Schools retail promotion, designer Cynthia Rowley teamed up with classic New York merchant Fishs Eddy to produce these hip tote bags that let everyone know you care about New York City's public schools. The bags make great gifts. Best of all, 100% of the purchase price goes to support The Fund for Public Schools! Click here to shop online at Fishs Eddy, or click here to shop at Cynthia Rowley.
Stay Updated with The Fund for Public Schools
Stay informed about exciting opportunities for involvement with our public schools. Add yourself to our mailing list, and each month you'll receive a copy of our e-newsletter delivered straight to your inbox! Just click here. |
Witnessing History
Students Watch Inauguration
On January 20th, Americans from coast to coast tuned in to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama as the nation's 44th President. In private homes and public spaces, people swelled with emotion as the country's first African-American President took the oath of office.
Among the millions watching this unforgettable event were New York City's public school students. Nearly 90 percent of the city's 1,500 public schools broadcast the inauguration over a dedicated, real-time Internet video stream hosted on the Department of Education's website. The feed was made available by ABC News, in a one-of-a-kind partnership between a major news organization and a public school district.
In many schools, students gathered in auditoriums for school-wide programs, celebrations, and discussions on the meaning of the event.
"The energy was awesome," says Susan Green, principal of P.S. 208 in Harlem, where students wore commemorative t-shirts and heard about the struggles of African-Americans throughout history. "The students were remarkably attentive to everything that was happening."
Students at the school agreed. "I felt proud watching," says Dominique, a fifth grader at the school. "It was really important that we were able to see it."
Over a month before the inauguration, Department of Education staff began discussing the best way to bring the historic event to such a large audience of students and teachers. Ted Brodheim, the DOE's Chief Information Officer, immediately saw the educational value of showing the inauguration in schools.
"It's important to show students the peaceful transfer of power in a democratic system," he says. "Most of our current students weren't in school for the last Presidential transition, so this is the first one many of them have ever seen." Brodheim reached out to a former colleague at ABC News, who was happy to partner with the school system free of charge.
ABC News worked directly with the DOE's technology infrastructure and provided the dedicated link, allowing city schools to join more than 8 million people nationwide who viewed the inauguration video on ABC's website.
"ABC News is based in New York, so public school students are our neighbors," says Brad Wall, Director of Production and Operations at ABC News Digital. "The inauguration was such a historic event, with many educational components."
"Part of a news organization's duty is to make sure the community has access to the news," continues Wall. "It was important for us to do what we could to help provide that."
Over the nine days leading up to the inauguration, DOE technical support staff visited 1,183 schools and tested the system. The DOE also set up a dedicated help desk, which fielded questions from school staff around the city about showing the feed. On Inauguration Day, over 80 field technicians were at schools in all five boroughs, putting the finishing touches on the system and ensuring smooth viewing for enraptured students, teachers, and school staff.
"Our team put in tons of extra hours," says Brodheim. "They were wonderfully dedicated, and we've received so many letters of thanks from pleased principals and teachers."
While noting that some schools had difficulty connecting to overloaded Internet servers, Brodheim says he is pleased with the overall outcome of the day.
Ingrid Thomas-Clark, principal of I.S. 232 in Brooklyn, says her students were inspired by the inauguration ceremonies.
"Reading about this wouldn't have been enough," she says. "Watching it made history come alive!" |
