Monday, November 19, 2012

Parents rally at City Hall, but their protest is directed elsewhere | GothamSchools

Parents rally at City Hall, but their protest is directed elsewhere | GothamSchools:


Parents rally at City Hall, but their protest is directed elsewhere

Keoni Wright, an East New York parent, speaks on Saturday at a StudentsFirstNY backing new teacher evaluations.
The scene was familiar, but the rallying cries and signs were a departure.
More than 100 parents and organizers from StudentsFirstNY filled the steps of City Hall on Saturday to demand that the teachers union cooperate with the city on an evaluation deal before a deadline that could cost the city $300 million in state aid.
“What do we want?” shouted Darlene Boston, who has been working to organize parents in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn to support StudentsFirstNY’s policy agenda. “Great teachers!” they replied.
“When do we want them?” Boston shouted back. “Now!” they said.
When education advocates protest outside City Hall, it is usually with an ensemble of union leaders, City