Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Occupy the DOE 2.0; Save Our Schools Webinar/Fundraiser

Occupy the DOE 2.0; Save Our Schools Webinar/Fundraiser:


Occupy the DOE 2.0; Save Our Schools Webinar/Fundraiser

Occupy the DOE 2.0; Save Our Schools Webinar

with Drs. Morna McDermott and Shaun Johnson, Educator Ceresta Smith and a Special Guest Speaker 
March 27, 2013 – 9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time [EDT}
Please Join Us as We Occupy the Department of Education for a Second Time!! Drs. Morna McDermott, Shaun Johnson, Veteran Educator Ceresta Smith and a Special Guest Speaker will share the details during this Save Our Schools hosted Webinar.
Contribute to the Occupy the DOE 2 Fund!



Please join administrators of the public education advocacy group UNITED OPT OUT NATIONALhttp://unitedoptout.com/ for a powerful presentation, a Webinar Fundraiser in support of Occupy the DOE 2.0.
UOO Board Members and Organizers, Morna McDermott, Shaun Johnson, and Ceresta Smith will speak about the second annual event. Save Our Schools, in support will host the Webinar/Fundraiser. Together let us help raise funds so that student scholars might attend the Washington DC Rally and March.
UOO and SOS ask all of those who support teachers, students and public schools to join this discussion and learn more about the four-day gathering of progressive education activists who endeavor to resist the destructive influences of corporate and for-profit education reforms.
Morna, Shaun, Ceresta, and a Special Guest will share their reasons for attending the April 4-7 Occupy the DOE 2.0 action, a Rally and March to the White House.
Please join us as we explore opportunities for resisting destructive ed. reform policies and for rebuilding our public education system.
See the Full Schedule for Occupy the DOE Occupy2.0: The Official Schedule for Occupy DOE 2.0: The Battle for Public Schools 
via  @unitedoptout
Save Our Schools wishes to further awareness for the cause. We ask you to contribute what you are able. Please help defray the cost of their travel. Donate Now!



Morna McDermott

Morna McDermott – United Opt Out – Associate Professor at Towson University, Maryland
Morna McDermott is one of the six administrators for the national movement United Opt Out National. She has been working in, with, and around public schools for over twenty years. Currently she is also an Associate Professor at Towson University, in Maryland where she teaches various theory and methods courses in the College of Education. Her scholarship and research interests focus on democracy, social justice, and arts-informed inquiry in K-post secondary educational settings, and working with beginning and experienced educators.
Morna explores how the arts serve as a form of literacy that challenges traditional classroom learning and dominant narratives. Her recent book published by IPA Press is entitled The Left Handed Curriculum: Creativity for Empowering Teachers. Dr. McDermott currently serves as the Arts Based Educational Research section editor for the Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy. In addition to publishing in educational journals and books, she writes for her blog www.educationalchemy.com. She currently lives in Baltimore with her husband and two children. Contact Morna at mcdermottmax@yahoo.com.
Shaun Johnson

Shaun Johnson – Towson University
Dr. Shaun Johnson is an assistant professor of elementary education at Towson University. Johnson is a former public school teacher and blogger. He returns to his roots every summer, teaching 5th graders in a DC public charter school. Shaun earned his PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Indiana University and researches and publishes about gender in education, social studies, and education reform. He is the founder ofAt the Chalk Face, an education blog, podcast, and now nationally syndicated radio show.
 @thechalkface
Ceresta Smith

Ceresta Smith – Miami Florida
Ceresta Smith, an American University alumna, is a twenty-three-year veteran educator who has taught grades six through twelve reading and language arts, as well as beginning and advanced television production. Contact Ceresta at cerestas@yahoo.com or 786-303-4785.
She earned her National Board Certification in Adult/Young Adult English/language arts in 2002 and now serves as a teacher leader and mentor. In September of 2008, she moved from a school deemed “high performing” to serve as a teacher leader and literacy coach in a school deemed “low performing.” While there, she became a 2009 – 2010 recipient of a Jordan Fundamental Grant that facilitated the implementation of Text Titans, a literacy building initiative designed by her and funded by Brand Jordan. A private foundation created by basketball great Michael Jordan, Brand Jordan honors teachers who motivate and inspire students toward achieving excellence.
As a committed educator and activist, Ms. Smith founded the Concerned Teacher Coalition in 2009 to address the inequities in Miami-Dade County’s predominantly African-American public schools. One of the original organizers of Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action, she continues to champion for equity and quality pedagogy in America’s public schools.
Save Our Schools wishes to further awareness for the Occupy the DOE 2.0 cause. We ask you to contribute what you are able. Please help defray the cost of student, parent, and interested in education persons travel. Donate Now!


Please Join Us!