2010 CPER Convening
Communities for Public Education Reform (CPER) hosted its 3rd Annual Convening, "Building Power and Sharing Visions: Creating a Groundswell for Education Justice!" May 20th - 22nd, 2010 in Denver, Colorado.
Over 250 education organizers, advocates, parent and youth leaders, and funders from across the country converged in Denver to engage in peer learning and strategizing. The goals of this year's CPER Convening were to:
- Strengthen the CPER Education Organizing Network: Deepen and expand relationships among leaders and organizations committed to advancing education justice across regions, campaigns, and constituencies.
- Increase our Collective Power & Impact: Provide spaces for parents, students, education organizers, advocates and allies to dialogue and strategize about the multiple opportunities to link local, state, and national education justice policy reforms and campaigns.
Convening participants had the opportunity to deepen their learning about organizing and policy campaigns of CPER grantees and other education organizing groups and allies across the country. The Convening also explored the challenges to expanding the scope and impact of our organizing and policy reform work.
Thank you to all participants for making this year's Convening a success!
Click here to check out photos from this year's Convening!
Check back soon for videos!
Resources Shared at the 2010 CPER Convening
2010 CPER Convening Slideshow - Celebrating our Accomplishments (Unfortunately, this version does not have music or animation)
2010 CPER Convening Agenda
(Please note that Dialogue Session #7 was cancelled)
Learning Tours
Learning Tour #3 - Autonomous Schools and a Zone of Innovation in Near NE Denver
Dialogue Sessions:
Dialogue #2 - Elementary and Secondary Schools Act (ESEA): A 101 on the Implications of Reauthorization for Low-Income Communities and Schools
- Presentation from Arnie Fege, Public Education Network
- "Test, Punish and Push-Out: How "Zero Tolerance" and High-Stakes Testing Funnel Youth into the School-to-Prison Pipeline" (Report published by Advancement Project)
- Selected Bibliography on Education Reform Resources (Compiled by Arnie Fege, Public Education Network)
Dialogue #4 - Charter Schools: Their Origins, History and Political Context
- Presentation from Alex Medler, National Association of Charter School Authorizers
- Reading: The Charter School Express: Is proliferation interfering with quality? (Education Week, October 2009)
Dialogue #8 - Communication Frameworks for Education Organizing
Education Organizing Strategy Sessions:
Strategy Session #3 - Organizing for Equitable School Funding and Tax Policy
- Presentation from Kathy White, Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute
- Reading: "Breakthrough Communities: Sustainability and Justice in the Next American Metropolis"
Strategy Session #5 - Organizing Local English Language Learner (ELL) Communities Around Standards and Assessments
- Presentation from Bridget Murphy, Logan Square Neighborhood Association
Strategy Session #6 - Organizing for Highly-Effective Teachers in Low-Income Communities
- Philadelphia Effective Teaching Campaign Press Release on Teacher Contract Report Card
- Information compiled by Philadelphia Effective Teaching Campaign on Retaining Teachers
- Philadelphia Effective Teaching Campaign Platform
- Grow Your Own Illinois (GYO) Fact Sheet
Strategy Session #7 - Organizing for High-Quality High Schools
- Information on VOYCE (Voices of Youth in Chicago Education)
- VOYCE Retreat Summary
- VOYCE PowerPoint presentation
Strategy Session #8 - Charter School OrganizingCampaigns
Other Resources
- Logan Square Neighborhood Association - Education Brochure 2008 - 2009
- Logan Square Neighborhood Association - March/April 2010 Newsletter
- Education Law Center - PA's Online Tool - SchoolVictories.org