[ProgressiveEd] Draft of a PENNY flyer

[BYMJSK4@aol.com]

Dear friends,
Here's a draft of a flyer.  We'll put something together at our steering 
committee meeting tomorrow night (6:30 at Ann Wiener's; let me know if you're 
coming and if you need information).  Please send back any suggestions, 
additions, subtractions, etc.  Thanks.  Bruce
••••••••••••••••••
PENNY (Progressive Education Network of New York)
                                        March 18, 2003
Dear friends,
Welcome to the meeting of Regions 9 and 10.  We're PENNY (the Progressive 
Education Network of New York).  We formed last December to provide support 
for the small progressive schools in New York City.  Our members come from 
more than 40 schools and include parents, teachers, and administrators from 
elementary, middle and high schools, as well as teaching colleges.
Here's what we want now.  •We want official recognition of our schools in 
their current form.  Many of our schools are considered programs or academies 
and are cut off from many of the opportunities schools have.  In addition, in 
buildings where the building principal is antagonistic, our schools are in 
jeopardy because of their dependent status.  •We want the Department of 
Education to grant our requests for waivers.  We know that we are teaching 
our students well and that we develop curriculum that meets our children's 
needs.  •We want regional superintendents to put us into networks of 
like-minded schools and assign us an instructional superintendent who is 
supportive of our way of working.
Why is it important for the Department of Education to do this?  We are 
successful schools.  Our schools have a high rate of success with diverse 
student populations.  Our children graduate in larger numbers than the 
general population; they go on to colleges and complete their college 
degrees.  Our attendance rates are high; we have fewer suspensions and fewer 
fights and incidents than the general population.  Our children are creative 
and love school.  Our parents are involved in and committed to our schools.  
We have waiting lists of parents who want their children to attend our 
schools.  And we do this without limiting ourselves to the highest achieving 
children.  
We already have networks in place.  Official recognition will make it 
possible for these networks to control our curriculum development and the 
funds we need for staff development.  Please recognize the successful work we 
do.  Grant us:  •official school status, •our networks with supportive 
instructional superintendents, and •waivers so we can continue to develop 
in-depth curriculum.
For more information, please call 718 860 8181 or fax 212 831 5155.