CALL TO ACTION: GRADUATION FOR ALL!

More Pictures from Nov. 19 Action

2009-11-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

Pictures from PCUE Action on Nov. 19 at the BOE

2009-11-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

Press Advisory: Parents Assemble at the Board of Education Meeting

2009-11-17T04:17:00.000-08:00

Press Advisory

For Immediate Release
Nov. 17, 2009

Parents Assemble at the Board of
Education Meeting

URGENT CALL: GRADUATION FOR ALL!

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, 6 to 8pm,

The city’s grassroots public school reform organization, Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE) will assemble at the Board of Education meeting to highlight the urgent call to graduate ALL our youth/children from high school and provide them a quality education that prepares them for college and the world of work. The current Jersey City educational policies and practices are not working as evidenced by the repeated failure of four out of six high schools in Jersey City.

What:
PCUE will call on the Jersey City Board of Education and the School District Superintendent Dr. Charles Epps to implement bold and innovative actions being proposed by the PCUE’s high school campaign platform. Participants will hold signs and representatives of PCUE will address the board and members of the community present at the meeting.

Where:
Public School # 11, 886 Bergen Avenue, Jersey City

When:
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, 6 to 8pm

PCUE is an organization of parents, grandparents, and concerned members of the community. It is a chapter of the Statewide Education Organizing Committee of NJ (SEOC). PCUE is a grassroots and direct action organization working to improve Jersey City public schools. PCUE kicked off the GRADUATION FOR ALL campaign in Sept. of this year. The campaign aims to mobilize parents and various communities across Jersey City to build a grassroots movement to hold our school district officials accountable for improving high school education for JC youth.
_______________________________________________
Contact:
Loyda Goldston, 1st Vice-president -- 973-204-4121

Letter to Dr. Epps about PCUE's Community Meeting

2009-11-17T03:45:00.000-08:00

Nov. 12. 2009

Dr. Charles T. Epps
Jersey City Board of Education
346 Claremont Ave.
Jersey City, NJ 07305

Dear Dr. Epps,

We would like to thank you for participating in our community meeting on Thursday Oct. 22, 2009. We were very pleased to see that high school principals and a few district administrators were present at the meeting to hear parents and help address our concern regarding challenges our high schools are facing.

About 120 parents and members of the community attended the meeting. We are happy that there was a spirited and open dialogue among parents, our communities and our schools. We firmly believe we can build great schools for our children only through real partnership and mutual respect.

Despite the good discussion at the meeting, our concerns about our high schools failing our children continue to exist. Unfortunately, we heard no specific plan of action, goals, timelines, and milestones offered by you or any other district and school administrators. We are greatly concerned that summer schools and after school classes are not being offered to our students. We very well understand that these programs have problems. But, they have to be fixed not nixed.

We count on your commitment that intensive after school academic advising will be available to students in our high schools and that no children will be denied free SAT test prep. We are also pleased that you made a commitment that within three years all high school students will have Individualized Student Academic Portfolio (ISAP). These are steps in the right direction, but they are far from enough. Much more has to be done to go beyond the status quo.

We insist that our district take bold actions to significantly improve our high school education. This requires an ambitious vision and high standards on the part of our school district leadership, and openness to work with parents and the community. It is wrong to compare and contrast two failing school districts, Jersey City and Camden, to each other. This approach will limit our vision and hamper our schools' ability to grow and improve. All children deserve the best education they can get. We invite you to carefully read and examine PCUE proposals included with this letter.

Below you will find some immediate actions we are seeking. We believe they will improve student performance, the graduate rate, and parent engagement.

(1) A Tutoring center, with after school hours, in each high school so that it can assist students, who are falling though the cracks, to catch up and move forward.

(2) We want Guidance Counselors to have a more intensive face to face quarterly meeting with students during accessible, after school hours. Such support can help our students to have individualized learning plan, develop goals, stay on track, and prepare for college or seek other meaningful career.

(3) We are asking for scholarship fund specifically to assist undocumented immigrant children planning to go to college. Far too many of our Latino and other recent immigrant students cannot go to college because they cannot afford to pay two or three times more in tuition fee than their classmates.

(4) We want our school district to truly listen to us as parents and allow us to annually evaluate our children’s school. We want them to include our evaluation in any efforts to improve our high schools.

(5) We want an annual one-page school report card that shows us how our high schools are doing in educating our children.

(6) Finally, we want all communication to be in the languages spoken at home by parents. Jersey City’s public school children come from homes where dozens of languages are spoken. Unless the School District makes a serious effort to get the information to parents in languages they can understand, the chances for parent support are greatly weakened.

We are also including written questions given to us by the some members of the audience at the community meeting. We are hoping that you will address their concerns.

We are commited to continue our "Graduation for All Campaign" to mobilize parents and our communities across the city to build a powerfull voice for our children. We hope you will do the right thing, use the power invested in you as the Superintendent of our school district, to end educational policies and practices that underseve our urban youth and make sure that they are getting the education that will prepare them for a better and bright future.

Sincerely,

Loyda Goldston
PCUE Vice-president

cc: Board of Education Members

MORE PICTURES FROM PCUE COMMUNITY MEETING

2009-11-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

PICTURES FROM PCUE COMMUNITY MEETING

2009-11-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

PCUE COMMUNITY MEETING: Parents Demand Better High Schools

2009-11-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

PCUE COMMUNITY MEETING, A GREAT SUCCESS:
Parents Demand Better High Schools

On Thursday, October 22, 09, from 6 to 8pm, Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE) held a community meeting with Dr. Epps, Jersey City School District, Superintendent at Metropolitan, AME Zion Church at 140 Belmont Avenue. This meeting was facilitated by PCUE 1st Vice president, Loyda Goldston. About 120 parents and members of the community attended the meeting. Principals from high schools, and some district administrators, Board members, including Dr. Peter Donnelly, Mr. Sean Connors, Ms. Patricia Sebron were present at the meeting. Also, Councilwoman, Viola Richardson was in attendance. PCUE organized this meeting as a part of its high school campaign, "GRADUATION FOR ALL!" to improve high school education for Jersey City youth.

Ms. LueElla McFadden, PCUE President, opened the meeting by welcoming and thanking the participants for attending the meeting. In her statement, Ms. McFadden said "We are calling our campaign "GRADUATION FOR ALL" because we believe that every child in this city despite his or her color or creed, despite their family conditions and economic status MUST RECEIVE, I EMPHASIS AGAIN MUST RECEIVE a quality education and a high school diploma prepared for college or other career track where they can make a living wage and create a descent life for themselves." She told the school and district administrators that they have an obligation to provide Jersey City youth a quality education. She also called on parents and members of the community to organize and take a stand and make sure that our schools are giving our children the education they well deserve.

Dr. Epps thanked PCUE for putting the community meeting together. He introduced school principals and district administrators who accompanied him. Ms. Ellen Ruane, Associate Superintendent for High Schools, described the new Small Learning Community initiative that has been implemented since last school year.

After the opening remarks, Ms. Rosemary Nwabueze, a PCUE leader and President of Parent Council in Dickinson High School made a PowerPoint presentation explaining data regarding low academic performance of Jersey City high schools. She also presented the immediate improvements PCUE is seeking. Dr. Epps, in response to PCUE's concerns regarding graduation rate and test scores, stated that Jersey City high schools had to be compared with similar district such as Camden and not the state.

Once the Q&A started a long line of people was formed. Parents and members of the community raised a whole host of different concerns. They talked about cancellation of summer schools, poor and lack of adequate time for advising, limited SAT test prep, no after school classes, lack of rigorous curriculum, additional mentorship, inadequate number of math teachers. The most emotional part of the Q & A was when Maria Labrador, a mother with a child in Ferris High School talked about her experience with the school. She told the audience and the Superintendent that her son was being pushed out of high school into the Twilight Program. She said she wanted her son to stay in Ferris, and she pleaded for help. Ms. Richardson, Councilwoman from Ward F praised PCUE for organizing the event and thanked members of the audience the school district for having a productive and great discussion.

Dr. Epps addressed each concern and question. He directed his staff to take immediate actions to address individual concerns that were brought up by parents. On a broader issue, he said that summer school was not being offered because it did not work. In terms of after school classes, he stated that he was collecting information to see how effective they were and if it was worth being implemented again. PCUE is calling for mandatory summer school and extended day for all student who fail any of their required courses.

The Superintended acknowledged parents' concern about a lack of adequate advising. He made a commitment that after school advising and open house will be held to accommodate students' need to get more help from their Guidance Counselors. He also stated that all students would be afforded the opportunity to take the SAT test prep.

At the end of the meeting PCUE presented the Superintendent with a set of questions regarding future goals for student outcomes. Ms. Roslyn Gibbs-Muse, PCUE Member-at-Large asked Dr. Epps if he would use his leadership as the Superintendent to commit to increase the graduation rate in Jersey City to that of the state level in three years. The Superintendent made no commitment and responded maybe. PCUE asked if he would commit to making sure that in no school would more than 10% of students graduate with Special Review Assessment (SRA) in three years. He made no commitment and responded maybe. PCUE asked if he would commit for our high schools to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) set by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in three years. The Superintendent made no commitment and responded maybe. PCUE asked him if he would commit to increase average SAT test scores to that of the state average within the next three years. He response was maybe. He committed that all high school students within the next three years will have individual academic portfolio. He also stated that he could not make a commitment to have all students take SAT test because not all students wanted to go to college.

Ms. McFadden, PCUE President closed the meeting by thanking everyone for their participation and cooperation to make the meeting productive and exciting. She called on everyone to stay involved and work with PCUE in our future high school campaign actions. She also thanked Rev. Legay and the Metropolitan Church to allow us to use their space for the community meeting.

Jersey Journal: Parents want higher graduation rate and better test scores

2009-11-08T07:57:00.000-08:00

BRAINSTORMING

Superintendent, parents put heads together to improve high schools
Saturday, October 24, 2009
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Mahaley Bowles thinks high school students could focus better if school started at 11a.m.

If students got a late start and stayed in school until 6 p.m. - when their parents get home from work - it could reduce crime and increase student learning, she told Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps Jr. at a community meeting this week.

While Epps said he didn't think Bowles' suggestion would work, he did entertain other ideas, like having guidance counselors spend more time with high school seniors.

About 75 people came out Thursday night to meet with Epps, administrators and principals at Metropolitan AME Zion Church.

The event was organized by Parents and Communities United for Education of Jersey City, a chapter of the Statewide Education Organizing Committee, which advocates for better education in low-income districts.

"When our children do not get a good education, we all fail and our community suffers as a whole," parent LueElla McFadden, president of PCUE, said.

PCUE organized the meeting as part of its "Graduation for All Campaign," which aims to have all Jersey City students graduate high school.
T
he district's graduation rate for the 2007-08 school year was 74 percent, significantly lower than the state average of 93.1 percent, according to data from the state Department of Education.

PCUE members also complained about student performance on the High School Proficiency Assessment tests. Districtwide, 73.1 percent of students were proficient in language arts and 60.1 percent were proficient in math during the 2007-08 school year.

Epps responded that the district is offering afterschool tutoring and restructured the high schools to provide smaller learning communities. The schools now have themed academies, and eighth graders must apply to programs.

Ferris High School, for example, is the Academy of International Enterprise, with a concentration on business and finance. Lincoln is the Academy of Governance and Social Sciences, with programs on law, education, cosmetology and culinary arts.
Dickinson is the Academy of Science and Snyder the Academy of Arts.

Two schools were not changed: McNair Academic, where 100 percent of students consistently pass state tests and go on to college, and Liberty High School, which Epps said was already a small learning community.

The new programs allow students to study things that interest them while still learning the core subjects, Epps said.

Epps acknowledged there is still room for improvement, especially with student attendance, but said it's going to take the entire community.

"We came out tonight because we are real partners with parents," he said. "That's what we do. We need to figure out why children don't go to school. But I can't do that by myself. I need the help of parents and community groups."

Jersey Journal Front Page: Parents Tell Epps, Fix Our Schools!

2009-11-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

Jersey Journal: Jersey City superintendent meeting with community members

2009-11-08T07:52:00.000-08:00

Jersey City superintendent meeting with community members
By Melissa Hayes/The Jersey Journal
October 20, 2009, 12:12PM

An education reform group is hosting a public meeting with Jersey City Schools Superintendent Charles Epps Thursday.

Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE), the Jersey City chapter of the Statewide Education Organizing Committee, which pushes for better education in low-income districts, is hosting the meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. at Metropolitan AME Zion Church on Bergen Ave.

Lead organizer Mahmood Ketabchi said the grassroots organization wants to address the high schools’ alarming drop-out rate, low graduation rate, low test scores and lack of college preparation.

PCUE is comprised of parents, grandparents and concerned community members

Jersey Journal: Jersey City Superintendent Epps to meet with community tonight

2009-11-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

By The Jersey Journal
October 21, 2009, 11:37AM

Superintendent of Schools Superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr. is scheduled to meet with members of the community tomorrow at Metropolitan AME Zion Church, at 140 Bergen Ave., from 6 to 8 p.m., according to today's Jersey Journal.

The event is open to the public.

The event is organized by Parents and Communities United for Education, the Jersey City chapter of the Statewide Education Organizing Committee which promotes improving education in low-income districts.

Epps is going to discuss high school education at tonight's meeting. Several principals will be present, he said, to discuss what initiatives are being implemented at the schools.

Press Advisory: Thursday Oct. 22, Community Meeting with Dr. Epps

2009-10-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release

Oct. 20, 2009

GRADUATION FOR ALL!

Community Meeting Dr. Epps, School District Superintendent

Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009, 6 to 8pm,

The city’s grassroots public school reform organization, Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE) is holding a community meeting with Jersey City School District Superintendent, Dr. Charles Epps, to discuss challenges facing JC high schools in providing all high school students a quality education. The current Jersey City educational policies and practices are not working as evidenced by the alarming rates of drop-out, low graduation rate, low test scores, lack of adequate preparation for college and world of work. PCUE has begun a campaign, “Graduation for All,” in Sept. 2009 to improve JC high school education.

What:

Community meeting with Dr. Epps, Jersey City School District Superintendent. PCUE will call on the Board of Education to implement bold and innovative actions being proposed by the PCUE’s high school campaign platform. The public and the press are welcomed to the meeting. There will be an opportunity to make comments and ask questions.

Where:

Metropolitan AME Zion Church, 140 Bergen Avenue, Jersey City (corner of Belmont Ave.)

When:

Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009, 6 to 8pm

PCUE is a grassroots organization of parents, grandparents, and concerned members of the community. It is a chapter of the Statewide Education Organizing Committee of NJ (SEOC). PCUE is a grassroots and direct action organization working to improve Jersey City public schools. Over the course of last year PCUE launched a successful campaign to assure that school officials test all our schools for lead in the drinking water, notify parents and the community of the testing schedule and test results, and provide all public school children with safe water.

###

169-A Martin Luther King Drive, Jersey City, NJ 07305

201-918-2918 – pcue.info@seocnj.org

http://www.pcue-graduation4all.blogspot.com

**************************************

Contact:
LueElla McFadden, President, 201-918-2918
Loyda Goldston, 1^stVice-president -- 973-204-4121

Jersey City Reporter: Group (PCUE) advocates plan to improve test results

2009-10-12T07:31:00.000-07:00

Four JC high schools have low graduation rates
Group advocates plan to improve test results
by Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter Staff Writer

ABOUT GRADUATION REFORM – Yvonne Weaver (left) and Mahmood Ketabchi (right) are seeking reform of graduation standards in the Jersey City public high schools.
slideshow

A major determinant of a successful school system is the high school graduation rate.

By that standard, the Jersey City school district would get a failing grade, because the state Department of Education found that in the 2007-2008 school year, about three out of four students passed high school, or 74 percent. That is far below the state average of 92.8 percent.

Four of the city’s six high schools – Snyder, Lincoln, Ferris and Dickinson – had graduation rates for that period below the state average. Only McNair Academic (a magnet school for high-achievers) and Liberty (for kids who need small learning communities) were above average.

To read the full text, please click o9n the link below:

http://www.hudsonreporter.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Four+JC+high+schools+have+low+graduation+rates-Group+advocates+plan+to+improve+test+results-%20&id=3943735-Four+JC+high+schools+have+low+graduation+rates-Group+advocates+plan+to+improve+test+results-&instance=secondary_stories_left_column

PCUE Holds a Public Meeting With School District Superintendent, Dr. Epps

2009-09-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

Attention parents and community members

PARENTS AND COMMUNITIES UNITED FOR EDUCATION

INVITES YOU TO
A COMMUNITY MEETING WITH

Dr. Epps, Superintendent of Public Schools

* Are you concerned about your child graduating from high school?
* Are high school students being prepared for college and world of work?
* What is the district doing to prevent youth from dropping out of high school?

COME AND SPEAK UP, BE HEARD, AND ASK QUESTIONS!

LOCATION: Metropolitan AME ZION Church, 140 Bergen Ave, Jersey City
(Across from PS #17, on the corner of Belmont Avenue)

DATE: Thursday, October 22, 2009

TIME: 6p-8p

Spanish Translation Provided

Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE) - SEOC
201-918-2918 -- 201-772-1122 pcue.info@seocnj.org

Our Children / Our School's Newsletter on PCUE Rally

2009-09-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

PCUE IN JERSEY CITY RALLIES IN SUPPORT OF "GRADUATION FOR ALL"

On the same day that President Obama addressed the nation’s schoolchildren about the importance of education, Parents & Communities United for Education (PCUE), which is the Jersey City chapter of the Statewide Education Organizing Committee (SEOC), held a rally to kick off their citywide campaign, “Graduation for ALL.”

To read more, please click on the link below:
http://www.ourchildrenourschools.org/Newsletters/nlf_iss21_art5_detail_PCUE_Rally_JerseyCity.htm

PCUE RALLY A HUGE SUCCESS

2009-09-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

“GRADUATION FOR ALL” CAMPAIGN KICK-OFf RALLY A HUGE SUCCESS!

Parents & Communities United for Education, PCUE, the Jersey City chapter of SEOC, launched our city-wide Campaign, “Graduation for ALL,” by hosting a spirited rally in front of PS 11, Martin Luther King School # 11, in Jersey City on Tuesday, September 8 – the same day President Obama spoke to the nation’s children about the importance of education.

The noon-time rally drew over 70 parents, residents and school children to call on the Jersey City Public Schools and the Board of Education to make serious changes to improve the city’s high schools and respond to the drop out crisis. At the basis of the Campaign is the alarming fact that one in four of the class of 2008 did not graduate from Jersey City’s high schools and, at the same time, the NJ Department of Education has recently imposed even tougher graduation requirements without adding new resources to help all students succeed.

Not content simply to raise public awareness of the crisis faced by too many of our youth, PCUE has developed a four step program of high school reform, focused on building a true partnership between schools and parents, creating a far more effective student support system, significantly improving teacher training and coaching, and bringing Jersey City schools’ computer labs and training up to date and accessible to all students.

The Rally’s chants, marching, colorful signs and steady growth as more parents and residents joined in was a powerful message to local administrators that a new day is coming for Jersey City high schools. “We want tutoring centers, Now!” and “Dr. Epps, Don’t drop the ball, Graduation for ALL!” were among the chants that came from the growing crowd in both English and Spanish. Among the demands raised by PCUE in fact is that the Jersey City Public Schools greatly expand its publication of materials about high school graduation requirements for parents in the languages they use and understand at home.

Press coverage was substantial as well and reached many thousands with our message of hope and determination to make change for our youth: The Rally was covered by the Jersey Journal, FIOS TV, one Radio station and Fox News.

Please check our blog to learn more about our "GRADUATION FOR ALL! Campaign" and updated information and picture from the rally:
http://www.pcue-graduation4all.blogspot.com/

Jersey City Register: PCUE Rally in Jersey City

2009-09-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

Today, several residents gathered in front of Martin Luther King, Jr. School (PS 11) on Bergen Avenue (few blocks from Journal Square PATH Station) and rallied for a better education. Kids and adults were marching in front of PS-11 chanting “Education not incarceration!”

To read more, please click on the link below:
http://www.jcregister.com/2009/09/08/pcue-rally-in-jersey-city.html#more-1896

Jersey Journal: Better education is demand

2009-09-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

Better education is demand
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
By PAUL TAKAHASHI
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Around the same time President Barack Obama delivered his back-to-school pep talk in Arlington, Va., yesterday, roughly 50 Jersey City residents rallied in front of School 11 on Bergen Avenue, demanding improvements in the city's high schools, especially the dropout rate.

The rally was organized by Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE), the Jersey City chapter of the Statewide Education Organizing Committee, which advocates for better education in low-income school districts.

"We want graduation for all students in Jersey City," said Loyda Golston, vice president of PCUE, surrounded by people chanting "Graduation for All" and "Education, not Incarceration."

"There's a schoolhouse to jail-house mentality here," Golston added. "We want kids to have the equal opportunity to graduate and go on to college or trade school."
According to PCUE's lead organizer Mahmood Ketabchi, more than 450 students dropped out of city public high schools last year.

"We're here to highlight some of the shortcomings of the Jersey City school districts," he said.

According to the state Department of Education's Web site, the Jersey City high school dropout rate for the 2007-2008 school year was 6.2 percent, down from 8.1 percent the previous year.

The dropout rate in the state for the 2007-2008 year was 1.7 percent, according to the Web site.

Some more pictures from the Rally on Sept. 8, 2009

2009-09-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

Additional pictures from the rally for better high school education

2009-09-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

More picture from Sept. 8, 2009 rall for better high schools in Jersey City

2009-09-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

Picture from rally for better high school education

2009-09-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

PCUE statement at the rally on Sept. 8

2009-09-08T22:19:00.000-07:00

PCUE Statement
Graduation for All
September 8, 2009

Hello Everyone,
Thank you for coming to this rally and being a part of this great event. My name is Milagros Delacruz. I am a mother of a child in Dickinson High school. I am also a member of Parents and Communities United for Education -- SEOC.

We are here today to highlight the urgent call to improve the academic performance of our high schools so that all our youth successfully graduate from high school, go to college, or continue a career track that will get them a meaningful job with living wages.

We are alarmed by the continuing failure of our high schools in providing our youth a quality education. When our youth are underserved by our school district, our communities also suffer from its consequences. When our children fail to graduate, if they are black or Latinos, they have a 50/50 chance to end up in the prison system. We cannot lose even one child to violence and prison system. We won’t take it any more!

Here is why we are out here to day and organizing for change in Jersey City:
• Under No Child Left Behind, four out of six high schools in Jersey City are failing our children.
• In 2008, more than 450 youth dropped out of high schools.
• In 2008, one out of every four seniors did not graduate from high school. And many of those who did, it took them five or even six years to get their high school diploma.
• One out of every three graduates, in 2008, received their diploma not by passing the High School Proficiency Assessment or HSPA, which is the standard test for graduation, but through an alternative means
• Many graduates are not ready for college, work or even able to fill out a job application

• Many youth end up out of school, whether graduating or dropping out, and see no future to look forward to

Our youth are bright and smart. They are ready to learn no matter who they are and what background they come from. Yet, our school system lacks the ability to engage them, keep them interested and focused on their education. Inadequate and half-hazard academic support programs in our high schools is holding them back, preventing them from excelling, and crippling the lives of far too many of them. When they face emotional challenges, there is little or no support at all to assist them through their difficulties.

As parents we understand we have a role to play in our children’s education. We know our children do well when we are involved. That is why we are organizing. Our presence here today speaks for itself. But lack of respect for parents’ concerns, unwelcoming school environment, and denigrating attitudes hold back many parents from engaging in their children’s school. Dealing with schools often becomes a frustrating and unpleasant experience for many parents.

We have gathered here not only to point out to the problems and challenges but also to be positive and provide solutions. Without bold and innovative actions our high school performance is poised to deteriorate in the face of new higher standard graduation requirements mandated by the state.

We call on the Jersey City Board of Education and the School District Superintendent Dr. Charles Epps, to seriously consider and implement proposals in PCUE’s high school campaign platform. We are calling on district officials to build genuine partnership with parents and the community, to provide effective student support programs, to support our teachers and school staff, and to upgrade computer technology labs and make them accessible to all students.

In particular, we want six specific improvements for our youth:

(1) A Tutoring center, with after school hours, in each high school so that it can assist students, who are falling though the cracks, to catch up and move forward.

(2) We want Guidance Counselors to have a more intensive face to face quarterly meeting with students during accessible, after school hours. Such support can help our students to have individualized learning plan, develop goals, stay on track, and prepare for college or seek other meaningful career.

(3) We are asking for scholarship fund specifically to assist undocumented immigrant children planning to go to college. Far too many of our Latino and other recent immigrant students cannot go to college because they cannot afford to pay two or three times more in tuition fee than their classmates.

(4) We want our school district to truly listen to us as parents and allow us to annually evaluate our children’s school. We want them to include our evaluation in any efforts to improve our high schools.

(5) We want an annual one-page school report card that shows us how our high schools are doing in educating our children.

(6) Finally, we want all communication to be in the languages spoken at home by parents. Jersey City’s public school children come from homes where dozens of languages are spoken. Unless the School District makes a serious effort to get the information to parents in languages they can understand, the chances for parent support are greatly weakened.

Today is just the beginning of our Campaign for Graduation for All Jersey City youth. We thank you for coming out today to stand with us. We ask you to sign up with us for a step by step Campaign to win these important changes for our youth.

Remember, one by one, the longest march is won! We will win! Si se puede!

Thank you!

Jersey Journal: Rally to demand better high school graduation rates

2009-09-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

Group rallies in Jersey City to demand better high school graduation rates
by Paul Takahashi/ The Jersey Journal

About 50 Jersey City residents protested in front of Public School No. 11 today calling for the school district to improve the city's high schools.

Residents, school-age and older, gathered at the Martin Luther King, Jr. School on Bergen Avenue, toting signs and yelling chants such as, "Graduation for All" and "Education, not Incarceration."

The protest was organized by Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE), the Jersey City chapter of the larger Statewide Education Organizing Committee that advocates for improvements in the education system of low-income school districts.

"We're here to highlight some of the shortcomings of the Jersey City school districts," said Loyda Golston, vice president of PCUE.

"We want graduation for all students in Jersey City. There's a schoolhouse to jail house mentality here. We want kids to have the equal opportunity to graduate and go on to college or trade school."

PCUE also called upon the Jersey City school district to set up tutoring centers in every school, to hire more guidance counselors and allow college scholarships for undocumented students to allow them to attend in-state colleges for the same rate as citizens.

School officials didn't immediately respond to comment.

Video clip on Jersey Journal website

2009-09-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

Rally for better education in Jersey City

A rally for better education is on-going today (noon, as of this writing) in front of Martin Luther King Jr. School on Bergen Avenue.

Several people holding posters that said “No more dropouts” or “Graduation for all” were chanting “Education not Incarceration” as they marched in front of PS-11.

The rally was organized by “Parents and Communities United for Education” or PCUE, the Jersey City chapter of an organization called “Statewide Education Organizing Committee” (SEOC), which aims to unite the community for the benefit of the children’s education.

Please Check the link below:

http://journalsquarejc.com/archives/2213

RALLY: Parents Demand Better High School Education

2009-09-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

Parents & Communities United for Education

Contact:

Loyda Goldston, 1st Vice-president-- 973-204-4121
Rosemary Nwabueze, 201-388-7913

GRADUATION FOR ALL!

Parents’ rally calls for bold and innovative actions
for better high school education

On Tuesday, Sept. 8, from 12 to 1pm, Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE) held a rally in Bergen Ave. on the corner of Academy Street in Jersey City to highlight the urgent call to graduate ALL our youth/children from high school and provide them with a quality education that prepares them for college and the world of work. The current Jersey City educational policies and practices are not working as evidenced by the alarming rates of drop-out and failure to obtain a high school diploma – rates that are crippling the future of too many Jersey City youth.

According to the NJ Department of Education data, Jersey City high schools have made little or no progress in improving test scores over the last four years. From 2004 to 2008, Jersey City progressed just about 6%, from 42.7% to 48.6%, in the Math section of the High School Proficiency Assessment, (HSPA), and slightly declined in Language Art, from 64% to 63.9%.

Jersey City high schools drastically under-perform compared to the rest of the state, and this performance gap remains wide and persistent. In 2008, the City performed 21 percentage points below the Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) benchmarks in language arts, and 25 percentage points below AYP in math.

Loyda Goldston, PCUE 1st Vice-president and parent of three children in school # 34, stated “We are here to stand up for our youth to get a better high school education. When youth do not make it through high school and are not well prepared for college and world of work, it is a failure for everyone.”

“Despite all the myths that parents don’t care, we as parents are present for our children. Our school district must do its part. As parents we want to find out more about our schools. We need a one-page annual report card for each high school that tells how our schools are doing in educating our children. Also, we would like to be able to evaluate our schools progress,” added Ms. Goldston.

Yvonne Weaver, another parent who has a child in Snyder High School, said “If our high schools have not met the relatively low standards over the last several years, how will they prepare students for college prep English and more rigorous courses in math and sciences and most probably several high-stake end of the course exams that will replace the HSPA?”

Ms. Weaver continued, “We need intensive and more structured student support system in place. A lot of students fall through the crack with little or no support for them to get on their feet and move forward. These are the students who leave the schools, don’t graduate on time, and aren’t prepared for college or decent career. There must be a Tutoring Center in each high school which is available to students after school, as well as more intensive individual advising at least on a quarterly basis.”

Milagros Delacruz, a PCUE member and parent of a student in Dickinson High School in Jersey City said “I know many undocumented immigrant families who have children in high schools. These students do not qualify for in-state college tuition. Their tuition will be almost 2 ½ times more than their classmates. What kind of future awaits them? How many of them will drop out? What kind of motivation do they have to take their schooling seriously? We have to make sure these students have a future to look forward to. Our school district can help by creating a scholarship fund for these children.”

In its platform, “GRADUATION FOR ALL,” PCUE has called on the Jersey City Board of Education and School District Superintendent, Dr. Epps, to take bold and innovative actions to drastically improve Jersey City high school performance. The proposals call on district officials to build a genuine partnership with parents and the community, to provide effective student support programs, to support our teachers and school staff, and to upgrade computer technology labs and make them accessible to all students.

PCUE is a grassroots organization of parents, grandparents, and concerned members of the community. It is a chapter of the Statewide Education Organizing Committee of NJ (SEOC). PCUE is committed to organizing parents in all Jersey City communities to improve education for our children. Over the course of last year PCUE launched a successful campaign to assure that school officials test all our schools for lead in the drinking water, notify parents and the community of the testing schedule and test results, and provide all public school children with safe water.

Jersey Jounal: Parent to rally for better high school education

2009-09-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

by Amy Sara Clark / The Jersey Journal
Wednesday September 02, 2009, 3:34 PM

No better way to start off the school year than with a rally.

Parents and Communities United for Education is organizing a rally on Tuesday, Sept. 8 to protest what they see as the poor education provided to Jersey City high school students.

They say that four our Jersey City's six high schools are "failing our children," more than 450 students drop out each year, one out of every three high school students in Jersey City does not graduate on time and the average SAT score in Jersey City is 86 points below the state average in math, and 91 points below the state average in verbal.

Ready to join their cause? Here are the details of the rally:

Where: Public School No. 11, 886 Bergen Avenue

When: Tuesday, Sept. 8, noon - 1 p.m.

For full text and follow up discussions, please click on the link below:

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2009/09/parents_to_rally_for_better_hi.html

Press Advisory: Rally -- Graduation for All!

2009-09-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

RALLY

URGENT CALL: GRADUATION FOR ALL!

Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009, 12 to 1pm,

The city’s grassroots public school reform organization, Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE) is calling for a rally to highlight the urgent call to graduate ALL our youth/children from high school and provide them a quality education that prepares them for college and the world of work. The current Jersey City educational policies and practices are not working as evidenced by the alarming rates of drop-out and failure to obtain a high school diploma – rates that are crippling the future of too many Jersey City youth.

What:

PCUE will call on the Jersey City Board of Education and the School District Superintendent Dr. Charles Epps to implement bold and innovative actions being proposed by the PCUE’s high school campaign platform. The proposals call on district officials to build genuine partnership with parents and the community, to provide effective student support programs, to support our teachers and school staff, and to upgrade computer technology labs and make them accessible to all students.

Where:

In front of Public School # 11, 886 Bergen Avenue, Jersey City

When:

Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009, 12 to 1pm

____________________________________________

Contact:
Loyda Goldston, 1^stVice-president -- 973-204-4121
Roslyn Gibbs-Muse, Secretary – 201-240-1123

PCUE HIGH SCHOOL PLATFORM

2009-09-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

CALL TO ACTION: GRADUATION FOR ALL!

II. WE WANT A TRUE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PARENTS/COMMUNITY, TEACHERS AND OUR SCHOOLS:

· Establish a Parent Resource Center in each high school to empower parents by providing information, holding workshops and trainings. The center should have flexible hours accessible in the evenings.

· The Center can be staffed by Parent Liaisons with assistance from parent volunteers and the parent group in the school – these Centers would be welcoming places for parents who now are too often not welcome in our schools.

· Include parent and student evaluation of teachers in annual review of teacher performances.

· Annual one-page school report card (including results from parent evaluation) sent to parents

· All communication to be in the languages spoken at home by parents

· Collect data regarding parent participation in each school and schools’ effort to contact parents—this data can be used to assess parent involvement in each school and improve relationship between parents and schools.

· Arrange face to face conferences with parents well in advance of students failing courses or lacking requirements for graduation.

· Improve and expand relationship with community organization that can bring school–based needed services for our public school children.

· Establish a program of additional paid hours for teachers who choose to strengthen school/family relationship by visiting students home.

II. DEVELOP AN EFFECTIVE STUDENT SUPPORT SYSTEM:

Student Success Center with flexible and accessible hours in the evening:

a. One-Stop-Shopping:

· Social Worker, Guidance Counselors, Crisis Intervention Teacher, and Service Broker working together in one space accessible to students.

b. Academic advising:

· One Academic Counselor for every 150 students.

· Counselors to have at least one regular quarterly meeting with each individual student.

· All students must have an Individualized Student Academic Portfolio (ISAP) that reflects personalized students learning plan including a four-year academic plan and preparation for college or other career track.

· Academic advising available at accessible hours for students and parents after the school day.

c. College and post-secondary preparation for ALL our youth:

· Aggressive outreach and enrollment of students for PSAT and SAT.

· Train high school students to support and counsel other students through the college process.

· Initiate early awareness college activities in 9th and 10th grades.

· Develop career awareness events and workshop so young people can explore various career options.

· Recruit college students to assist students with college application and financial aid process.

· Engage parents and guardian of children in the college preparation efforts.

· Provide interested students effective help in entering living wage apprenticeship and technical training programs.

· Connect with Equal Opportunity Fund (EOF) programs at the colleges

· Develop a scholarship fund specifically to assist undocumented immigrant children planning to go to college.

· Support and advocate for DREAM ACT.

d. Tutoring Program

· Establish a Tutoring Center with after school hours.

· Hire a coordinator with experience in providing academic support for underserved students to coordinate the program. The ideal coordinator should be able to relate to program participants.

· Expand and develop an effective peer tutoring program.

· Hire and train qualified college students as tutors in all areas needed by students.

· Work with local colleges and universities to identify and train tutors.

· Create links between tutors/tutoring program and school teachers. Encourage tutors sit in part of the class to become familiar with what teachers are doing.

Mandatory extended-day academic support program for HSPA, SRA, and other subject areas needed by students

Mandatory summer schools for students who fail courses required for graduation.

III. WE NEED THE VERY BEST TEACHERS FOR OUR YOUTH!

· Redirect and invest money to build district’s capacity in teaching and learning by developing a cadre of school-based Teacher Coaches.

· Consultant hiring should be strictly based on student outcomes.

· At least one Technology Coach for each school, two for Dickinson because of its size.

· At least one Teacher Coach for each school, two for Dickinson.

· Computer training for teachers so that computer technology can be integrated with teaching and learning in the classroom.

· Once a week paid common planning time for teachers in each Small Learning Community, exclusively for joint planning to improve teaching and assist students who need additional support.

· Community walk-through for all newly hired teachers with parents and students participation

· Increase the number of highly qualified and competent teachers from communities where students come from by working with local universities and colleges.

IV. UPDATED COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY LABS:

· One computer for every 5 students in every class room.

· Additional computer labs to accommodate ALL high school students not just magnet students.

Regularly maintain and upgrade computers in the classrooms and computer labs and improve internet connection.

CALL TO ACTION: GRADUATION FOR ALL!

2009-08-28T18:06:00.000-07:00

We are parents and members of various communities in Jersey City. We come from all walks of life. We are alarmed by the continuing failure of our high schools in providing our children/youth a quality education that prepares them for college and the world of work. When our youth are underserved by our school district, our communities also suffer from its consequences. Youth are our future.

• Under No Child Left Behind, four out of six high schools in Jersey City are failing our children.
• According to official statistics, more than 450 students drop out of schools. The real number is even higher.
• One out of every three high school students in Jersey City does not graduate on time from high school.
• 29% of high school students graduate through Special Review Assessment (SRA), an alternative route to graduation, which is in fact a second tier high school diploma. In Ferris High School this number is as high as 45%.
• The average SAT (college entrance exam) score in Jersey City is 86 points below the state average in math, and 91 points below the state average in verbal. More than 30% of students in JC do not take SAT at all.

We are even more concerned now that our children and our schools are facing more challenging graduation requirements recently mandated by the State:

• New rigorous courses in math, sciences, and English have raised the bar for graduation.
• High-stake end of the course exams for graduation are other measures being developed by the NJ Dept. of Education.
• New policies will restrict the procedure and administration of SRA, making it a challenging route for graduation.

Based on our review of data and information, we are certain that the business as usual approach employed by our school district will not bring any significant change in our high schools and in the education of our youth. Under the new requirements, our school district cannot even maintain the status quo. The academic performance of our high schools will deteriorate if bold and innovative measures are not implemented. In order to bring any real transformation in our high schools, we call for new policies and practices with high standards focusing on our youth and particularly those who are vulnerable and we call for building genuine partnership with parents without whom serious changes are inconceivable.

We URGENTLY CALL on Jersey City Board of Education and our School District Superintendent, Dr. Epps to consider and implement following policies we are proposing. We are ready to fight for our youth and our communities, and we are willing to work with our school district to transform our high school and provide ALL our youth an education they well deserve.

I. We want a true partnership between parents, teachers, and our schools. We call for a Parent Resource Center at each high school that genuinely serves as a welcoming and helpful place for parents in the school. We want regular systems of two-way communication between the school and parents about school quality. This includes an annual parents’ evaluation of the school, an annual school report-card sent home that includes the results of the parents’ evaluation, and record-keeping about parent involvement in schools and school outreach to parents. We also call for the school’s commitment to communicate with parents in the language spoken at home.

II. We want an effective student support system. Support activities must primarily target vulnerable students who are most likely to fall through the cracks. We call for a Student Success Center at each high school that is flexible and accessible to students after school. The Center should have a team of qualified support staff so it can serve as a site for one-stop-shopping. The Center would feature social support and individualized academic counseling. All students must have an Individualized Student Academic Portfolio (ISAP) that includes a four-year academic plan and college preparation counseling that helps students along each step towards graduating, college or training for living wage careers, and entering the world of work. The district needs to improve the current ratio of students to academic counselors to no more than 150 students per academic counselor. The Center would also house an effective after-school Tutoring Center. Beyond this, we call for mandatory extended day and summer school for students falling behind and/or in danger of not graduating on time. We want our school district to develop a scholarship fund specifically to assist undocumented immigrant children planning to go to college.

III. We need the very best teachers for our youth. We call for more school-based teacher coaches, adequate technology training, and other measures, including common planning time, that support teachers and help schools develop the best teaching staff possible. Hiring consultants for professional development should primarily serve to build district capacity, and it must be strictly based on student outcomes. We also call for measures to improve teacher understanding of the communities they’re working in, including a community orientation tour for new teachers, as well as measures to recruit more teachers from the community. We want all our teachers and school staff to be fairly compensated when they go above and beyond the call of duty.

IV. We call for updated computer technology labs. We want one computer for every five students in every classroom and additional computer labs to accommodate ALL students even if they are not in magnet programs. We also call for regular maintenance and upgrading of computers in the classrooms and computer labs, as well as improved internet connection, so the computer technology can work as intended to improve teaching and learning.

CALL TO ACTION: GRADUATION FOR ALL!

More Pictures from Nov. 19 Action

Pictures from PCUE Action on Nov. 19 at the BOE

Press Advisory: Parents Assemble at the Board of Education Meeting

Letter to Dr. Epps about PCUE's Community Meeting

MORE PICTURES FROM PCUE COMMUNITY MEETING

PICTURES FROM PCUE COMMUNITY MEETING

PCUE COMMUNITY MEETING: Parents Demand Better High Schools

Jersey Journal: Parents want higher graduation rate and better test scores

Jersey Journal Front Page: Parents Tell Epps, Fix Our Schools!

Jersey Journal: Jersey City superintendent meeting with community members

Jersey Journal: Jersey City Superintendent Epps to meet with community tonight

Press Advisory: Thursday Oct. 22, Community Meeting with Dr. Epps

Jersey City Reporter: Group (PCUE) advocates plan to improve test results

PCUE Holds a Public Meeting With School District Superintendent, Dr. Epps

Our Children / Our School's Newsletter on PCUE Rally

PCUE RALLY A HUGE SUCCESS

Jersey City Register: PCUE Rally in Jersey City

Jersey Journal: Better education is demand

Some more pictures from the Rally on Sept. 8, 2009

Additional pictures from the rally for better high school education

More picture from Sept. 8, 2009 rall for better high schools in Jersey City

Picture from rally for better high school education

PCUE statement at the rally on Sept. 8

Jersey Journal: Rally to demand better high school graduation rates

Video clip on Jersey Journal website

RALLY: Parents Demand Better High School Education

Jersey Jounal: Parent to rally for better high school education

by Amy Sara Clark / The Jersey Journal Wednesday September 02, 2009, 3:34 PM

Press Advisory: Rally -- Graduation for All!

PCUE HIGH SCHOOL PLATFORM

CALL TO ACTION: GRADUATION FOR ALL!

by Amy Sara Clark / The Jersey Journal
Wednesday September 02, 2009, 3:34 PM