NYC
Honest Open Logical Debate (NYC HOLD)
On
Math Reform
Elizabeth Carson Christine Larson, Co-Founders
Phone:
212.529.1302 Fax:
212.529.0062 E-Mail: carchu@msn.com
Honorable Eva Moskowitz
Fourth District- Manhattan
Attn: Tiffany Lacker, Legislative Aide
Re: Actions of
BY E-MAIL
Dear Councilmember Moskowitz,
At
the
(CSB
#2) the Board voted (7 in favor, 1 opposed,
Your
letter, written to CSB#2 President Karen Feuer on behalf of CSD #2 parents, in
which you expressed support
for a math forum, was not addressed during the short discussion
prior to the vote.
The
one opposing vote was cast by Mary Somoza. She was the only Board member who
spoke, with respect to the original board commitment to a math forum and to the
original intent, advocating the preservation of Board sponsorship of a
democratic, fair and open, districtwide public discussion and debate, that would allow a variety of opinions among
education and mathematics experts and parents to be shared. Ms Somoza is to be
commended for demonstrating, through her words and vote, recognition of the
school board’s responsibility to support parents’ rights to be fully informed
of the issues regarding education initiatives and to support vital parent
engagement in the implementation of curricular reform.
It
is noteworthy, that though most school board members and Interim Superintendent
Shelley Harwayne have publicly acknowledged they do not in fact know the nature
and extent of parent concerns about the math programs, nor the nature and
extent of the supplementation and tutoring parents have in the past and are
currently providing; there are at this time no plans to survey the parents or
hold special hearings wherein the Board and district administrators could
become informed on these issues.
The
one gesture the board has made toward learning more about parent concern and
perspectives is the intention of some board members to attend school based math
nights, scheduled for the remainder of this year, at the schools to which they
are assigned as
board liaisons. Although such visits are most appropriate at any time and may
serve to both inform and engage board members with local school communities;
these ad hoc visits do not serve as a replacement for what the board committed
to provide parents last spring.
It
is evident that the majority of the board has taken an extremely anti-parent
stance.
CSB
#2 has demonstrated an alarming level of disregard for their constituents in
the recent vote to close down districtwide discussion; and also by their
inaction to truly educate themselves about the curricula, and their egregious
positioning of themselves as
“knowing best” for the parents based on cursory math
presentations by the Director of Mathematics and promises by district
administrators to look into the issues. Most disheartening, perhaps, and indeed
most telling is the Board’s utter dismissal of the letters, testimony and
research materials they’ve received from parents, teachers and NYU
mathematicians over the past year on this issue - lending a “deaf ear” to the pleas from
parents to take notice, lead the way, and help support the responsibility we
all share to honorably and effectively participate in our children’s
educational experiences in the public school system.
We,
the CSD #2 community are in dark days indeed.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Carson
Cc: Steering Committee Members, NYC HOLD
CSB #2
Acting Superintendent
Shelley Harwayne
Chancellor Harold Levy
Dr Judith Rizzo
Dr Irving Hamer
Trudy Irwin
Councilmember
Christine Quinn
State Assemblyman Steve
Sanders
State Assemblymember
Deborah Glick
State Senator Tom Duane