Who We are |
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NYS Allies for Public Education are parents, educators and community members who firmly believe in the power of public education and its fundamental link to the success of a thriving community and a transparent, democratic government.
We believe excessive testing and inappropriate sharing of private student data without parent consent threaten the future of our students, our schools, and our state.
While meaningful assessments are an essential component of a world-class education, the NYS Common Core (Next Generation Learning Standards) standardized assessments are aligned with unproven reforms neither supported by vigorous research nor vetted by educators and parents.
Please CONTACT US and consider joining forces with our efforts to protect the best interests of students throughout NYS.
NYS Allies for Public Education Steering Committee
Jamaal Bowman - Founding Bronx principal of CASA public middle school and parent. Prior, he was a guidance counselor, teacher, and Dean of Students at The High School of Art and Technology at the Martin Luther King Jr. Campus.
Deborah Abramson-Brooks - Nassau County, Long Island, parent of one child. Public school advocate. Co-founder PW Advocates for Public Education; charter member National Parent Coalition for Student Privacy. Former Assistant District Attorney for Nassau County. Former Assistant Public Defender for Baltimore City.
Chris Cerrone - Western New York parent of children ages 14 & 12, twenty-two year veteran educator, and Board of Education Trustee for Springville-Griffith Institute School. Co-founder of WNY for Public Education.
Jeanette Deutermann - Nassau County Long Island, parent of two children, ages 14 and 11. Parent advocate. Founder of Long Island Opt Out.
Amy Gropp Forbes — parent of 3 New York City public school children, parent advocate, and co-founder of NYC Opt Out.
Johanna Garcia - Parent of three children in NYC public schools ages 10, 11 and 16. Parent and education advocate. President of CEC District 6. Co-founder of Dyslexia Plus in Public Schools. Executive Director at City College of New York. Former Chief of Staff to City Council Education Committee Chair, Robert Jackson.
Kevin Glynn - Long Island parent of children, ages 10 and 5 and teacher. Co-founder of Lace to the Top.
Eileen Graham - Rochester public school parent of a 5th grader and of a recent high school graduate who is now attending San Dominican University in CA. Eileen is the founder of Black Student Leadership.
Leonie Haimson - Executive Director of Class Size Matters, and former NYC public school parent for over fifteen years.
Michael Hynes, Ed.D - Long Island superintendent of Patchogue-Medford school district and father of 5 children. Public school education advocate. Served from 2016 to June 1, 2019
Jake Jacobs - NY BAT leader, lifelong professional artist, ninth-year art teacher in New York City, and father of two school-aged daughters. Jacobs began researching education policy in 2013 when he heard the nonsensical announcement that math/reading test scores would be used to rank arts teachers.
Kemala Karmen - co-founder of NYC Opt Out and the parent of two children who attend a public 6-12 school affiliated with the New York Performance Standards Consortium. She lives in Brooklyn and is deputy director of NYCpublic, a design-thinking community engagement consultancy, as well as a producer/writer for the production company Shoot4Education.
Marla Kilfoyle - National Board Certified Teacher, 30 years in the classroom, Executive Director for BATs, public school parent advocate for Long Island Opt Out. Served from 2013 to 2018
Jessica McNair - Central New York parent of children two public school children, educator, advocate for children & public education. Founder of Opt Out CNY. Served from 2013 to 2017
Lisa Rudley - Westchester County parent of 3 children, ages 17, 16 and 13 and advocate for special needs children. Ossining School Board Trustee.
Janine Sopp - Brooklyn parent of a high school freshman, parent advocate, co-founder of NYC Opt Out, ceramic artist and Director of Clay Space 1205
Bianca Tanis - Special education teacher, Ulster County parent of two children, ages 16 and 13.
Katie Zahedi, Ph.D - An administrator in the Mid-Hudson Valley and previously a teacher. She is the mother of 4 children who all attended New York public schools.
Our Mission
NYS ALLIES FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION EXISTS TO ADDRESS MANY ISSUES INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING:
1.) EXCESSIVE STANDARDIZED TESTING IS CONSUMING 25% OF OUR CHILDREN'S ACADEMIC YEAR. IT FORCES TEACHERS TO "TEACH TO TEST", COSTS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, TEACHES CHILDREN THERE IS ONLY ONE RIGHT ANSWER, AND TAKES THE JOY OUT OF LEARNING.
2.) OUR CHILDREN'S PRIVATE, PERSONAL INFORMATION IS BEING STORED IN LARGE DATABASES AND IS BEING PROVIDED TO PRIVATE COMPANIES WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF PARENTS, AND WITHOUT PROVIDING AN OPT-OUT PROVISION TO BE REMOVED FROM THE DATABASE.
3.) UNITING REGIONAL GROUPS FROM ACROSS NEW YORK STATE IN ONE LOCATION WHERE WE CAN WORK TOGETHER FOR THE BETTERMENT OF EDUCATION IN NYS.
1.) EXCESSIVE STANDARDIZED TESTING IS CONSUMING 25% OF OUR CHILDREN'S ACADEMIC YEAR. IT FORCES TEACHERS TO "TEACH TO TEST", COSTS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, TEACHES CHILDREN THERE IS ONLY ONE RIGHT ANSWER, AND TAKES THE JOY OUT OF LEARNING.
2.) OUR CHILDREN'S PRIVATE, PERSONAL INFORMATION IS BEING STORED IN LARGE DATABASES AND IS BEING PROVIDED TO PRIVATE COMPANIES WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF PARENTS, AND WITHOUT PROVIDING AN OPT-OUT PROVISION TO BE REMOVED FROM THE DATABASE.
3.) UNITING REGIONAL GROUPS FROM ACROSS NEW YORK STATE IN ONE LOCATION WHERE WE CAN WORK TOGETHER FOR THE BETTERMENT OF EDUCATION IN NYS.