there are other organizations (&sites) that have tried to serve a simular function to varying degrees. sorry it took me so long to reply, i saved your message in my education file but didn't get back to it promptly. I wanted to let you know about some interesting web sites for education advocacy information that might be useful to link from the site you have set up.

There are many state-wide and local organizations working on education issues including: Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE), Educational Priorities Panel (EPP), Class Size Matters, Universal Pre-K coalition, ACORN, NW Bronx Community & Clergy, to name just a few. There are also school parent-based groups such as: the Chancellor's Parent Advisory Council (CPAC), United Parent Association, district based Presidents Councils, etc. Most work cooperatively, some independently, some focused on a particular education issue, but all have very similar goals as its comes to the State and City budgets. We need and must demand more out of Albany and City Hall.

For some additional information see:

http://www.cfequity.org site of the NYS Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE)

www.gothamgazette.com/education for overview written by director of policy at CFE with other links

www.aqeny.org new site by statewide Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) with new report called "The State of Our Schools, the Effect of the Bare-Bones Budget on New York Schools"

http://www.edpriorities.org The goal of the NYC-based Educational Priorities Panel (EPP) is to improve the quality of public education for New York City's children so that there is no longer a performance gap between city schools and those in the rest of the state.

http://www.publiceducation.org/news/signup.htm The PEN Weekly NewsBlast is a free e-mail newsletter featuring school reform and school fundraising resources. The PEN NewsBlast is the property of the Public Education Network, a national association of 69 local education funds working to improve public school quality in low-income communities nationwide.

-- Larry Wood (lwood@goddard.org), April 05, 2002