Dear parents, grandparents and education activists,

I know many of us are stunned and saddened by the outcome of this presidential election. Many young people, people of color, immigrants, LGBT people and women are particularly fearful. Now more than ever we need to organize and use our voices. We will need to protect students, protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which many immigrant students and families rely on and fight for public schools and against school vouchers and continued privatization.

Remember the words of Doctor King: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”

We had a great UFT Manhattan parent workshop last week about building parent engagement in schools. Take a look at notes from the meeting »

Remember to keep checking the UFT parent website for valuable information and resources. I'm updating it within the next couple of weeks to include a lot of the information we've presented at our UFT Manhattan parent workshops.

I also want to remind you to come to our Beautiful Me! workshop on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 50 Broadway on the 10th floor. Bring your daughters and enjoy a wonderful workshop that helps girls develop character, confidence and courage. Snacks will be served. RSVP to me at 212-701-9464 or fstreich@uft.org. See the flier »

Join the UFT and the Lunch for Learning campaign for a demonstration demanding free lunch for all public school students this Wednesday, Nov. 16 on the steps of City Hall. We'll gather at 4 p.m. Children are welcome. See the flier »

And regardless of whether you can make it to City Hall, you can also show your support by signing the petition »

I'd like to sign off by quoting Hillary Clinton's remarks from yesterday. "This loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it."

Check out more upcoming events and resources below.

Sincerely,

Francine Streich
UFT Parent-Community Liaison

Upcoming events

• Tuesday, Nov. 15: Aguilar Library in Manhattan invites you to its lunchtime knitting and crochet circle at noon. The library is located at 174 E. 110th St. in Manhattan. This is one of many events that Aguilar Library has coming up. To find out more, visit its website »

• Thursday, Nov. 17: Middle school families are invited to a specialized high schools prep conference from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at East Flatbush Community Research School, 905 Winthrop St. in Brooklyn. Learn about the admissions process and how to prepare. See the flier »

• Tuesday, Nov. 22: The Rent Justice Coalition invites you to a press conference about housing affordability at 9 a.m. at 60 Centre St., Foley Square. The press conference will address the Rent Stabilization Association's efforts to repeal the rent freeze on one-year leases and stop using affordability as a factor to set rent adjustments. For more information or to RSVP, email Andrea at andrea@metcouncilonhousing.org.

• Tuesday, Nov. 29: Come to an information session about Community and Citywide Education Councils from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 1 Centre St. on the 19th floor in Manhattan. Learn how you can shape the policies of NYC schools. See the flier »

Opportunities

• Parenting groups at Columbia University: The Teachers College at Columbia University invites parents to join its parenting group for parents of children over the age of 12. The group meets on Wednesdays from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. There will also be a group for parents of children younger than 12, but its meeting time is yet to be determined. For more information and to join, contact the Dean Hope Center at 212-678-3262 or ceps_parenting@tc.edu. See the flier »

• Free college prep program at the University of Southern California for high school juniors: The University of Southern California invites academically gifted high school juniors who can demonstrate financial need to apply for Brovard Scholars, a free, three-week college prep program set to run from July 16 to Aug. 5. The application deadline is Feb. 17. All costs, including transportation, will be covered by the university. Find out more »

• Some sixth-graders will be invited to apply for a free Specialized High School Admissions Test prep program: Certain sixth-grade students are eligible to apply for DREAM - The Specialized High School Institute, a free program to help students prepare for the Specialized High School Admissions Test. This program runs from February 2017 to October 2018. Eligible students are sixth-graders with Title I Free Lunch status who got scores of at least 320 on the grade five English language arts state exam and at least 319 on the grade five math state exam. They should receive an invitation letter and application from the DOE in late November. Find out more »

Education news

• "It's Elementary" events for families starting elementary school: Starting this November, there will be informational events in every district about elementary school admissions. These "It's Elementary!" events used to be offered in each borough and are now district-specific. They'll also offer on-site application help and information about Gifted and Talented programs. Download fliers in English, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian-Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Urdu. Or, learn more on the elementary school admissions website »

• Protocols for reducing lead in school drinking fountains may fall short: Newark and many New York City public schools follow Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for reducing lead in drinking water that includes flushing fountains at the beginning of the school day. But a new investigation from WNYC suggests that compliance may be low. Read the story »
  
  Find out more about water safety policy in NYC schools by visiting the Department of Education website »

• Read a report on school integration: New York City is the most segregated school system in the country, but certain schools have managed to defy the odds and attract students from many races and income levels. Read the report from Inside Schools to find out how they did it »

• State-level victories for public education: At the state level in elections this week, there were major victories for public education. First, Massachusetts voters rejected a proposal to raise the state cap on charter schools on Question 2. In Georgia, Amendment One was rejected, so "failing" schools will not be handed over to governor-controlled charters. And in Washington State, voters re-elected State Supreme Court judges who have ruled that charter schools are not public schools, rejecting an effort by Bill Gates and other billionaires to shift the court in favor of charter schools.

• Black, Latino students and students with disabilities are still suspended at higher rates: Data on suspension rates in the 2015-16 school year released by New York City showed a decrease in suspensions, but also showed that black students, Latino students and students with disabilities are still disciplined at higher rates than their peers. Advocates for Children is calling on the city to continue moving to restorative justice programs and fewer punitive interventions — especially those involving handcuffs, arrests and summonses. Find out more »

• Read the Department of Education's Co-Location Handbook: The Department of Education has released a handbook of guidelines for campuses with multiple schools which may be of interest if your child attends a co-located school. Read it now »