Educational Inequality Topic of Public Forum Oct. 20

A forum on educational inequality will be held Tuesday in White Plains. The event is open to the general public and free of charge.

Westchester for Change, an all-volunteer, grassroots organization is hosting the discussion, Educational Inequality: A New York State Regent’s View, at The Ethical Culture Society of White Plains.

Westchester for Change is delighted and honored to have Regent Judith Johnson as its featured speaker. She will address the issue of educational inequality from her vantage point as a member of New York’s Board of Regents, which is responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within the state.

“I am unrelenting in my commitment to public education and the success of each child in our public school system,” Johnson said. “I look forward to speaking at this Westchester for Change forum.”

Co-sponsors of this event are: The Ethical Culture Society of Westchester; Alliance for Quality Education of New York; Citizen Action of New York; Concerned Families of Westchester; Greenburgh Democrats; Greenburgh NAACP; Mt. Vernon United Tenants; Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee; WESPAC; White Plains Democratic City Committee; White Plains NAACP (Co-sponsorships are in formation.)

For all the public concern about testing, teacher evaluations and curriculum in regards to New York public schools, a larger issue is often forgotten---educational inequality.

The greatest education reforms in our country have been born when society is galvanized by questions of moral importance. American public schools were once the vehicle that provided access to the concept of economic mobility. Public schools were viewed as the great equalizer. The notion was that each student, regardless of birth conditions, would receive an education that led to opportunities to climb the American ladder of success. Today, that access is closed for far too many children.

Now we ask, what is the role of public education in a democratic society? How can we ensure equitable education for all? Challenging decades of class inequality is hard but essential work if we are to preserve our democratic principles of social justice.

Johnson will discuss the characteristics that define public school education inequities, the implications for our democracy if left unaddressed, and invite us to consider strategies to fulfill the state’s mission of providing a public school education that offers opportunities for all students to emerge from school prepared to participate as members of a democratic society.

As with all Westchester for Change forums, there will be a call for action at the end.

Johnson is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education in the Department of Education in the Clinton administration. She is also a former superintendent of both the Peekskill and Mount Vernon public schools.

Westchester for Change has invited local elected officials and local school officials