Through the Young Professional Network, Education Voters of New York is engaging, organizing and mobilizing young professionals - ages 18 to 45 - to demand quality public schools for all New York students.  Building on the success of President Obama's historic election and the campaign's strategy to engage younger voters, this precedent provides a real opportunity for Education Voters of New York to empower a new generation of business, community and civic leaders to add their voice and stayed engaged in the civic discourse on public school reform.

By providing the tools needed for sustained engagement in public school reform, the Young Professional Network will:

• Provide young professionals with opportunities to amplify their voice on education reform;
• Recruit and engage young professionals through an online grassroots advocacy program;
• Increase young professionals' participation in the democratic process through innovative civic engagement initiatives using social media and mobile advocacy; and
• Keep young professionals updated with timely information on education reform issues affecting New York.

To learn more about the Young Professional Network, join us for the kick-off event April 15th at BLVD, 199 Bowery (at Spring St.) from 6pm to 8 pm, or contact Nia Tyler at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 646-405-4806, ext. 1.

I’d like to invite you to join me for a special screening of Beyond the Bricks, a short documentary from Washington Koen Media that follows two students struggling to succeed in a school system where fewer than half of black males graduate. It’s a powerful and insightful look at New York’s schools.

This special premiere screening is an opportunity for our community to seek out the students who are caught in the middle of our education crisis, and to talk with leading experts about what we can do to provide a quality education for every child.

New York Premiere of Beyond the Bricks
November 18th, 2009
6:30-9:30pm
Hip Hop Cultural Center
Magic Johnson Theatre, 2nd Floor
2309 Frederick Douglass Blvd
New York, NY 10030

Beyond the Bricks includes interviews with educators, administrators, elected officials, and activists who offer their ideas about solutions to the crisis facing young black men.

Click here to watch the trailer

Following the screening, we will hold a special discussion session to explore policy solutions and actions that New Yorkers can take to address the crises facing our students. The screening and discussion will be co-hosted by Education Voters Institute, and the panel will include:

Dr. Adelaide Sanford, Former Vice Chancellor NY Board of Regents
Dr. John Jackson, President of the Schott Foundation for Public Education
Dr. Ivory Toldson, Senior Analyst, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Howard University Professor
Khary Lazarre-White, Executive Director, Brotherhood SisterSol
Shaquiel Ingram, 10th grader (Featured in Beyond the Bricks)
Erick Graham, recent high school graduate (Featured in Beyond the Bricks)

This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Please click here to RSVP today.

Thank you,

Glynda Carr
Executive Director
Education Voters of New York

Join us in congratulating Mayor Bloomberg

Whether or not you live in New York City, this year's mayoral race could end up having a huge impact on your child’s education.  Both the major candidates ran campaigns that emphasized the importance of education, and every education voter in the state understands that New York’s mayor has the ability to elevate the issue and spur real reforms both in the city and across the state.

Please join us in congratulating Mike Bloomberg on his election to a third term as Mayor of New York, and thank him for putting education front-and-center in his campaign.

Just last week, the New York Times reminded us that education had become a central front in the race.

On Election Day, Education Voters talked to New Yorkers at polling places in 4 of the 5 boroughs to find out what role education played in the election.  78% of those we talked with said that education was extremely or very important to them in this race, while only 6% said it played no role at all.  Furthermore, most voters we spoke with did not have children in New York's schools, and so saw education as a community issue, rather than a personal one.

We would like to thank Mayor Bloomberg for putting such a strong emphasis on education during his campaign, and make sure he knows that New York’s education voters are eager to work with him to ensure a quality education for every child.

This past August and September, Education Voters convened discussions in 15 communities to identify and explore challenges and opportunities that exist in the NYC public school system. Imagine: NY Schools’ goal was to engage average New Yorkers and community leaders in dialogue and critical thinking about a fundamental social issue that impacts us all one way or another. We collected what they had to say and wanted to share that information with you.

Read More

Recently, Education Voters asked New Yorkers the following question:

What is one thing that our City elected leaders can do to improve education?

Download our dialogue reports to see what people are saying.

For Immediate Release:

July 27, 2009 Contacts: Lupé Todd or Fred Winters
George Arzt Communications
212-608-0333

EDUCATION VOTERS LAUNCH NEW CITYWIDE EDUCATION INITIATIVE

Project entitled “Imagine: NY Schools” strives for excellence in city education;
Council Candidate Forums also planned

Education Voters Institute of New York (EVI-NY) today announced the launch of Imagine: NY Schools (ImagineNYSchools.org), a citywide exchange of ideas designed to engage residents in the challenge of providing an excellent education for every child. Beginning August 6th, the project will explore ideas around what our public school system needs in order to graduate students prepared to enter the competitive workforce or be ready to successfully earn a post-secondary credential or degree.