Education

Learning in New York:NYC’s Historic Schools and Libraries

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Join the Historic Districts Council, the advocate for New York City’s historic neighborhoods, for ”Learning in New York” a series of programs exploring the City’s fascinating collection of 19th and 20th century educational buildings.

The entire series is available for $60/$40 for Friends, seniors & students. Advance reservations are required. Tickets can be ordered online, calling 212-614-9107 or e-mailing [email protected].

The Architecture of Knowledge: New York City’s Historic Schools and Libraries
Tuesday, October 19, 6:30pm, LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street, Manhattan
Fee: $35/$25 for Friends, seniors & students.

This panel will examine the architecture of school and library buildings across New York City, highlighting their history as well as reuse and restoration. Bruce Nelligan of Nelligan White Architects will showcase his firm’s renovations to historic schools in The Bronx, Manhattan and Queens, ranging from 1893-1930, highlighting discoveries about evolving construction techniques and various approaches to rehabilitation. Throughout the five boroughs, there are 55 public libraries still existing of the original 67 built with industrialist Andrew Carnegie’s support. Rashmi Sen, principal of Sen Architects will discuss her firm’s work renovating several Carnegie Libraries in Brooklyn and The Bronx. Through her efforts, these libraries have been successfully updated and modernized, while retaining and restoring their distinctive historic features. Jean Arrington is a scholar of C. B. J. Snyder, New York City School Superintendent from 1891 to 1923, who designed and constructed more than 400 new buildings and additions. Ms. Arrington will discuss Snyder and how he changed school design both in New York and nationally. This program will be a good introduction for attendees of the related walking tour that is part of this series.

An Educational Walk Through Chinatown: C.B.J. Snyder’s Schools, Andrew Carnegie’s Libraries and Everything In Between
Saturday, October 23, 11:00am, exact location announced upon registration
$35/$25 Friends, students & seniors

The second program of the series will be a walking tour highlighting the rich architectural legacy of public educational buildings in New York City through an examination of those schools designed by Superintendent C. B. J. Snyder, several Carnegie Libraries and other institutions of learning throughout Chinatown. Snyder scholar Jean Arrington will co-lead this tour and discuss several extant Snyder school buildings in the neighborhood, some of which are now being adaptively reused. Tour co-leader and noted guide Justin Ferate will explain the interesting historic development of this diverse immigrant neighborhood, visiting other significant institutional buildings including two existing Carnegie Libraries at Chatham Square and Seward Park.

Learning On Screen: New York City Schools in Popular Film

Wednesday, November 3, 6:30pm, LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street, Manhattan
Fee: $15/$10 for Friends, seniors & students

New York City schools have been the backdrops for some of film’s most celebrated moments, from “Blackboard Jungle” to “Fame”. This fun and informative program explores the portrayal of New York schools in popular film throughout the twentieth century. The program will be led by architectural historian and educator John Kriskiewicz.

Defending Public Education Workshops, Rally

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Threats to Public Education loom on all fronts. Whether in the U.S. or abroad, in primary and secondary K-12 schooling or in institutions of higher education, we encounter once-proud state education systems crumbling under the weight of sustained budget reductions and pressures to privatize. In concert with severe financial cuts we find assaults against the principle that it is in a society’s best interest to educate its citizenry, the principle that society bears a responsibility to provide quality education to all its members, and the principle that education as a space for critical thought ought to be free from the direct profit motives of private business.

As one example, here in New York State, the Legislature slashed SUNY’s budget by over $210 million this year, meaning SUNY’s total operating budget has been reduced by 30% over the past three years. This will likely result in (another) round of tuition fee hikes, further restricting New York State’s citizens’ access to higher education and adding to the mounting debt burden of those students who can attend a State University. Cuts will result in fewer classes offered, larger class sizes, fewer faculty and staff, fewer programs and resources, and diminishing facilities. A similar story can be told about the pressures on K-12 education from budget reductions, Charter schools, threats to teachers, cuts to educational programming and the like. The current round of budget slashing would be difficult to swallow if it came as an isolated response to the severe economic recession in which we find currently ourselves. However, these cuts are only the most recent in a thirty-year assault against public education. In 1989-90, for instance, the State of New York contributed nearly 43% of SUNY’s operating budget- today the State’s contribution has dropped to nearly 15%. This withering of public support for education in New York has direct parallels at all educational levels, across the country and around the world.

As part of a National Day of Action to Defend Public Education a local coalition of faculty, student, labor and community groups, including the Albany Chapter of United University Professions, CDALF, AFL-CIO, Workers United, NYPIRG, NYSUT, and the Solidarity Committee of the Capital District, Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace as well as student and community groups will host three events— two workshops on September 29 and a rally on October 7, the National Day of Action—opposing cutbacks to public education.

September 29

5:00-6:30 p.m. UAlbany Uptown Campus, Science Library Standish Room

Schools Under Siege: The Case for Restoring Public Funding to Education. Speakers include UAlbany Prof. Fernando Leiva and Doctoral Student Jackie Hayes, both from the UAlbany Department of Latin American, Caribbean and U.S. Latino Studies, and Cathy Corbo, President of the Albany Public School Teachers’ Association (APSTA).

7:30-9:00 p.m. UAlbany Uptown Campus, Science Library Standish Room

The Costs of War and the Struggle for Public Services: Is the War Really Making Us More Secure? Speakers include Prof. Ron Friedman, Dept. of Psychology, UAlbany- Joe Lombardo, Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace- John Amidon, Veterans for Peace- and, Chris Hellman, National Priorities Project.

October 7

12:00-2:00 p.m. UAlbany Podium in front of the Campus Center

Rally to Oppose Cuts to Public Education

Richard Dreyfuss to Receive State Archives Award

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Richard Dreyfuss, Academy Award-winning actor and passionate advocate for teaching American history in primary and secondary schools, will be given the 2010 Empire State Archives and History Award on Tuesday, September 28, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in The Egg, Empire State Plaza, downtown Albany. As part of the program, Dreyfuss will be interviewed by noted Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer about his life, work and passion for history. Tickets are $10 and may be obtained from The Egg Box Office at (518) 473-1845 or online at www.theegg.org. The event is sponsored by the New York State Archives Partnership Trust, Greenberg Traurig, the Times Union, the History channel, and the New York State Writers Institute.

Dreyfuss is a leading advocate for the teaching of history in America’s primary and secondary schools. Recently, the Brooklyn-born actor founded a nonprofit organization, The Dreyfuss Initiative, whose mission is to promote Constitutional literacy, historical appreciation and open political dialogue among young people. Regarding the group’s mission, Dreyfuss states, &#8220We are a nation bound by ideas only. We have no common ancestry, no common religion, no common military victory or defeat, no common crime that binds us. If you don’t teach those ideas to every new generation of Americans with wit and rigor, we are not bound.&#8221

A member of the Board of Trustees of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Dreyfuss served as Senior Associate Member of St. Antony’s College, Oxford, where he researched and developed new curricula for teaching the history and practice of democracy in public schools.

Dreyfuss received the Academy Award for Best Actor in Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl (1977), the youngest actor to be so honored until 2002. Dreyfuss was nominated a second time for Mr. Holland’s Opus in 1995. The actor’s other noteworthy films include The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974), his first lead role, American Graffiti (1973), Jaws (1975), Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Tin Men (1987), Krippendorf’s Tribe (1998), and Oliver Stone’s W. (2008). Dreyfuss’s remarkable performance in W. as Vice President Dick Cheney earned him a great deal of critical attention and praise. Dreyfuss received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996.

Dreyfuss’s many television credits include four episodes of the Showtime series, Weeds in its 2010 season, two episodes voicing himself in the 2009 season of Family Guy, and the title role in the CBS series, The Education of Max Bickford (2001-2002), about a history professor at a women’s college. The latter role earned him a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Actor.

Dreyfuss is also the coauthor of a novel with leading fantasy writer, Harry Turtledove &#8211 The Two Georges (1995), which presents an alternative history of the American Revolution.

In advance of the program, a ticketed reception to honor Dreyfuss will be held at The Egg from 5:30-7:00 p.m. To learn more, contact the Trust at (518) 486-9349, or online at http://www.archives.nysed.gov. Proceeds will benefit the New York State Archives and Archives Partnership Trust.

New Netherland: Scholar in Residence Programs

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The New Netherland Research Center (NNRC), a joint endeavor of the New Netherland Institute (NNI) and the Office of Cultural Education, New York State Education Department (NYSED/OCE), with financial support from the Government of the Netherlands, announces a Senior Scholar in Residence program and two NNRC Student Scholar Research Grants for 2011.

Student Scholar Research Grants

The grant covers a period of up to three months in residence and provides a stipend of $5,000. A time frame for fulfilling the grant requirements will be established in consultation with the Director of NNRC. No housing or travel funds are provided but
office space is included.

Scholars beyond the undergraduate level and actively working on a thesis, dissertation, or scholarly article are invited to apply. Research must be conducted at the New York State Library and Archives, Albany, NY, in the field of New Netherland history and the Dutch Atlantic World utilizing the Records of New Netherland. Candidates must indicate their research topic in their application. Genealogical research topics are excluded. Considering that much of the secondary, as well as the primary, source materials are in 17th century Dutch, it would be to the student scholar’s advantage to have a working knowledge of the language.

The $5,000 stipend is payable in equal installment upon submission and acceptance by the Director of NNRC of a monthly progress report. At the conclusion of their residency, the student scholar must submit a written report based on their work and deliver a public lecture on their research findings prior to receipt of their final installment.

Applications, consisting of a curriculum vita, two letters of recommendation, and a cover letter outlining the research topic and work plan, must be submitted to the Grants Committee, New Netherland Institute, Box 2536, Empire State Plaza Station, Albany, NY 12220-0536.

Applications must be submitted by October 1, 2010 with awards announced on December 1, 2010.

Senior Scholar in Residence Program

Pre–and post-doctoral students, including independent, non-university-affiliated persons, are invited to apply for a 12-month residency beginning not earlier than January and not later than September 2011 with the specific time frame to be established in consultation with the Director of NNRC. The proposed research will occur at the New Netherland Research Center in Albany, utilizing the resources of the New York State Library and Archives for research in the field of Dutch Colonial America and the Atlantic World. Scholars are expected to include the primary sources of the Records of New Netherland in their research, so a reading knowledge of seventeenth-century Dutch is necessary.

The recipient will be required to produce a minimum 5000 word manuscript based upon his or her research in the primary sources in the field, with NNI/ NNRC having the first option to publish it and holding the copyright. In addition, a public lecture on an aspect of the research for delivery at Siena College, Loudonville, NY, is also mandated. Both requirements must be met no later than the final month of residency and are subject to the approval of the Director of NNRC.

No housing or travel funds are provided, but office space at NYSED/OCE is included.

The stipend is $30,000, to be distributed monthly in equal installments upon submission of a written progress report acceptable to the Director of NNRC. The final payment will be contingent upon meeting the terms cited above.

The application must consist of two copies of a curriculum vitae- one copy of a thesis, dissertation, published article(s) or book- two letters of recommendation- and a cover letter outlining your research interest and work plan. It should be submitted to the Grants Committee, New Netherland Institute, P.O. Box 2536, Empire State Plaza Station,
Albany, NY 12220-0536.

Applications must be received by September 15, 2010. The grant will be awarded and announced by November 1, 2010.

Writer, Historian Colin Wells in Whallonsbug

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The Adirondack Center for Writing presents author and historian Colin Wells in their annual Reading Series. The series hosts writers and poets from the North Country at local venues to share their recent work. Wells’ talk is titled “Potty Humor and History: The Strange Friendship of Nicolo Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini” and will explore Nicolo Machiavelli’s friendship with the “first modern historian.” He will speak on September 16th at 7pm at The Whallonsburg Grange Hall in Whallonsburg, NY. The event is FREE and open to the public.

Colin Wells has been interested in history since his undergraduate days at UCLA, and has published widely, from Sailing from Byzantium: How a Lost Empire Changed the World, to The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Saudi Arabia. Reviewing Sailing from Byzantium, the American Library Association’s Booklist said, “Wells brings vividly to life this history of a long-lost era and its opulent heritage.” His most recent book is called A Brief History of History: Great Historians and the Epic Quest to Explain the Past. The book brings together evocative sketches of the great historians with concise summaries of their most important works. Wells demonstrates how brilliant minds have changed our understanding of history, how history itself moved forward over time as a way of approaching the past, and why &#8220history&#8221 is a startlingly fluid concept, with an evolutionary course&#8211a story&#8211all its own.

In addition to works of popular history, Wells has published a children’s mystery titled Stick Like Glue and is working on a new book called The Invention of God: The Origins of Faith in the Rise of Reason. He lives with his two Samoyeds and a crew of cats in Westport, where he writes for the local paper.

The Reading Series will also feature novelist Steve Stern in Glen Falls, NY on August 26 and poet Jay Rogoff on September 21st at the Saratoga Arts Center.

The Adirondack Center for Writing is an independent non-profit, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to promoting literature and providing educational opportunities and support to both aspiring and established writers in the Adirondack region. We provide workshops, conferences, and readings throughout the year in locations all around the Adirondack Park. ACW is based at Paul Smith’s College and is supported by a strong membership and public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

Cazenovia Colleges Lecture Series

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The seventh season of Cazenovia College’s Faculty Library Lecture Series: &#8220Great Minds / Great Ideas,&#8221 at Cazenovia Public Library and the Manlius Library, continues beginning Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2010. The series, sponsored by Doris Eversfield Webster, Cazenovia College Class of 1946, features noted faculty members from Cazenovia College discussing the lives and work of important thinkers who opened doors of opportunity for the human spirit. Ample time for questions and conversation follows each lecture. Complete information may be found at www.cazenovia.edu/greatminds.

Sept. 21, 2010, at The Manlius Library, 1 Arkie Albanese Avenue, Manlius, N.Y. &#8220Real Horse Power!&#8221 presented by Karin Bump, professor of equine studies. This presentation will encompass a journey through time to provide an understanding of &#8216-horse power’ from past to present, and celebrate the remarkable power of the horse to capture the hearts and minds of young and old alike.

Sept. 21, 2010, at Cazenovia Public Library, 100 Albany Street, Cazenovia, N.Y. &#8220What a Great Idea! The Inventive Minds behind Some of Our Favorite Toys,&#8221 presented by Scott Jensen, assistant professor of visual communications. The creators of many familiar toys all started with a great idea&#8230- but didn’t always know what to do with it. Discover the fascinating stories of these and some other familiar playthings in this fun, playful lecture.

Oct. 19, 2010, at The Manlius Library, 1 Arkie Albanese Avenue, Manlius, N.Y. &#8220What a Great Idea! The Inventive Minds behind Some of Our Favorite Toys,&#8221 presented by Scott Jensen, assistant professor of visual communications. The creators of many familiar toys all started with a great idea&#8230- but didn’t always know what to do with it. Discover the fascinating stories of these and some other familiar playthings in this fun, playful lecture.

Oct. 19, 2010, at Cazenovia Public Library, 100 Albany Street, Cazenovia, N.Y. &#8220Numbers: How They Amaze Us,&#8221 presented by John Livermore, assistant professor of mathematics. Number theory is the branch of mathematics that deals with the study of the properties of the natural numbers. Livermore will discuss our base 10 number system, some basic number theory proofs and how the results of these proofs are applied on the Internet to amaze us.

For more information about the lectures, contact: Cazenovia Public Library at 315-655-9322, or visit www.midyork.org/cazenovia – or The Manlius Library, at 315-682-6400, or visit www.manliuslib.org

CFP: Staten Island, American History, 21st Cent. Education

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A Call for Papers has been issued for a conference entitled Staten Island, New York in American History and 21st Century Education, to be held at the College of Staten Island (City University of New York) on March 19-20, 2011.

An understanding of the role of place and the attachment to community in America has never been more critical than in our rapidly changing global environment. This conference seeks to explore major turning points and issues in American history as experienced by the residents of Staten Island past and present. Located at the entrance to New York harbor, Staten Island is one of the five boroughs that comprise New York City.

Since 1661, Staten Island has been the home of settlers and migrants from around the globe. Staten Island’s cultural diversity and its regional and global interconnections are reflected in its institutions, cuisine, art and architecture, businesses, social movements, recreational tourism, transportation heritage, and in the service of its military veterans. The organizers’ goal is to rethink the significance of Staten Island and its important historic sites, as part of New York City, the region, the nation, and the world through the interdisciplinary lenses of history and Place-based
Education.

In celebration of Staten Island’s 350th Anniversary in 2011, the organizers invite
innovative proposals from scholars, curators, teachers and public historians related to community history and education. Proposals must be relevant to and illustrate the conference theme, including but not limited to the following topics:

*History of ethnicity and immigration
*History of race, gender, sexual orientation, and disabilities
*Staten Island in the transatlantic world, e.g. Huguenot refugees, the Loyalist Diaspora, the Free Trade Zone
*Staten Island in the history of New York City, e.g. Civil War Draft Riots, Consolidation, 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
*History of the arts, architecture, health, business, military, sports, transportation, religion, food and drink, education, childhood, or of the environment
*Geography, politics, and economics in the study of local history
*The historical interconnectedness of Staten Island to the New York/New Jersey region
*The role of the museum in public history and preservation
*Pedagogy, including Place-based Education, civic engagement and community-based research
*Memory and oral history

Proposals for complete panels and/or individual papers for this peer-reviewed conference are welcome. Proposals for panels must include the following: 1) a cover sheet with the panel title, paper titles, and the name, address, affiliation, and email addresses of the chair/commentator and of the panelists- 2) a 350-word abstract of the panel as a whole- and 3) a 350-word abstract for each paper included on the panel. Individual paper proposals for twenty-minute papers should include the following: 1) a cover sheet with the paper’s title, and the name, address, affiliation,
and email address of the participant and 2) a 350-word abstract of the paper.

All materials should be e-mailed to Dr. Phillip Papas, Associate Professor of History and co-chair of the SI 350 Academic Conference/Education Symposium at [email protected]. Proposals for panels and/or individual papers must be received no later than October 15, 2010. Successful applicants will be required to send a completed paper no later than February 7, 2011. E-mail Dr. Margaret Berci, Associate Professor of Education and co- chair of the SI 350 Academic Conference/Education Symposium at [email protected] with questions.

For more information and resources please refer to their website at www.si350.org.

The event is co-sponsored with Wagner College, St. John’s University and SI350, Inc, with major support from the Staten Island Foundation.

Maritime Center Offers Family Boat Building

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In collaboration with Buffalo Place the Buffalo Maritime Center is holding a Family Boat-Building workshop on the Buffalo Waterfront. Under the guidance of skilled boat-builders, families will construct their own boat this Saturday and Sunday, July 10th and 11th (9 am &#8211 4 pm). Everything needed to build the boat, along with instruction, will be provided to participants who can choose one from two boats: the 6 Hour Canoe (15 feet long, cost $600) or the Black Rock Skimmer (15 feet long, cost $750).

This first-ever Family Boat Building weekend for the Buffalo Maritime Center is designed for families that want to foster their cross-generational bonding and discover how well they can work together &#8211 introducing old and young family members to
woodworking. Families will take their boats home for painting and miscellaneous finish work. No previous woodworking experience required.

The workshop will be held adjacent to the Central Wharf near the Naval & Military Park located at the foot of Pearl and Main streets, across from HSBC Arena. Space is limited, so reserve soon by calling the Buffalo Maritime Center at (716) 878-6532
or e-mailing [email protected].

Winners of Play in the Parks App Contest

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The New York State Chief Information Officer and Office for Technology (CIO/OFT), the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) have announced the winners of the NYS Play in the Parks App Contest.

The NYS Play in the Parks App Contest was an application development contest for graduate students at the NYU-Poly announced in April. Graduate students of NYU-Poly were challenged to create a web-based or mobile application proposal to help citizens discover the beauty and history of the New York State park system.

A panel of judges from the New York State Empire 2.0 Committee, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and NYU-Poly selected Yigit Kiran’s project proposal &#8220Park Wise&#8221 as the grand prize winner. Mr. Kiran will receive a $2,000 scholarship provided by NYU-Poly and will develop his proposal as part of an unpaid internship at CIO/OFT. Mr. Kiran is a computer science student from Istanbul, Turkey.

&#8220Park Wise&#8221 is aimed at helping users obtain information on what they see as they travel through parks by using the newest technological trends in human computer interaction. &#8220Park Wise&#8221 will be developed as a mobile application to assist visitors of New York State parks. Individuals using the application can learn about the unique and historic sites in New York parks by pointing the camera of their mobile device at a key point of interest. For example, if users point a camera at the Helderberg Escarpment located in Thatcher State Park in Albany, they would learn it is one of the richest fossil-bearing formations in the world.

In addition, &#8220Park Wise&#8221 will feature a navigation application. While wandering the parks, &#8220Park Wise&#8221 will allow users to see their current location and where they are headed. &#8220Park Wise&#8221 users will also have the ability to take photos of their experiences and share them on Facebook, comment on key points of interest, and read other users comments.

Two proposals were also selected as second place winners and each team will receive a $1,000 scholarship to NYU-Poly. The second place team winners were Kunjan Sanghvi, Nisarg Shah and Yogesh Trivedi- and a team comprised of Marvin Charles and Ram Kumar. Honorable Mentions in the contest were awarded to Avinash Vutukuri and Barn Durukan, who will each receive a $500 scholarship to further their educational goals.

History Canceled:Regents Eliminates History Assesments

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The New York State Board of Regents voted to approve two sets of strategies to achieve cost reductions in the state assessment program at its full Board meeting in Albany this week. History educators will no doubt be appalled at the elimination of 5th and 8th grade Social Studies examinations, which include the history curriculum. The two plans were laid out in a press release:

* If the State budget includes the $7 million that the Regents have requested for the assessment program, the Board approved a cost reduction of $4.25 million to be achieved through reduced reliance on educational specialists in developing tests ($1.25 million), discontinuance of paper-based scoring materials for examinations ($.60 million), elimination of component retesting for high school Math and English exams ($1.6 million), and elimination of 5th and 8th grade Social Studies examinations ($.80 million).

* If the State budget does not include the $7 million that the Regents have requested, or a final State Budget is not in place by August 1, 2010, the Board approved additional reductions of $6.1 million to further offset the deficit. These reductions would be achieved by eliminating Grade 8 second language proficiency exams ($2.0 million), eliminating August administration of Algebra II/Trigonometry and Chemistry high school Regents exams ($.8 million), eliminating all high school Foreign Language exams except for Spanish and French($1.2 million), an immediate end to translation of state assessments into Chinese, Haitian-Creole, Korean, and Russian while continuing translation into Spanish ($.75 million), and eliminating January high school Regents exams ($1.4 million).

Should additional funds be included in the P-12 budget the reductions listed last in the priority order above would be the first to be restored.

&#8220These were tough decisions made in light of the State’s difficult financial situation&#8221 Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch said, &#8220Foremost in our consideration was the concern we heard from stakeholders across the State that the cuts to the assessment program made to achieve savings should not have an impact on high school graduation.&#8221

Background on these decisions was also provided in the press release, as follows:

The State Education Department’s expense to operate the assessment program continues to rise in light of the State’s fiscal crisis as a result of several factors including: inflation, the addition of examinations, increased cost of testing vendor contracts, and the need for more test security. Based on the Executive Budget, SED projects a deficit of approximately $11.5 million in available funding in 2010-11 for P-12 programs, including the assessment program. The Regents have requested $7 million in additional State funds for the assessment program from the Legislature. The State Education Department has limited ability to address the P-12 deficit by redirecting federal or state funds dedicated to specific purposes by title or statute. SED will explore further internal cost reduction strategies to eliminate the remaining deficit of $1.1 million in the P-12 budget.

Full details of the cost reduction strategies the Board of Regents approved are on the web.

A webcast of the full board meeting of the Board of Regents is also available online.