Join DL21C for the second of several policy debates/discussions, addressing diverse viewpoints on education policy and our City's schools.
________________________
Discussion on Education Policy and Politics, from NYC to Albany
with
Micah Lasher, Executive Director, StudentsFirst NY
Moderated by Elizabeth Green, Co-founder and Editor of GothamSchools
Location:
Alpha Fusion
169 8th Ave (btw 18th/19th Streets)
Subway: A/C/E to 14th St.; 1 train to 18th St
The event is $5 for non-members and free for DL21C Annual Members.
About the event:
Join Micah Lasher, the new Executive Director of StudentsFirstNY (http://www.studentsfirst.org/pages/state-action/new-york)
and moderator Elizabeth Green, co-founder and editor of GothamSchools, for a thoughtful conversation about the current state of education in New York, where Micah will share his vision for how to provide all New York City students with access to a world class public education.
Mr. Lasher has worked to promote bold change in our education system from his roles as the Executive Director of External Affairs for the Department of Education and as Mayor Bloomberg's chief negotiator in Albany. Now as the leader of StudentsFirstNY, he brings a transformational, widely-discussed national school reform organization headed by Michelle Rhee, the former Chancellor of Washington, D.C. public schools, into New York.
About the Speakers:
Micah Lasher
Executive Director, StudentsFirstNY
Micah Lasher is Executive Director of StudentsFirstNY, a non-profit advocacy organization devoted to ensuring a quality public education for every student in New York.
Immediately prior to joining StudentsFirstNY, Micah served in the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, first as Executive Director of External Affairs for the New York City Department of Education and then as Director of State Legislative Affairs for the City of New York, overseeing the Mayor's legislative agenda and the City's relations with State government. In these roles, Micah played a critical role in the education debate in New York State, leading successful efforts to reauthorize mayoral control of the New York City school system and expand the State's charter school law to enable New York to win $700 million in President Obama's Race to the Top competition. And, negotiating with the United Federation of Teachers, Micah resolved many of the most complex issues – related to appeals and dismissals – standing in the way of implementation of the State’s teacher evaluation framework.
He also helped coordinate Mayor Bloomberg's advocacy for marriage equality, and achieved legislative victories for the City on a range of other issues, including a landmark overhaul of the juvenile justice system; pension reform that will save City taxpayers $21 billion over thirty years; passage of historic legislation to expand taxi service to all five boroughs; and the City takeover and planned completion of Governor's Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Before joining City government, Micah served as an aide to Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and co-founded SKDKnickerbocker, a communications consulting firm.
Elizabeth Green
Co-founder and Editor, GothamSchools
Elizabeth Green is the cofounder and editor of GothamSchools, the award-winning nonprofit news site covering the New York City public schools. In 2009-2010, she was a Spencer Fellow in education journalism at Columbia University. She previously covered the New York City schools beat for The New York Sun and covered K-12 education nationally at U.S. News & World Report. She has also written about education issues for the Village Voice and The New York Times Magazine.
She serves on the board of the Education Writers Association and is a 2006 graduate of Harvard.
--