Lesson
Materials (word document)
Aim:
Students will become aware of the CFE lawsuit against the
State of New York and will understand the reasons behind
the lawsuit.
Connection/Motivation:
Remind students that they’ve explored how
some schools have been cheated and underserved by the State
of New York.
Teaching Points:
- Introduce
the lesson with an eye-catching title such as “Over
1 million New York City students cheated by the State!”
on chart paper or a white board.
- Students
may not have prior understanding of the legal system,
so a brief discussion on lawsuits may aid students. Many
students may know the word’s abbreviation, “sue
or to sue.” (Definition of LAWSUIT—A legal
action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based
on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a
legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.)
-
Ask the class if they feel they are missing anything in
their classroom or if the school is missing anything that
would help them become better learners or create a better
school environment.
- Responses
should be charted for the students to view. They should
be compared and contrasted with the CFE lawsuit findings
regarding deficiencies in some schools.
- Explain
that recent New York newspaper articles studied nationwide
per-pupil spending differences between poor and wealthy
districts. The State of New York is # 1 with $2,280 per
student!
-
Ask students what they feel should be done when the state
is not funding schools as they should. Allow student responses.
- Tell
the students that many times people have to be forced
to obey the law through legal action. Tell them that people
or organizations, such as the Campaign
for Fiscal Equity, file lawsuits in a court to have
a judge hear all the facts so that people can get what
they deserve. Otherwise, there would be more injustice
and inequity in society. Also, make them aware that this
should work, but many times it does not if there is not
well-prepared evidence presented by good lawyers.
-
Update students about the CFE vs. State of New York lawsuit.
Give them basic background information that tells them
how they are affected and why and what is the current
status of the lawsuit. (A CFE lawsuit timeline and document
links are included in this lesson).
Student Activity:
-
Students will work in groups of four. They should create
a short list about what they feel they are missing in
order to be better students or have a better school.
- Have
the students/teacher read an article explaining the CFE
lawsuit. (Watching a video in class would create a great
visual for understanding.)
-
Students should work on a graphic organizer – Venn
diagram, KWL chart and/or Web map to organize their thoughts.
-
Why does this lawsuit exist? What are some things that
your community could do to make sure that you are given
a fair (equitable) education?
Share:
Students will share and exhibit ideas to the class on the
two questions.
Follow-up:
Students will be given a copy of the article on the CFE
vs. State of New York lawsuit to take home to their parents
to make them aware of the case (see lesson
material). This could be accompanied by a letter addressing
what they could do, current campaigns against the state
and whom (politicians and organizations) could they contact
to voice their concern to become active in their community
against the state actions.
Assessment: Grade the students’ work and/or
presentation on the CFE vs. The State of New York Lawsuit.
Make sure all the students know the cause – effect
reasons are in the lawsuit. Make sure that all students
understand that they should each receive more funding per
person to have a better education. They should see or tell
of possible past, present and future ramifications of The
State New York actions.
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Subject
Areas:
Social Studies
Language Arts
Grade Levels: 3-5
About
the teacher:
Darren
J. Johnson is
teacher at The Academy of the Arts – PS 335x in the
South Bronx. Darren will be entering his third year of teaching.
He currently teaches Science and Physical Education. His
first year of teaching in New York was at Arturo Toscanini
Middle School (JHS 145x) in the Bronx. Darren was given
a grant in 2004 by the US Dept. of Energy and NYSERDA (New
York State Energy Research and Development Authority) in
Science. Darren completed his master’s degree at BC
majoring in Elementary Education: Donovan Scholars’
Urban Studies Program in 2003. While doing his practicum
he had the opportunity to work at two exemplary Boston Public
Schools. Darren attended Boston College as an undergraduate
majoring in Human Development & Communications while
focusing on Human Resource Management.
ceddace022@yahoo.com
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