New York, NY

College Readiness Indicator Systems - New York Project
New Visions for Public Schools is one of five sites where AISR supports the development of College Readiness Indicator Systems (CRIS), with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and in partnership with the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University. The CRIS network helps the five districts share knowledge to develop individual, school, and system-level indicators and supports in academic preparedness, academic tenacity, and college knowledge, with the goal of keeping students on track for college readiness. New Visions for Public Schools is a reform support organization that has created more than 100 small schools in New York City and, as a Partnership Support Organization, currently supports 76 NYC schools.

Adult and Youth Organizing in New York City
AISR also provides support for adult and youth organizing for education reform in New York City. AISR provides research, training, and logistical support to the New York City Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ) in New York City, a citywide coalition of parent- and community-led neighborhood collaboratives, and to the Urban Youth Collaborative (UYC), a citywide coalition of youth organizing groups. Through a combination of grassroots mobilization, strategic alliance building with key stakeholders, and collaboration with the New York City Department of Education on specific initiatives, CEJ, UYC, and their member organizations have had significant success in focusing attention and resources on improving the city’s low-performing schools.

Parent Power: Education Organizing in NYC, 1995-2010
Through the voices of parents, Parent Power chronicles fifteen years of effective parent organizing in New York City – organizing that has stopped budget cuts, increased school funding, and led to the adoption of a citywide lead teacher program. The organizing depicted in the film was supported by AISR staff, who helped with data analysis, publicity, and fundraising and also linked organizing groups and coalitions to elected leaders and education reform experts. Norm Fruchter, AISR’s senior policy analyst, produced the film in collaboration with FPS Video Productions.