Reforming Education

Photo by Jenn SantoraLocal Activists refuse the status quo. Group is fighting for the future of our schools.

By Katie Campos

Editor’s Note:At time of print Buffalo ReformED founder Katie Campos announced she accepted a position on Governor Andrew Cuomo's staff as  Assistant Secretary of Education. Buffalo ReformED is now being run by former Assistant Director Hannya Boulos

Buffalo ReformED is an education reform advocacy organization that brings together parents, teachers, business leaders, and community stakeholders in an effort to revitalize Buffalo through an improved education system. Our mission as an organization is clear: we believe that we can make fundamental changes in education if we put the focus firmly back on the students. We believe that if we base every decision we make on how it will affect students, we can succeed in turning around this entire district, and creating a fundamental change in the way we address reform. To this end, we support and promote an education reform agenda that is parent-driven, as parents are the only stakeholders who put the needs of children first, without conflict of interest.

Why did we start Buffalo ReformED? By any measure, our public education system is in a state of crisis. It is time for us all to confront the reality that this challenge cannot be met by continuing to rely on solutions that have not worked in the past, or by implementing incremental changes and hoping for dramatic results. In order to achieve sustainable improvements, we must demand that parents, teachers, and community leaders prioritize student achievement and teacher quality. In order to create sustained reform and improve the current relationship between the community and the Buffalo Public Schools administration, we must insist on transparency and accountability at every step. Parents, and community stakeholders must be a part of the conversation, and must be made aware of the everyday decisions that affect their students and children. We will achieve increased accountability by shining a light on the Buffalo Public Schools to demand transparency to better inform parents and our community. We will bring together the community to demand that all decision makers prioritize education with a unified, single-minded focus: what will best serve our students.

Buffalo ReformED is run by a dedicated and passionate team. I started the organization  nearly 2 years ago after I finished working on federal and state education policy around President Obama's competitive education reform grant, Race to the Top. After watching very well intentioned education reform policies fail to pass in state houses, I recognized the need for locally-grown education policy that is specifically targeted to the needs of the community.  At the time, there was no voice for education reform in Buffalo; Buffalo ReformED aimed to fill that void by creating a reform agenda that is focused on always putting students first.

After getting the organization on its feet, I brought on board Assistant Director, Hannya Boulos, and Community Outreach Director, Alan Wynia. All of us are Buffalo natives who have returned to the area to try to bring education issues to the forefront, generate community support, and push for effective solutions to the problems our schools are facing.

Everyone talks about the brain drain affecting Buffalo—scores of young, educated people never return after graduating college, seeking jobs in greener pastures. Buffalo ReformED is an example of just the opposite; all three of us returned to Buffalo after attending College both locally and out of state. We seized the opportunity to become leaders, and to change the course of education now in order to ensure a more stable and successful future for this city’s youth. The formation of our organization was a difficult process because there was no seed funding, and sustaining our organization is a constant challenge, because we are not tied to any special interests, nor are we affiliated with any national partners. We operate on a shoestring budget; yet have been able to make great strides thanks to our team dynamic, hard work, and passion for reform. We fight for the changes we want to see happen, and have gained momentum in changing the way Buffalo prioritizes education.

Buffalo is behind some cities in terms of its receptiveness toward reform, but in the past year, we have been encouraged and impressed by the growing involvement of parents in the push for reform, the growing media attention dedicated to education issues, and the increased level of accountability of elected officials and administrators in charge of our schools. We have worked closely with parent groups across the district, and we believe true reform cannot happen unless the parents are a part of the conversation. To that end, we are constantly working to support the organization of parents, and helping to provide information about the policies and decisions that affect students. We are also responsible for the introduction of the “Parent Trigger” Bill, a measure that gives parents in low performing schools, 33 schools out of 59 in Buffalo of which this designation applies to, the bargaining power to improve their school in the best interest of their children. Along with writing this Bill, and pushing for its passage, we are providing training and information sessions to parents to help them understand their rights and roles.

Along with the Parent Trigger, we are working on various research based projects that will help illuminate and expand upon the challenges this district faces, while also providing a resource of best practices, and successful reform policies that community members and elected officials can refer to. We are also creating a “Parent Bill of Rights,” and a chain of accountability in order to empower parents to take a more active stance in fighting for good schools, and a quality education for Buffalo students.

We’ve been successful in creating a strong online presence, using YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook to publish news and opinion pieces, and video segments interviewing community members on their experiences with the Buffalo Public Schools. In providing these resources, we strive to empower, connect, and educate the community about successful reform initiatives, and bring education issues to the forefront. Moving forward, our goal as organization is to grow the movement outwards, creating genuine community buy-in and increased involvement of parents and stakeholders. We have a passionate and invaluable group of interns and volunteers, but are always looking to expand our base, and reach out to community members for their ideas and support.

Buffalo ReformED has successfully achieved many of our short-term goals, and the dialogue around public education has dramatically shifted in scope to include a students- first agenda. But, there is much work to be done in the fight to provide every Buffalo public school student with an equitably distributed, high quality education. We strive to change the way every elected official, administrator, parent, and teacher thinks about education, and to create a system that genuinely puts the student first.. The time for change is now; we cannot afford to wait any longer, as there is far too much at stake. Education is the backbone of society, and should be the focus of every conversation we have about Buffalo’s wellbeing. We cannot change our neighborhoods without changing our schools, we cannot grow jobs with out changing our schools, and we cannot create future leaders without changing our schools.

If you are interested in education reform issues, please visit our website: www.BuffaloReformEd.com, and contact us through our forms page. We are extremely receptive to community input, and are always looking for volunteers.