Conference Proposals  »   Parent-Community Teach-In on MLK Day

Parent-Community Teach-In on MLK Day

In order to save public education (K-PhD) we have to build enough
political power -- "People Power" -- to counter the money-power
interests who are consciously de-funding, corporatizing, and
dismantling public education. The struggle to save public
education cannot be won on the campuses alone, we have to develop
support in the community at large.

After students, faculty, and staff themselves, no one is more
important to saving public education than parents. Politicians
who dismiss students are not so derisive of angry parents.

To reach out and explain the crises to parents and other members
of the community we should organize a number of regional "Save
Public Education teach-ins on Martin Luther King day in January.
Do it on the holiday so that working people have time to attend. The
teach-ins should be webcast so that parents who cannot physically
attend can still participate. Organize college students to ask
their parents to attend, either in person of via web. Use
community forums, PTAs, social networks, whatever to reach
parents of K-12 children.

The teach-ins should be 2-4 hours in length, with a FEW GOOD
speakers and serious content, rather than dozens of speakers
whose time is so limited they can do little more than mouth
slogans.

And afterwards, digitized versions of the teach-ins should be
made available on the web so that students trying to explain to
their parents why they're on strike have a valuable and powerful
resource they can turn to for support.

They say that "social security is the third-rail of American
politics." Well, aroused parents defending their children's
future are the grizzly bears of state politics. It's time to poke
the sleeping bear.

Sojourner