PPS of Syracuse, New York

Equity has been the central theme of this chapter since its inception in 1999.  Parents for Public Schools of Syracuse (PPSS) aims to elevate the role of parents in public school advocacy and reform.  Their concern for equity translates into a variety of projects that attempt to level the playing field for students in this urban New York district.

Among its earliest efforts, PPS of Syracuse developed a "Voter Action Packet" to simplify and clarify school board election issues and bring equity to the forefront.  Three of four incumbents were defeated, and two parent members of PPSS were elected and now hold office of president and vice president of the board.

The PPS Equity Project began with the School Profiling initiative in the fall of 2000.  The chapter surveyed parents, teachers and administrators about individual schools across the district.  The primary goal of the project has been to move from discussions about the equity problem toward effective, collaborative remedies and action.  Community Exchanges throughout the academic year resulted in action plans, and these strategic sessions led to targeted workshops to achieve fair distribution of resources across the district.  Strategies to implement equity goals include:

	Publicizing the results of the Project's findings;
	Sponsoring workshops to bring educators and other community leaders into the problem-solving process;
	Linking the Equity Project with Syracuse's Partners in Education & Business to specifically address school-to-work issues;
	Connecting Syracuse parents to the statewide legislative network to push for changes in the school funding formula in New York.