Liberation School is a free, virtual online school that will offer academic support courses, social-emotional support, healing centered practices, and political education courses to NYC public school families throughout the 2020-2021 school year.
Liberation School, created by the Coalition for Educational Justice, is designed as a response to the failings of the Department of Education to adequately provide the resources and support needed for marginalized students.
We are inspired by the tradition of Black Freedom Schools in the 1960s, that were intended for Black, Brown, immigrant, and low-income families who didn’t have the financial resources to hire personal teachers, tutors, or healing practitioners during remote learning.
Who we are
The NYC Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ) is organizing a parent-led movement for educational equity and excellence in the city’s public schools. We are a citywide collaborative of community-based organizations whose members are parents, community residents and teachers. Together, we are fighting to ensure that every child in NYC receives a quality and well-rounded education. You can learn more about our member organizations here.
IntegrateNYC is a youth-led organization that stands for equity and justice in our schools. We, the students, are the best experts on the impacts of segregation and inequality. At IntegrateNYC, we are also designers of solutions, advocates for transformative policy, and visionaries for a more just future. We have learned from the past, and we do not want to stop at desegregation. True, meaningful integration requires a transformation in our school system that centers students and communities of color. We have developed and are advocating for 5Rs of Real Integration to create lasting, revolutionary change in our school system. We also stand for Real Youth Power and young people in decision making at local, city, state, and federal levels.
The Education Justice Research and Organizing Collaborative (EJ-ROC) at the NYU Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools brings together researchers, data and policy analysts, and community organizers to provide critical research, data, policy and strategic support for the education justice movement. EJ-ROC builds on the long tradition of movement-driven, community-derived research and uses an explicit racial justice lens in its two main areas of work: rapid-response research and strategic assistance to education organizing groups.
Partners
Journey for Justice (J4J) is an alliance of grassroots community, youth, and parent-led organizations in over 30 cities and growing across the country organizing to win Community-Driven alternatives to the privatization of and dismantling of public school systems. J4J is an Organization led by Black and Brown parents, students and families centered in racial, social, and education justice.
DreamYard collaborates with Bronx youth, families and schools to build pathways to equity and opportunity through the arts. DreamYard programs develop artistic voice, nurture young peoples’ desire to make change and cultivate the skills necessary to reach positive goals. They believe that young people in the Bronx need a continuous set of supports to help them towards positive outcomes as they navigate their educational pathway.
Dignity in Schools challenges the systemic problem of pushout in our nation’s schools and works to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. As a national coalition, the Dignity in Schools Campaign builds power amongst parents, youth, organizers, advocates and educators to transform their own communities, support alternatives to a culture of zero-tolerance, punishment, criminalization and the dismantling of public schools, and fight racism and all forms of oppression.
Children’s Aid provides comprehensive supports to children, youth, and their families in targeted high-needs New York City neighborhoods. Children's Aid is a professional powerhouse of solutions for young people, comprised of teachers and social workers, coaches and health care providers. They work to ensure children grow up strong and healthy, and ready to thrive in school and life: excellent education and health care, social-emotional support, and strong, stable families.
History
After Brown v. Board, many schools were still segregated and led to many student movements organizing and fighting for true integration in Northern Cities like Chicago, Boston, and NYC. The first examples of Freedom Schooling were created in the North as an alternative space for students to go to during boycotts in 1963 and 1964. One of most prime examples of Freedom Schooling were the Freedom Schools created by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Mississippi.
Freedom Schools provided an educational experience for young Black Mississippians to challenge the myths of society, find alternatives to the segregated and racist white supremacists society, to understand the conditions of their oppression, and to create directions for actions in the name of Freedom.
There were three general areas for the curriculum of Freedom Schools. One was academic work, which centered around the needs/or interests of the students that incorporated their real life experiences and learning about Black History or understanding the structural institutions. There were also creative activities such as writing, journaling, or arts. The last area was on developing leadership skills and helping students be a part of the change in society.
FAQs
My group/organization already offers free classes to parents or students. How can we connect with Liberation Schools?
Great! We may be able to post your classes on the Liberation Schools calendar and publicize them to our community. Please contact us and we can discuss.
I am not able to teach a class, but I would like to support Liberation Schools. How can I help?
Thank you for your support! We also need volunteers to help with tech, administration and communications. You can also donate to support CEJ’s work here.
What do you mean that classes are offered with a culturally responsive lens?
We aim for all Liberation School classes to be taught in a culturally responsive-sustaining way, meaning that they must center the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of NYC public school students and families, and adapt to fit the learning styles, existing knowledge, and interests of the participants. The Department of Education’s definition of culturally responsive-sustaining education, created by the NYC CRE Working Group, is here, and feel free to reach out if you have questions.
Are there opportunities for community teachers to be paid for offering classes?
Unfortunately, no. At this point, Liberation Schools does not receive any funding and is an all-volunteer community effort to support parents, caregivers and youth who are managing remote learning at home. We thank you for your time and energy in making this School possible.