building a human rights-based school system in nyc

NESRI believes that human rights standards can refocus educational systems on the needs and rights of every child, and bring diverse organizations and communities together to advocate for change in education.

In New York City, NESRI works with the Independent Commission on Public Education (ICOPE), a volunteer coalition of parents, community members, and education advocates who have come together to build a shared vision for a new public education system in NYC based on human rights. 

NEW Report Released by ICOPE!
Youth Researchers Issue Report on NYC Public Schools

A group of NYC high school students formed Youth Researchers For A New Education System (YRNES) in partnership with ICOPE and the Education is a Human Right Campaign to survey and interview NYC public school students. Their findings highlight the unequal distribution of resources in schools and call for greater participation of young people in decision-making about schooling.

• See the Press Release
• Download the YRNES Report and Executive Summary
• Download the Problem Tree Illustration developed by the Youth Researchers
• For copies of The YRNES Report, to request a group presentation, or for more information on the Education is a Human Right Campaign contact the Independent Commission on Public Education (ICOPE) at (718) 499-3756 or Ellen.Raider[at]gmail.com.

NESRI works with ICOPE to provide workshops on the use of human rights language and strategies, analysis for the application of human rights standards to policy issues, and public education materials.

• Education, by Rights, Article by Liz Sullivan and Cecilia Blewer, YES! Magazine, Spring 2007
  Parents and educators propose an innovative approach to fixing New York’s public schools: rebuild the system using human rights.

• Task Force 2009: Working for Human Rights in NYC Public schoolsIn March 2006, ICOPE and the National Center for Schools and Communities at Fordham University launched “Task Force 2009” to explore how to re-design the school system based on human rights.  NESRI is a member of the Task Force, which is charged with developing human rights-based legislative and policy recommendations for 2009 when the state law giving the New York City Mayor control of the public school system expires.