EPP Video Order Form

Introduction
Listen to the Children was produced by Dr. Joan Scheuer for the Educational Priorities Panel, a coalition of 24 mainstream civic and parent organizations in New York City. The video details the variety of challenges facing students in schools across New York State, including rural, urban and suburban districts, and how funding affects the classroom. In order to be consistent and make valid comparisons, conditions were filmed in 8th grade classrooms. We chose to focus on this grade because it is a critical time when science and technology become increasingly important as students are preparing for the rigors of high school and future careers. In this video you’ll see and hear first-hand experiences of teachers coping with inadequate resources and students struggling to learn under substandard conditions as well as others with the tools to succeed. Listen to the Children also presents the views of education leaders on the current school funding system.

Credits

Executive Producer	Joan Scheuer
Supervising Producer	Libby Handros
Producer	Amy Shatsky-Gambrill
Editor	Shelly Dunning
Camera & Sound	Debra Granick & Michael McDonough

Addressing the Problem
Many schools in New York State lack sufficient resources to provide students with the "sound basic education" guaranteed under the New York State constitution.

What You Can Do

1.	Contact your own State Senator and Assemblymember via phone, fax or letter asking them to change the education funding system to benefit all students in the state. (Contact your local League of Women Voters to obtain contact information about your representative.)
2.	Host a meeting on school funding reform for your organization, school, PTA or other group.
3.	Request that your organization formally adopt a position on school funding reform.
4.	Have your organization schedule meetings with your State Senator and Assemblymember to talk about school funding reform.

New York: The State of Learning, A Report to the Governor and the Legislature on the Educational Status of the State’s Schools (2 volumes, also known as the Chapter 655 report) is available for $12.50 from Publications Sales Desk, New York State Education Department, Room 309 EB, Albany, NY 12234, (518) 474-8073.

School Finance Reform - A Discussion Paper (October 1995): a plain language description of the school finance system and discussion of the equity issue, is available from the Office of the State Comptroller, Public Information Office, Governor Smith State Office Building, Albany, NY 12236 or through the Comptroller’s web site http://www.osc.state.ny.us

An Agenda for Equitable and Cost-Effective School Finance Reform (October 1996) presents State Comptroller Carl McCall’s recommendations for reforming New York State’s school finance system. It is available from the Office of the State Comptroller, Public Information Office, Governor Smith State Office Building, Albany, NY 12236 or through the Comptroller’s web site http://www.osc.state.ny.us

POLICY ON USE OF MATERIALS ON EPP WEB SITE: Individuals and organizations are free to reproduce and/or forward information contained on our web site without prior permission, but we ask that the Educational Priorities Panel be cited as the source of the information. For puposes of clarity, we recommend:
1) when reproducing pie charts and graphs, all the information that appears on them should also be reproduced and
2) when reproducing reports, footnotes should also be included.

1.	What is your reaction to this video?
2.	Were you surprised by anything you saw in this video?
3.	Is the lack of adequate resources confined to schools in large cities only?
4.	Should all children in New York State have access to a quality education?
5.	Some people say that "money doesn't matter," that raising standards to a higher level alone is sufficient to bring about school improvement. What would you say to such people after seeing this video?
6.	How does the quality of its schools affect a community?

1.	Do you think the state should provide additional funding to schools that lack the resources to provide a sound basic education to all their students?
2.	Where do you think the additional funding should come from?
3.	Would you be willing to pay higher taxes to ensure that all students receive a sound basic education?