(Plain Press, August 2011) About forty Cleveland activists came together on July 21^st at a meeting hosted by Organize! Ohio to view Parent Power— an inspirational video about educational reform in New York City, and discuss how to encourage Cleveland parents and community members to get involved in a similar effort.

The video, produced by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, portrays the successes of broad-based, community organizations working to reform underperforming schools in New York City. Several Clevelanders, after attending a talk given by the film’s Executive Producer Eric Zachary, encouraged local activists to come to the meeting to learn how community organizations in New York City pushed for educational reforms.

According to information posted on the Annenberg Institute website, in April of this year, the Annenberg Institute for School Reform launched a Center for Education Organizing in New York City. The Center for Education Organization hopes to share the experience gained over the past 15 years of organizing around educational issues in New York City, in order to develop a “national team focused on nurturing grassroots, education organizing efforts and building community capacity to influence the direction of public education.”

Organize! Ohio will host another viewing of the video with a follow-up discussion on August 24^th at 5:30 p.m. at 3500 Lorain Avenue. Parents and community members interested in participating in educational reform are encouraged to attend.