Farewell

Farewell from the Coalition of Essential Schools On March 10, 2017, the following letter was emailed to the Coalition of Essential Schools network. Dear CES Friends, As planned and previously announced, the Coalition of Essential Schools’ Executive Board voted in December 2016 to cease the organization’s operations. We’re sending this final email to share information about ongoing access to our resources, the ways you can continue to stay connected to the CES network to receive help and support, and expressions of our appreciation and gratitude. The CES Website Will Remain Available The CES website, including CES’s online resources–­­our journal Horace,
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Fall Forum 2016 Remarks and Speeches

We were able to capture and share a few of the millions of words that were exchanged among us at Fall Forum–far too few, but still, quite wonderful ones. Our Saturday morning speakers shared their thoughts from their particular perspectives of student, teacher, and principal. And one of CES’s founders, Nancy Faust Sizer, who was there at the very beginning and every step along the way, told her truth at our closing moments. Here are all of their remarks: → Emily Garlock, School as Family → Benadette Manning, The Truth about Teaching and Learning → Dave Lehman, A Culture of
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Fall Forum 2016 Recaps

We’re so pleased that Fall Forum 2016 participants have been writing about their experiences. If you have written a Fall Forum-connected a blog post or other thoughts, please send them on and we’ll share! → A pre-Fall Forum contribution from longtime CES friend Kathleen Cushman, “Changing High Schools in this Time of Change,” appeared in Education Week’s Learning Deeply blog. → Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School’s head Matt Underwood wrote about his experience with CES on his school’s blog. Check out “The Power of the Coalition of Essential Schools’ Common Principles.” → In “Farewell Tribute: The Influence of the Coalition of
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Thank You, and Next Steps

Dear CES Friends, The final CES Fall Forum was held this past weekend in the Providence, Rhode Island, the city where the first Fall Forum was held 28 years ago. Today I am writing to thank you for making it yet another successful gathering. We saw old friends, made new ones, learned together, and celebrated decades of good work. It does not matter whether you were in attendance or not last weekend. The success of that gathering and everything else CES has done has been due the work of school people like you. Every one of you was present, if
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We Remember Ted Sizer

On October 21, 2009, CES’s founder Ted Sizer passed away. In honor of the seventh anniversary of his death, we are republishing our October 2009 In Memoriam statement. We think about Ted every day and miss him in so many ways. We send love and peace to the Sizer family and all who knew and loved Ted.  Theodore R. Sizer, June 23, 1932-October 21, 2009: In Memoriam With great sadness, the Coalition of Essential Schools shares the news of the passing of our founder Theodore R. Sizer on October 21, 2009. Surrounded by his family, Ted died at home in Harvard, Massachusetts,
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New! CES Jobs Board

We love helping teachers and school leaders find positions that offer opportunities to focus on students, value deeper learning, teach with love and purpose, and thrive professionally. And we know you love this too–job listings have always been the most popular area of the CES website. In response, we’ve created a new CES Jobs Board. All currently affiliated CES schools, organizations, and individuals are invited to share position openings that are likely to be of interest to those of us who are committed to the CES Common Principles. Please visit http://essentialschools.org/jobs/ to explore and share new opportunities.  
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Most Likely to Succeed Fundraiser!

Most Likely to Succeed (MLTS), the film that’s driving conversations about the future of school in thousands of communities, is offering the Coalition of Essential Schools network a special opportunity this fall All currently affiliated CES schools and organizations can now receive a $150 screening discount in order to use screening events as fundraisers for attending the 2016 Fall Forum. In addition to raising funds, hosting a screening of MLTS will create space for meaningful discussion about your school’s future and inspire innovation in your classrooms. The MLTS team will assign you a personal screening coordinator and equip you with a Community Screening
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CES is Hiring a Program Assistant

The Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) is hiring a Program Assistant to support communication and planning activities related to our annual Fall Forum conference, which will take place in Providence, RI in early December 2016. Start date for this position is ASAP. CES is seeking candidates with: Excellent organizational skills Strong facility with spreadsheets/word processing/presentation software Project management skills Excellent telephone communications skills Superb attention to detail Commitment to prompt follow up Strong facility for email communication Ability to work independently with minimal supervision A candidate with some or all of the following experiences will be a great addition to
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CES Affiliation: Join us Today!

The Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) invites you–individuals, schools, and organizations engaged in building student-centered, democratic classrooms–to make your work visible to the world. Join CES to be counted among the schools and organizations across the United States (and beyond) that are changing lives through personalized, equitable, and academically vibrant teaching and learning. Joining CES as a school, organization, or individual is FREE and will bring you and your organization special benefits and a network of dedicated colleagues. See our network map and directory of school and organization affiliates for the growing national landscape of participatory, democratic, and student-centered learning. Joining CES enables you to:
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Linda Darling-Hammond on ESSA

On July 14, 2016, Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond–President and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute (LPI), Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University, and member of the Coalition of Essential Schools Executive Board–testified before the full Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee at the hearing “ESSA Implementation: Perspectives from Education Stakeholders on Proposed Regulations.” We’re delighted that Dr. Darling-Hammond will be heading up a policy panel on promising and innovative work at the state level on Friday, December 2 at Fall Forum 2016. We’re sharing a summary of her remarks as well as a transcript and video link to her full
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