Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association (NEA), and Dick
Iannuzzi, president of the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), will be in
Syracuse on Thursday to celebrate Say Yes Union Day.
The two national educational leaders will begin the day by meeting with the Syracuse
Teachers Association to gain the unions' perspective on Say Yes, followed by a tour of
the Teacher's Center and a luncheon at Syracuse University hosted by SU Vice
Chancellor and Provost Eric F. Spina and Say Yes to Education President Mary Anne
Schmitt-Carey. A visit to Dr. King Magnet School will follow, allowing Van Roekel
and Iannuzzi to get a sense of the comprehensive supports Say Yes to Education
provides Syracuse's urban youth.
"The goal of Union Day is to highlight key partners, program offerings and
breakthroughs in labor-management relationships that have been key to the
successful launch of Say Yes to Education in Syracuse," says Schmitt-Carey.
Syracuse Say Yes to Education is funded by a grant from Say Yes to Education Inc.,
a nonprofit organization that began 20 years ago to provide unprecedented
comprehensive supports, including the promise of a full college or vocational
education, aligned with what research indicates is needed to enable every child in the
program to achieve his or her potential.
The Syracuse chapter of Say Yes to Education is housed within SU's
School of
Education and functions as a collaborative partnership among Syracuse University,
the Syracuse City School District (SCSD) and 23 private colleges plus SUNY/CUNY
colleges and universities. Other Say Yes chapters are located in Cambridge, Mass.;
Hartford, Conn.; New York City; and Philadelphia.
What makes the Syracuse chapter so unique is that it is the first Say Yes chapter to
embrace an entire city school district, making it the largest school improvement
program of its kind in the nation.
For more information about Syracuse Say Yes to Education, visit
http://www.sayyessyracuse.org.
