Over 70 people rallied in front of the Statehouse in Trenton on January 20 demanding "Graduation for All" for New Jersey's public high school students. The rally and press conference to officially launch the campaign were the work of the New Jersey Education Organizing Collaborative (NJEOC).

Parents and grandparents, education organizers and advocates from Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, Elizabeth and Asbury Park marched and chanted in the bitter cold, holding up signs and banners in English and Spanish. All four organizational members of NJEOC -- the Statewide Education Organizing Collaborative (SEOC), Abbott Leadership Institute, Education Law Center and Paterson Education Fund -- were represented.

View photos of the rally here.

NJEOC has been working on the Graduation for All campaign for months, with meetings and actions in Collaborative cities and a survey of local high schools. (See School District and Community Meet in Jersey City about High School Reform and PCUE in Jersey City Rallies in Support of "Graduation for All".

From a podium set up on the Statehouse steps, Carla Larsen, SEOC president, welcomed participants and introduced the morning's speakers. Margarita Benjamin from the Paterson chapter of SEOC detailed the "Graduation for All" campaign principles, while Liz Smith, SEOC Treasurer, outlined the campaign platform.

In addition to the campaign launch, the purpose of the press conference was to introduce the NJEOC report detailing the results of the high school survey: "New Jersey Graduation for All: What Will It Take". The report summarizes information gleaned from interviews, carried out by parents and community advocates, of administrators in 17 of the 25 high schools in Paterson, Newark, Elizabeth, and Jersey City. The purpose of the interviews was to begin to determine the readiness of these schools to implement the NJ Department of Education's High School Redesign plan. (See State Board Passes High School Redesign Plan.)

During the press conference, Carla Larsen summarized the report, while Willie Rowe from the Newark chapter of SEOC (One Newark Education Coalition) spoke about the need for alternative assessments. Tracy Howard, from the Elizabeth branch of the SEOC, summarized a petition created by NJEOC in support of the campaign.

After the rally and press conference, several NJEOC representatives entered the Statehouse to hand deliver the report to the governor's office. Statehouse staff had been previously alerted, and the group met with the governor's Director of Constituents Services, who promised to deliver the packet of information to Governor Christie.

Though there was no direct contact with the governor, he did see and acknowledge the earliest rally participants as he entered the Statehouse that morning for his first day of work there.

Later the same day, Carla Larsen talked about the campaign and the NJEOC report before the State Board of Education during the public comment portion of their monthly meeting. Copies of the report were left for the entire board. Just prior to the meeting, a representative for the acting Education Commissioner, Bret Schundler, was given the NJEOC packet to deliver to him.

The campaign launch received considerable press coverage. See NJ Coalition Says Urban Schools Need Help to Meet Tougher Rules for Getting High School Diplomas and Jersey City Parents Group Taking Graduation for All Campaign to Christie Today.

With the launch behind them, NJEOC is planning a series of smaller meetings in Jersey City, Newark and Paterson to introduce the Graduation for All campaign to community residents.

For more information about the Graduation for All campaign, visit the campaign's blog. On Facebook, join the group, "NJ Graduation for ALL".

Prepared: February 15, 2010