Jonathan Kozol Student Essay and Photo Contest

Posted by on November 3, 2006

Jonathan Kozol Student Essay and Photo Contest

Good Schools Pennsylvania invites high school and college students to participate in our 2006-2007 Jonathan Kozol Student Essay and Photo Contest for excellence in describing the crisis in funding public education in Pennsylvania. The contest builds on the vision of educational excellence and equity championed by Jonathan Kozol, who has described in his various writings the "savage inequalities" facing many of our children as they struggle to beat the odds while attending schools that lack adequate resources.

About Good Schools Pennsylvania: Good Schools Pennsylvania is a statewide advocacy organization seeking to mobilize citizens around the fundamental right of all children to receive a high quality public education. Our goal is a new state policy that provides adequate school funding that is equitably distributed; investment in the educational practices that are proven to help students succeed; and meaningful systems of accountability. We are sponsoring this contest because we believe your contribution in describing the real conditions of our schools can strengthen our efforts to make sure all schools and all students have the resources they need.

About the Contest: Good Schools Pennsylvania invites students to write about or photograph the inadequate and inequitable system of funding public education in Pennsylvania.

Essays: Essays must be between 750 and 1500 words, and should include facts about Pennsylvania’s system of funding public education, as well as personal observation describing the impact of school funding inequities. You may, for instance, choose to compare and contrast the opportunities available to students in specific districts in Pennsylvania, or describe how your dreams for the future have been impacted by the quality of education available to you.

Photographs: They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and certainly photojournalism has helped make visible injustices that have otherwise escaped notice. Send us the compelling photograph that illustrates what it means to attend a school that has deteriorated facilities, or insufficient technology, or out-of-date textbooks, for example. Photos must be accompanied by a brief statement describing why the picture is important to you, and should not include pictures of other people unless you are able to secure photo release statements from everyone included in the photograph, with the statements signed by adults / guardians of minors.

Resources: Facts, figures and analyses of Pennsylvania’s system of school funding can be found on the websites of any of these organizations:

* Good Schools Pennsylvania – <a href="http://www.goodschoolspa.org">http://www.goodschoolspa.org</a>
* Education Policy and Leadership Center – <a href="http://www.eplc.org">http://www.eplc.org</a>
* The Education Law Center of Pennsylvania – <a href="http://www.elc-pa.org">http://www.elc-pa.org</a>
* The Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools – <a href="http://www.parss.org">http://www.parss.org</a>

You may also find the following resources helpful:

* Critical Exposure (<a href="http://www.criticalexposure.org">http://www.criticalexposure.org</a>) has examples of how photography has been used to advance school funding reform in other states. You may also view a photographic power-point presentation created by Critical Exposure on our website at <a href="http://www.goodschoolspa.org/index.cfm?organization_id=8&section_id=914&page_id=3728">http://www.goodschoolspa.org/index.cfm?organization_id=8&section_id=914&page_id=3728</a>. (Note to educators: Critical Exposure has developed a model for teaching middle and high school students skills in documentary photography, writing, leadership and advocacy; helping them to document their experiences at school; and giving them a voice in decisions that directly affect their education. For information on how to bring Critical Exposure into your classroom, contact Good Schools Pennsylvania at (866) 720-4086.)
* The literature of Jonathan Kozol including The Shame of a Nation, Savage Inequalities, and Ordinary Resurrections can provide a broader context of education issues in America.
* A powerful example of an essay describing the impact of inequitable school funding is "A Tale of Two Schools," written by Nancy McGinley, and educator and former director of the Philadelphia Education Fund. It can be found on our website at: <a href="http://www.goodschoolspa.org/index.cfm?section_id=542&page_id=3726&organization_id=8&&ord=337&allowOverwrite=true">http://www.goodschoolspa.org/index.cfm?section_id=542&page_id=3726&organization_id=8&&ord=337&allowOverwrite=true</a>
* A school survey, designed by Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth, may be a useful tool in helping you critique your school’s resources. It can be found on our website at: <a href="http://goodschoolspa.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=cms.viewPage&organization_id=8&section_id=542&page_id=2762">http://goodschoolspa.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=cms.viewPage&organization_id=8&section_id=542&page_id=2762</a>
* At the request of educators, Good Schools Pennsylvania staff may be available to make presentations to your class.

Guidelines:

* The contest is open to Pennsylvania high school students grade 9th through 12th, and college students who attended secondary education in Pennsylvania or whose college education brings them into contact with Pennsylvania public schools and its students, through student teaching or volunteer work, for example.
* Essays must be a minimum of 750 and a maximum of 1,500 words.
* All essays must be typed and double-spaced.
* All photographs must be original work, and not photo-shopped.
* Students must staple a cover sheet with name, age, grade, address, phone number, e-mail address, as well as name, address and phone number of school, and for high school students, the name and phone number of a teacher, parent or guardian.
* Only one entry per student is permitted.
* Prizes and citations will be awarded to the three best entries in each category (high school essay, high school photography, college essay, college photography) and will be judged by a panel of Good Schools Pennsylvania staff and experts in educational equity.
* Monetary prizes will be awarded in each category: first prize is $500, second prize is $250, and third prize is $100.
* All entries become the property of Good Schools Pennsylvania and cannot be returned.
* Winning entries may be posted on the Good Schools Pennsylvania website, and released to the public through our press releases, newsletters and other communications.
* Essays must be postmarked no later than March 30, 2007 and winners will be announced by May 15.
* Good Schools Pennsylvania reserves the right to cancel the contest due to lack of sufficient number of submissions for the contest to be competitive.

Send entries to:
Good Schools Pennsylvania
ATTN: Kozol Contest Submission
6757 Greene Street, Suite 310
Philadelphia, PA 19119

Electronic submission:

* Essays may be submitted online but must be received by 5:00 pm on March 30, 2007.
* Email entries to: [email protected].
* Make sure to put "Kozol Contest Submission" in the subject line.

For more information please contact Good Schools Pennsylvania at (866) 720-4086 or [email protected].