Eva Moskowitz
Encyclopedia
Eva S. Moskowitz runs Harlem Success Academy
and is a former City Council
member in New York City
.
and the University of Pennsylvania
and received a Ph.D.
in history from Johns Hopkins University
.
She taught at Vanderbilt University
, University of Virginia
, and City University of New York
. She was the director of the children's literacy
program ReadNet and taught civics at Prep for Prep
for gifted children
in New York.
She married Eric Grannis, a classmate at Stuyvesant, and they have three children, Culver, Dillon, and Hannah.
of Success Charter Network and Harlem Success Academy
charter schools. Her management method incorporates both her background as a teacher and her background as an elected office-holder, and she maintains political relationships, letting the schools find more locations for classes, be recommended for donations of private supplemental funds, and be able to mail to parents in the schools' districts to offer a chance to enroll their children. She moved to within a 10-minute walk of three of the schools. She believes in parental choice for where children go to school and disagrees with requiring children to go to where they are zoned.
member for the Upper East Side
of Manhattan. Since 2002, she served as Chairwoman of the Council Education Committee. She gained wide coverage for her positions on education and her hearings on the teachers' union contracts. She is known as an aggressive advocate for education reform.
In 2005, Moskowitz gave up her seat and entered the race for Manhattan Borough President to succeed C. Virginia Fields, emphasizing educational issues. She raised the most money of any Democratic candidate, but finished second to Scott Stringer
. The teachers' union campaigned heavily for Stringer and against Moskowitz, based on Moskowitz' hearings about the teachers' contract and on other education issues. The New York Times reports, "The Working Families Party, a union party, intruded in several Democratic primary contests, especially the very hot one for Manhattan borough president. The mission was clearly to defeat Eva Moskowitz, a City Council member who was not considered union-friendly." The United Federation of Teachers
has supported a candidate against Eva Moskowitz in every race she has run.
Also in 2005, she endorsed Michael Bloomberg for Mayor, joining many Democrats in doing so over Freddy Ferrer
, because of the start the Mayor had made in reforming education.
She stated her intention to run for Mayor of New York, but has not decided when to run. Previously, she had hinted at running. A possible issue she may raise is tax relief to offset part of the tuition for parochial and private school students, although she did not favor a voucher program such as one rejected in early 2006 by a Florida court.
She directed and produced a documentary (1997) on post-World War II women's roles.
She wrote a scholarly study of Betty Friedan
's work, one of only a few.
, by filmmaker Madeleine Sackler in 2010, which follows four children through the highs and lows of waiting for a lottery, where the prize is a spot in New York City's charter schools.
Harlem Success Academy
Harlem Success Academy Charter School is the foundation of Success Charter Network, Inc. Its students, most of them starting with disadvantages, have been consistently achieving some of the highest test scores in the state...
and is a former City Council
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
member in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Education, teaching, and family
She graduated from Stuyvesant High SchoolStuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
and the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and received a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in history from Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
.
She taught at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, and City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
. She was the director of the children's literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
program ReadNet and taught civics at Prep for Prep
Prep for prep
Prep for Prep is a leadership development and gifted education program founded in 1978 by Gary Simons, a public-school teacher in the Bronx. It is targeted toward high achieving students of color in New York State public, charter and parochial schools....
for gifted children
Intellectual giftedness
Intellectual giftedness is an intellectual ability significantly higher than average. It is different from a skill, in that skills are learned or acquired behaviors...
in New York.
She married Eric Grannis, a classmate at Stuyvesant, and they have three children, Culver, Dillon, and Hannah.
Harlem Success Academy charter schools
She is a founder and the Chief Executive OfficerChief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Success Charter Network and Harlem Success Academy
Harlem Success Academy
Harlem Success Academy Charter School is the foundation of Success Charter Network, Inc. Its students, most of them starting with disadvantages, have been consistently achieving some of the highest test scores in the state...
charter schools. Her management method incorporates both her background as a teacher and her background as an elected office-holder, and she maintains political relationships, letting the schools find more locations for classes, be recommended for donations of private supplemental funds, and be able to mail to parents in the schools' districts to offer a chance to enroll their children. She moved to within a 10-minute walk of three of the schools. She believes in parental choice for where children go to school and disagrees with requiring children to go to where they are zoned.
Harlem Education Fair
Dr. Moskowitz organized the Harlem Education Fair in 2009 so that students and parents could select from many charter and noncharter public schools. HSA and many other schools were represented there, each making their own appeals to families.Elections
In 1999, she was elected as New York City CouncilNew York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
member for the Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
of Manhattan. Since 2002, she served as Chairwoman of the Council Education Committee. She gained wide coverage for her positions on education and her hearings on the teachers' union contracts. She is known as an aggressive advocate for education reform.
In 2005, Moskowitz gave up her seat and entered the race for Manhattan Borough President to succeed C. Virginia Fields, emphasizing educational issues. She raised the most money of any Democratic candidate, but finished second to Scott Stringer
Scott Stringer
Scott M. Stringer is a New York Democratic politician and currently the 26th Borough President of Manhattan.-Life and career:...
. The teachers' union campaigned heavily for Stringer and against Moskowitz, based on Moskowitz' hearings about the teachers' contract and on other education issues. The New York Times reports, "The Working Families Party, a union party, intruded in several Democratic primary contests, especially the very hot one for Manhattan borough president. The mission was clearly to defeat Eva Moskowitz, a City Council member who was not considered union-friendly." The United Federation of Teachers
United Federation of Teachers
The United Federation of Teachers is the labor union that represents most educators in New York City public schools. , there were about 118,000 in-service educators and 17,000 paraprofessionals in the union, as well as about 54,000 retired members...
has supported a candidate against Eva Moskowitz in every race she has run.
Also in 2005, she endorsed Michael Bloomberg for Mayor, joining many Democrats in doing so over Freddy Ferrer
Fernando Ferrer
Fernando James "Freddy" Ferrer was the Borough President of The Bronx from 1987 to 2001, and was a candidate for Mayor of New York in 2001 and the Democratic Party nominee for Mayor in 2005.- Background :...
, because of the start the Mayor had made in reforming education.
She stated her intention to run for Mayor of New York, but has not decided when to run. Previously, she had hinted at running. A possible issue she may raise is tax relief to offset part of the tuition for parochial and private school students, although she did not favor a voucher program such as one rejected in early 2006 by a Florida court.
Historian
She wrote the book, In Therapy We Trust, a focused history of psychotherapy in popular U.S. culture that argues for moving away from self-centered therapy and toward addressing larger social problems ("we must remain critical of a therapeutics that easily displaces real solutions to pressing social problems.").She directed and produced a documentary (1997) on post-World War II women's roles.
She wrote a scholarly study of Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan was an American writer, activist, and feminist.A leading figure in the Women's Movement in the United States, her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique is often credited with sparking the "second wave" of American feminism in the twentieth century...
's work, one of only a few.
In the Media
Her work was recently portrayed in the documentary The LotteryThe Lottery (2010 film)
The Lottery is a 2010 documentary film about the controversy surrounding public and charter schools in the United States, directed by Madeleine Sackler. The film was produced by Blake Ashman-Kipervaser, James Lawler, and Madeleine Sackler...
, by filmmaker Madeleine Sackler in 2010, which follows four children through the highs and lows of waiting for a lottery, where the prize is a spot in New York City's charter schools.