UPDATE November 20: For a rundown of what the mayoral candidates had to say at the Monday night forum, see the Class Size Matters blog and the New York Times. Bottom line: sparks did not fly and there was more agreement than disagreement on the issues. None would "do away" with mayoral control. 

The annual Blackboard Awards will celebrate their 10th anniversary on Monday, Nov 19th, with a cocktail reception and panel discussion among mayoral hopefuls Christine Quinn, Bill deBlasio, John Liu, Tom Allon, Scott Stringer, Bill Thompson and Adolfo Carrión Jr. The forum — moderated by Insideschools' alums Lindsey Christ and Phillissa Cramer — will likely be the first of many education roundtables for the candidates.

Sponsored by Manhattan Media and Fordham University, The Blackboard Awards will honor their picks for the city's best schools, teachers and principals and will be hosted by MSNBC anchor Richard Lui at Fordham Law School on West 62nd Street. The panel starts at 4 pm, followed by a cocktail hour at 5:30 and the awards at 6:15.  RSVP info is on our calendar. 

Also on Monday night, Advocates for Children will host a meeting for parents to discuss what education issues they'd like to see the next mayor tackle: "Shaping an education agenda for the next mayor." RSVP info here. Parents interested in the topic should mark their calendars for December 8th, as well, for a parent-organized "Charette" on the same topic.