They said Education School graduates are usually unable to contribute large sums of money to the school, as education degree graduates rarely go into lucrative professions. They argue this causes the school to have inferior resources to other schools on campus.

Specifically, students cite high student-to-faculty ratios at the school as a result of inadequate support from the University. Not only do the students note GSE has the highest student-to-faculty ratio of any of Harvard's schools, but also the highest of the U.S. News & World Report's top 50 education schools.

Another major consequence of the GSE's relative lack of funding, the petition claims, is inadequate financial aid for GSE students.

The petition cites statistics from the GSE's financial aid office: aid is only awarded to one-thirds of masters students and it only averages slightly over $3,000 per year, forcing many masters and doctoral students to cover most of the $21,410 cost of tuition with loans.

The petition states these unequal and inadequate resources devoted to the GSE reflect an acceptance of the low priority society as a whole places on education.

"Harvard University as a whole has not made education a significant priority," reads the petition. "Instead of mirroring societal values, Harvard University, as a premier institute of education in this country, should challenge ineffective and inequitable paradigms."

One of the organizers said this point was at the center of the drive.