Full Day Kindergarten Ignored in Pre-K Fight
Full-Day Kindergarten Should Be New York’s Goal, Critics Say(NYT) Amid the push to expand full-day preschool, some parents say
kindergartners who are in school for only a few hours a day are being
overlooked.
The
SUNY Trustees approved
nine new charter schools: eight in New York City – in Brooklyn, Bronx,
Queens, and Manhattan; and, one in Rochester. All will open in the fall
of 2014. *
…six of the charters
will be in Eva Moskowitz’s Success Academies charter network, and will be co-located with district schools.*
The PTA really pays! Groups from city's 30 best-funded schools raised $53M in last five years(NYDN)
NYP Goes to the Districts Where Students Sit on Charter Wait Lists
Members of the Assembly who
haven’t challenged attempts to limit charter schools have children in
their district who are on waiting lists to get into the schools
Pols silent as thousands await charter spots in their districts(NYP)The
waiting lists to get into charter schools are around the block in
the districts of state Assembly members who haven’t challenged attempts
to limit the alternative schools, according to data obtained by The
Post. In Harlem, where Keith Wright presides over a neighborhood with 15
charters, 3,975 kids are clamoring for seats. But Wright told The Post
he still opposes giving charters the right
to share space in public school buildings, a practice known as
“co-location. But the union-friendly, Democratic-run Assembly is
resisting, Albany insiders said.” There are 15 charters in the
Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn
represented by Annette Robinson, with 2,323 students pleading to get in.
Gabriela Rosa of northern Manhattan has 2,196 students waiting for
openings. Another 1,583 students are similarly situated in the East
Flatbush section of Brooklyn led by Nick Perry. And James Brennan, who
represents part of Mayor de Blasio’s home turf
in brownstone Brooklyn, has 1,379 stranded charter students. None of
the four legislators responded to requests for comment about their
positions. *Democrats as far-flung as Louisiana Senator
Mary Landrieu and Colorado Congressman
Jared Polis are now jumping on the anti-de Blasio bandwagon.
Democrats against de Blasio(NYP) “We urge Mayor Bill de Blasio to reconsider his course of action to
close and stop the expansion of high-performing charter schools in New
York City. . .
— Two Democrats, Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu and Colorado Rep.
Jared Polis, in a letter to The Wall Street Journal bashing Mayor de
Blasio for the hostility he has shown charters * Gov. Andrew Cuomo is reportedly
pressing de Blasio to resolve charter school controversies before the
state needs to step in, the Daily News reports: * Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña hopes to fix problems in co-located schools(NYDN)
Fail: Fordham falsely tells 2,500 kids they made it(NYP)
DONT FORGET ABOUT ELEMENTARIES -- News’ Michael Petrilli : “De Blasio needs to come to grips with a simple truth: Any gains provided by a massive new investment in preschool will quickly fade away if he doesn’t also tackle New York City’s mediocre elementary schools … he might urge all city elementary schools to adopt Core Knowledge.”
* In the Daily News, Campbell Brown, founder of the Parent’s Transparency Project, criticizes Cuomo for his silence as his state Education Commissioner John King is pilloried for imposing the Common Core standards: * Teachers Union Dropping $1.2 Million On New Campaign(Huff Post)
* In the Daily News, Brett Peiser, CEO of the charter school network Uncommon Schools, writes that the Common Core standards are deepening his students’ skills and knowledge of the world: * Departing Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott admits charter school rollout could have been better. (WNYC)* High School With No Walls Takes Shape (WSJ)* In Brooklyn, John King finds a rare friendly audience (Capital)
No Fault Education Failure, Tefon Pols
Media Does Not Focus On Education Results Mayor Reason Public Does Not Hold Elected Officials Accountable for the City's Education Failure . . .
NY No Bang for the Education Buck
Media Does Not Ask Why?
90% of Bronx Students Not Ready for College
90 percent of high school students in five Bronx neighborhoods not ready for college-level work, new analysis finds(NYDN)
Annenberg
Institute for School Reform study shows shocking disparities in city.
Findings run contrary to Mayor Bloomberg's claims, reveal students from
poor areas struggled regardless of where they went to school. If you're a
kid in the South Bronx, you may graduate from high school — but, odds
are, you’ll flunk out of college. A stunning 90% or more of high school
students in five Bronx
neighborhoods are not ready for college-level work by the end of four
years of high school, a new analysis finds.
Black & Hispanic pass rates drop in elite high school exams Where is the UFT's Explanation?
Black & Hispanic pass rates drop in elite high school exams(NYP)
More black and Hispanic students took the entrance exam to get into
the city’s elite high schools this year, but their pass rates were as
dismal as ever, officials said Tuesday. Of the 5,096 students accepted
by eight specialized schools, just 5 percent were black and 7 percent
were Hispanic. Nationally recognized Staten Island Tech won’t have a
single black
student among its incoming class of 344 freshmen.
Last year, it had
five. Even Brooklyn Tech, which Mayor de Blasio’s son, Dante, attends,
will
welcome just 127 black students and 130 Hispanics among 1,844 in its
freshman class of ’14. Of 27,817 students who took the entrance test
last October, 46 percent
were black or Hispanic. That’s up from 43 percent in 2012. *
* Data shows that the racial
demographics for incoming students at some New York City specialized
schools remained stagnant, prompting Mayor Bill de Blasio to call for
increased diversity at schools, The New York Times writes: * At Top City Schools, Lack of Diversity Persists(NYT 2010)
How does Less Testing Decrease Social Promotion?
New York City’s misleading graduation rates
(NYP Ed) The Good: The latest figures show the four-year graduation rate for New York City high-school kids hit an all-time high this year: 66%. The Bad: More than half these graduates are not ready for college or a job. We don’t deny that the city’s schools have improved somewhat over the 12 years Bloomberg has been in power (even if the mayor overstates the gains). But it’s also vital to be clear-eyed about just how awful things remain for the majority of this city’s public-school students: Among those who entered high school as freshmen in 2009, only 31.4 percent were college- or career-ready by August.* Charter Schools It’s about the kids, Bill (NYDN Ed) The mayor-elect is on the cusp of tapping a new chancellor to lead New York City’s largest-in-the-nation, 1.1 million student public education system. One bellwether of the new educator-in-chief’s determination to stand with the kids will be his or her approach to charter schools.* Since '02, number of NYC students taking & passing AP tests doubled, per . Also true 4 LA , Houston, etc
_____________________________________
Education
Old scaffold law wreaks new havoc, raising pressure for legislative change.
New Job After Shots Are Fired: Keeping Students Feeling Safe(NYT)
Teachers union failing charter schools(NYP) *
In a daylong hearing at the Capitol, members of the Assembly Education Committee grilled state officials on the vast trove of student data the state Education Department wants to build, worried that the data will not be protected, the Times Union writes: * New York Parents, Educators REALLY Want State Education Boss John King To Resign(Huff Post) * At Forums, State Education Commissioner Faces a Barrage of Complaints(NYT) *
The latest Siena College poll finds that 45 percent of New Yorkers are confident that Common Core standards will make students more college-ready, while 34 percent of voters think the Common Core standards are too demanding* New York is
moving forward with its plan to create a database of every registered public school student in the state. This digital information hub will include pupils’ grades, attendance records, test scores and important medical diagnoses. (NY Daily News)*
Ed department announces Common Core forums in NYC(Capital)
* In the Daily News, Campbell Brown, founder of the Parent’s Transparency Project, criticizes Cuomo for his silence as his state Education Commissioner John King is pilloried for imposing the Common Core standards: * Teachers Union Dropping $1.2 Million On New Campaign(Huff Post)
* State Senate co-leader Jeff Klein and
state Sen. George Latimer want to change a proposal to allow taxpayers
to target up to 75 percent of their school tax liability to private
school funds, public schools, or public school foundations, The Journal News writes: * What happens if enough New York parents say they don’t want their kids to take tests? (NY Mag) * No Common Ground -- A Look Into Common Core's Controversial Rollout in New York * RACE TO THE TOP? — Few districts apply for Cuomo's
competitive grants — Capital's Jessica Bakeman reports that the Cuomo
administration is offering schools millions of dollars for academic initiatives
that are overwhelmingly supported by education experts—and for the second time,
districts aren't interested in the money. * The vast majority of eligible school districts
didn’t apply for Cuomo’s $75 million competitive education grants this year.*
NY college promises to help students pay loans(NYP) *
Back in New York With the Same Passion, but to Less Fire and Smoke(NYT) Rudy Crew, a former city schools chancellor who butted heads with Mayor
Rudolph W. Giuliani, is the new president of Medgar Evers College in
central Brooklyn.* Opposition to the Common Core standards
has united parents that never were active before.*
The Times Union highlights the value of comparing and analyzing data on public and charter school students
across the state, which can help educators track progress, while also
recognizing parents’ concerns for privacy * SAT scores increase for New York City students * State Education Commissioner John
King said that the state’s Common Core education standards do need
tweaking, but added that he sees enthusiasm from students and teachers
in the classrooms he has visited, the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reports: * Showdown on Tuition for the Disabled(WSJ) More parents in New York state are enrolling their children
with special needs in private schools and seeking taxpayer-funded
tuition payments under a federal law.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Education
Inflated Teach Grades
Teachers excel, but students don’t(NYP)
New York state teacher evaluation
results released Tuesday show that of the state's 127,000 teachers, 50
percent were deemed highly effective, 42 percent effective, 4 percent
developing and 1 percent ineffective, The Wall Street Journal reports
DN "King's only 'crime' was to place New York at the vanguard of Common Core implementation."
Education Commissioner John King, under fire for Common Core implementation, gets some backing from the Daily News*
HIGHER EDUCATION — More CUNY freshman need math help — Capital's Jessica Bakeman: The
proportion of incoming freshmen in CUNY community colleges needing math
remediation has grown significantly since 2008, while that of those
needing extra help in reading and writing has shrunk, according to data
obtained by Capital through a public records request.
COMMON CORE — Education forums tweaked, rescheduled, under pressure — Capital's Jessica Bakeman: State
education commissioner John King will appear at 12 public forums during
the next six weeks, allowing parents and teachers a chance to sound off
about the state's adoption of more difficult curriculum standards and
related testing.
* Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Walcott statements on President Obama's upcoming visit to :
* State education officials outlined an
initiative at a Board of Regents meeting in Albany to reduce the number
of tests students must take through federal waivers or state and local
actions, and plan to hold public forums on testing, Newsday reports: http://bit.ly/Hf9pxT * DEFENDING STATE EDUCATION COMMISSIONER — Capital's Jessica Bakeman:
"Board of Regents chancellor Merryl Tisch said Tuesday that critics of
the state's implementation of new, more difficult curriculum standards
should 'tone it down,' and charged that calls for education commissioner
John King to step down are purely about 'politics.'" * Two education advocacy groups
proposed
an eight-year program this morning to establish quality full-day
pre-kindergarten programs in all of New York’s school systems * As Obama
visits PTech today, writes about the other (closing) school in that building
* State Education Commissioner John King
announced that some standardized tests in the state’s public schools
will be eliminated, citing several pressures that have hurt instruction,
The Associated Press reports: * State won't help teachers evaluated on bad data(Capital) * In a surprising announcement that cites “a variety of pressures” that may have hurt instruction, state Education
Commissioner John King has told superintendents some standardized tests will be eliminated.*Now that the state has rescheduled public forums on new curriculum standards, NYSUT
is pulling back on a set of meetings the union announced it would hold to “fill the void.” *
NY education big: We’re paring back state tests(NYP) *
New York State Seeks to Scale Back Student Testing(NYT) *
The charter school that turned my life around(NYP) *
Declining black, Latino admissions to NYC’s specialized schools could be reversed(NYDN)
NYP Charter Parents Ask for the Same Chance As the Mayor's Son
Charter Moskowitz Threatens to Sue Mayor
As Mayor Cuts Rent Deal
"The Moskowitz Exceptions"
Major Charter School Chain To Lose Space Under New De Blasio Plan (Huff Post) Mayor Bill de Blasio is pulling back the space-sharing arrangements
for three charter schools that are part of Success Academy, a
high-profile school chain whose leader has been a frequent de Blasio
target, sources within the charter school movement tell The Huffington
Post. Success Academy was founded as Harlem Success Academy by
former city council member Eva Moskowitz in 2006, and has since grown to
22 schools. The chain, which was favored by former Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, has been criticized for its disciplinary policies, although its students tend to perform well on standardized tests. * Bilingual school’s funding slashed under de Blasio charter cuts(NYP) Mayor de Blasio has whacked this American Dream in the knees. A proposed
dual-language charter school aimed at helping immigrant Latino kids in
grades 6 to 8 prepare for college...
The Legislature may consider revising the state’s approach to the controversial Common Core standards. Williamsburg charter school closing over contract impasse(NYP)
* The state Board of Regents approved
plans Monday to trim 20 minutes from the total time scheduled for math
assessments that are to be given in April, while some state English
Language Arts tests will be trimmed by 10 minutes, Newsday reports: http://bit.ly/1aDdoz1WE ARE WATCHING' — Cuomo sees 'legislative changes' to Common Core — Capital's Jessica Bakeman: The
governor said Monday he would consider “legislative changes” to address
parents' concerns about the rigorous Common Core standards, on which
New York schools started testing some students last April. “There's no
doubt that there are significant elements, at least in the transition,
that are problematic … It's something we're watching very closely. And
it's something that might be the subject of legislative changes next
year. But it's not anything that I control, so we are watching." Anti-Truancy Efforts Notch High Marks(WSJ) As it turns out, students really do better in school if they
actually go to school. A study to be released Wednesday found that New
York City students with major attendance problems were able to turn
things around academically if they started showing up to class.*
Is New York’s Charter-School Era Waning? *
About 15% of NYC middle-school students and 26% of high-school students missed more than 20 days of school last year (WSJ)\
* In the Daily News, education advocates Tim Daly and Joe Williams writes that New York State United
Teachers is not owning up to its role in the proliferation of testing
across the state, nor is it trying to fix the problem: * The ire of teachers, parents and several state legislators
is being directed
at another aspect of the increasingly controversial federal Race to the
Top initiative and its implementation in New York: The creation of a
vast trove of student data that the state Education Department wants to
build in collaboration with a grant-funded nonprofit firm.* Education activists
are seeking close to $2 billion in additional public school aid from the state in the 2014-15 budget.*
* Teachers across the state are still
waiting for a curriculum supplement from the state education department
designed to help prepare students for Common Core exams, Capital New York writes:
'FEVER-PITCH'
RHETORIC — Regents head: Despite being 'shouted down and shouted out,'
forums productive — Capital's Jessica Bakeman: Public forums on
the state's rollout of new, rigorous academic standards and teacher
evaluations are not fun, but they're not useless, either, Board of
Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch said this week. “Is it the most pleasant
thing to sit there and be shouted at? No,” Tisch said Monday during a
break of the Regents meeting in Albany. “But the truth is, as the crowds
modulate, and the ability to have a thoughtful give-and-take, so many
people have walked over and said to me, 'I'm happy that was clarified. I
didn't know that.' So, time will tell.”
_____________________________________
Education
N.Y. Scores Barely Budge on National Test(WSJ)
New York students have struggled to keep up the pace of
improvement with the rest of the country over the last decade on a
national test considered by many the best available standard of
comparison. Writer Jonathan Kozol was “
utterly shocked” by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s death penalty for failing schools comment. There
will be new
parent-teacher conferences for the families of students who performed
poorly on the controversial new Common Core tests last year.
60% of NY students not up to par(NYP) *
N.Y. Scores Barely Budge on National Test(WSJ) *
New York students are doing slightly
better on math and reading compared to tests from two years ago
according to the National Assessment on Educational Progress report
cards, the Associated Press reports: GRADING CURVE — News’ Rachel Monahan: “Emails provided to the Daily News show that it has become “common practice” for New York City high
schools
to abandon the traditional 0 to 100 grading scale — for one that gives
kids no lower than a 55 score, just 10 points below passing, even when
they don’t show up to class.”
NYC school bus giant declares bankruptcy while renegotiating union contract. Workers owed $13m. Blame Bloomberg.* Twenty-two teachers unions from across the state have
formally expressed support for a parent group’s call for the resignation of State Education Commission John B. King Jr. King
was grilled about the implementation of Common Core standards at yet another public forum –
this time in Syracuse, and moderated by Susan Arbetter of the “The Capitol Pressroom.”* In a
harshly-worded letter to Education Commissioner John King, Cuomo asked what “if anything” SED knew about
the Pine Bush problem and what steps it took to address the situation *
Textbooks recommended by Dept. of Education are full of errors: teachers(NYDN)
* New school busing contracts will save the city $210 million over the
next five years, Bloomberg and NYC Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott
announced.*
New York City Putting Bus Routes Out for Bid(NYT) *
School bus contracts could save city millions(NYP)
FROM THE TRANSITION TENT — Empty Classrooms as Dorms for Homeless Students — Gotham Schools' Geoff Decker:
"Carmen Farina has a clear vision for how Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio’s
chancellor should lead the city’s schools. That vision includes some big
ideas — including converting empty classrooms into dormitories for
homeless students to forcing real estate developers to build space for
early education... "Farina has been an unofficial advisor to de
Blasio on education, a relationship that dates back more than a decade
to when they worked in the same Brooklyn school district. Before he was
elected to the City Council in 2001, de Blasio served on the District 15
school board at the same time when Farina was superintendent."
http://goo.gl/A2arRi *
NYC parents plan suit Wednesday to block state from sharing kids' data with private firms
Not one, not two, but
three public events on the Common Core are being held today.
A dozen New York City parents are suing
in state Supreme Court to block the release of student information to a
data integration company, saying that it violates privacy laws, Capital
New York reports:http://bit.ly/1dqpxaU
Bloomberg Issues Final Letter Grades for New York Schools(NYT)
At a day-long hearing by the state
Senate Education Committee focusing on the Common Core curriculum and
its tests, teachers and some lawmakers made the case that the testing
should be slowed down to allow schools time to adjust, the Times Union writes:
Deputy Education Commissioner Ken
Slentz defended the state’s plans to send detailed student records to a
private database, noting the importance of having a primary source of
data, and maintained the data will be well-protected, The Journal News
writes: http://lohud.us/1aFWCvD
A Final Report for Schools(WSJ) *
The state’s teachers union and related
organizations called for a ban on student testing for pre-K through
second grade, while lawmakers questioned why those with disabilities are
tested the same as other students, the Times Union reports:
Nearly one in three city public high-school graduates who enrolled in CUNY schools in 2007 and 2008 left before completing two years of study
In NYC: 43.9% of 3-8th graders scored proficient in English; 57.3% scored proficient in math * City Students' Test Results In State English, Math Tests Slightly Improve (NY1) * City Students Improve Slightly on Statewide Tests(NYT) * Schools: “[C]ity and state scores both remain far below where they were two years ago.” [Sharon Otterman / New York Times] * chools: “For the mayor to ensure his education legacy, observers said, college readiness must improve.” [Jeremy Smerd / Crains]
Only 25% of Those Entering CUNY Don't Need Remedial Help . . . What is Bloomberg Talking About?
Education The Teacher's Rubber Room Lives
Mayor: Ridding city of 'rubber rooms' a flop(NYDN) * The Education Department's rubber rooms are shrinking, but too many poor teachers remain (NYDN Ed) Process for firing educators for incompetence or misconduct is still far too cumbersome *
A Test of A City Special Schools Excellence
EIGHTH Bronx HS Science alum wins Nobel Prize(NYP)*
Bronx Science alum wins Nobel prize(NYDN) *
The News lauds Bronx Science alumnus Robert Lefkowitz, who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, making him one
of a record eight Nobel laureates to have graduated from the high
school:
DOE Paid AWOL Staff
Schools paid AWOL staff(NYP) The city Department of Education lost track of a number of employees who
had quietly stopped reporting to work for as long as a year — but
continued to pay their hefty salaries anyway, agency documents reveal.
Albany and Parents to Charter Schools Drop Dead
In the end the parents of charter school children are to blame for lack
of school reforms. As a movement they have been non existent, clueless
or above the ways of Albany. Knaves and Dwarves Albany tossed a chance for $700 million in federal school aid down an Albany sewer yesterday (NYP Ed) * Obama to seek $1.35 billion more for education *** No-class NY pols shaft kids *'Powerful' lesson by teach unions (Dicker NYP) ***Wrangling in Albany Pushes State’s Request for School Aid to the Wire Bid when in without a charter school plan considered important to the bid *
The
kids be damned: Cowardly Legislature betrays state's children and
taxpayers (DN Ed) *** The mayor and the governor issued a rare joint statement lamenting the Legislature's failure to pass a charter school bill *** Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch insisted the state's "Race to the Top" application is "eloquent and articulate" in spite of the status quo charter school cap ***Charter Advocates On The Warpath
___________________________________________________________________________________
Math Reading Rate Drop
City Schools Quietly Using Fewer Librarians(WSJ)
Less than a third of NY's public school students passed math, reading exams last year(NYP) *
New York students’ math and reading
standardized exam scores decreased dramatically this year amid tougher
testing tied to new federal curriculum standards, government officials
said, the Journal writes: * The Daily News writes that New York’s precipitous drop in math and reading test scores are a result of
much-needed tougher education standards, and that students will
eventually adjust * New York Test Scores Bode Ill for Rest of U.S.(WSJ) * Education Secretary Arne Duncan: "We should absolutely not be alarmed if
test scores drop as a result of these more rigorous expectations and
higher standards." [
Ginger Adam Otis and Ben Chapman] Thursday *
A test of honesty(NYP Ed) *
Test Scores Sink as New York Adopts Tougher Benchmarks(NYT) *
Friday Update Better test scores far off: state ed. boss(NYP)
*
UNPREPARED: Critics say NYC schools aren't ready for next year's tougher reading and math tests(NYDN) * Starting with this fall’s incoming freshmen,
students will be required to take harder Regents exams to graduate, in a push by state officials to make a high-school diploma more meaningful.
A UPT Charter Schools Failure
*
The UFT’s glass house(NYP Ed)
In the aftermath of test scores that show the majority of city school
children are not performing up to standard, everyone’s a critic. But
not everyone’s earned the right to be. We’re thinking
particularly of Mike Mulgrew, who heads the United Federation of
Teachers. “This is a man-made disaster that should not have been,” he
thunders. “The scores should have dropped, but not to this level. The
children are bearing the brunt of the mayor’s decisions.” Perhaps.
But Mulgrew’s in no position to throw stones. Because among the New
York City students who fared the worst on these new tests are those who
are being taught in Mulgrew’s own glass house — the UFT charter school.
Whether scored against the city average or the charter average, a school
that was supposed to showcase the union’s professionalism has only
highlighted its failures.
In English, only 9.7 percent of the UFT charter’s third to eighth graders are proficient, and only 12.6 percent in math.
PS 106 Principal Fired From "School of No"
Post-bashing pol Richards hails us for ‘School of No’(NYP) City Councilman Donovan Richards is now thanking The Post for exposing
“School of No” Principal Marcella Sills — after accusing the paper last
month of “fabricating” a story about conditions...
Inquiry Into Queens School Calls for Firing of Principal(NYT) A report by the special commissioner of investigation for the school
district recommended that Marcella Sills, the principal at Public School
106, be banned from working for the Education Department.* ‘School of No’ principal getting fired after probe(NYP) *
Councilman Calls for PS 106 Principal to Be Fired for Attendance Record (NY1) *
‘School of No’ principal could collect on more than 100 sick days(NYP)
*
My time at the ‘School of No’(NYP) Why did it take an exposé in The New York Post to not only unseat a bad
principal, but get students much-needed books — and stop them from
watching movies instead of getting gym or art classes? But the question remains how the people who were supposed to care
remained deaf for so long. Why do families and teachers flee public
schools? They flee when they feel powerless. They flee because of what
happened at PS 106.
Breaking Test Scores
Success Academy Bronx 2: top-performing nonselective school in NYC ranked third out of 3,500 schools in NYS.
Pass-rates on tougher grade 3-8 state reading exams: NYC-26.4%;
Yonkers-16.4%;Buffalo-11.5%; Syracuse 8.7%; Rochester 5.4%;
Statewide-31.1%
Expected drop in NYC test scores are still extraordinary - 27 percent passed English, 30 percent math.
*Under New Standards, Students See Sharp Decline in Test Scores(NYT)
NYC Charters, 34.8pct proficient in math vs 29.6pct citywide. 25.1pct prof in ELA vs 26.4pct citywide.
Within NY scores, there is progress being made. NYC students are performing much closer to their peers in the rest of the state.
Schooling the critics(NYP)\Eva Moskowitz isn’t satisfied. The poor, black and Hispanic students in
her 14 charter schools just knocked the new state tests out of the park,
but she had wanted even more. Those are the same tests that most city
students failed, leading many educrats to argue the tests were too hard.
The Post applauds the city Department
of Education’s new scorecard for education programs for teachers, which
shows that even elite institutions such as Columbia Teachers College
still have work to do: http://bit.ly/16BJo7a
A UPT Charter Schools Failure
*
The UFT’s glass house(NYP Ed)
In the aftermath of test scores that show the majority of city school
children are not performing up to standard, everyone’s a critic. But
not everyone’s earned the right to be. We’re thinking
particularly of Mike Mulgrew, who heads the United Federation of
Teachers. “This is a man-made disaster that should not have been,” he
thunders. “The scores should have dropped, but not to this level. The
children are bearing the brunt of the mayor’s decisions.” Perhaps.
But Mulgrew’s in no position to throw stones. Because among the New
York City students who fared the worst on these new tests are those who
are being taught in Mulgrew’s own glass house — the UFT charter school.
Whether scored against the city average or the charter average, a school
that was supposed to showcase the union’s professionalism has only
highlighted its failures.
In English, only 9.7 percent of the UFT charter’s third to eighth graders are proficient, and only 12.6 percent in math.
Bloomberg Fire Half the Teachers
Bloomberg: If I Had It My Way I’d Dump Half Of NYC’s Teachers(CBS) Mayor
Stuns Many At MIT Speech, Says He'd Greatly Enlarge Class Size, Too.
"Education is very much, I’ve always thought, just like the real estate
business.
Real estate business, there are three things that matter: location,
location, location is the old joke,” Bloomberg said. “Well in education,
it is: quality of teacher, quality of teacher, quality of teacher. And I
would, if I had the ability - which nobody does really – to just design
a system and say, ‘ex cathedra, this is what we’re going to do,’ you
would cut the number of teachers in half, but you would double the
compensation of them and you would weed out all the bad ones and just
have good teachers. And double the class size with a better teacher is a
good deal for the students.”*
Another Soda-Tax Squabble(WSJ) * The
Times Union disagrees with the Department of Education's decision to cancel parent forums on the Common Core. [
Times Union Editorial Board]*
Reflecting on his tenure as NYC schools chancellor, Dennis Walcott is very proud, but has some regrets.*
New York state education officials said
they would look for ways to make sure that students weren’t being
over-tested, after parents and educators voiced concerns over exams tied
to a new teacher evaluation system, The Wall Street Journal reports: * New Tests, New Aim: Evaluating Teachers(WSJ) *
Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch will
hold 16 forums across the state on the new Common Core standards after a
heated meeting prompted the cancellation of four similar events,
Gannett Albany writes: *Facing Criticism, King To Hold 16 Common Core Forums(YNN) *
UFT nixes evaluations at its own charter school(NYP)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Education
Former Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew, who served under Mayor Rudy
Giuliani, is back in New York City this time as President of Medgar
Evers College in Brooklyn. In his first television interview since
returning to the city, the noted educator says he has a strategy to save
the embattled school. * Shut and open case (NYDN Ed) When failing schools close and new schools open in their place, children benefit *
City Unveils Campaign to Improve Girls’ Self-Esteem(NYT)
Dept. of Ed. ‘dumping’ tough students in struggling schools(NYP)
U.F.T. CALLS FOR DELAYING COMMON CORE CONSEQUENCES by Eliza Shapiro:
U.F.T. president Michael Mulgrew is] arguing that New York City teachers
and students need more time to teach and learn the new curricula before
they are penalized or rewarded for their performance. …NYC Dept. of Ed
spokeswoman Erin Hughes: "It is a disservice to our students…"
http://goo.gl/dqW5Ov
* SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher unveiled a new national coalition of college and university leaders in support of the Common Core standards, saying part of the urgency behind the effort was the fact that legislators are considering a rollback or slowdown of the standards, the Times Union reports: http://goo.gl/vHZoCi
WAKE-UP SCOOP: Special interests who oppose the Common Core in New York have been winning the debate about the controversial education standards, but now they'll face a counter attack backed by a considerable investment, Capital's Jessica Bakeman reports.
High Achievement New York, a nonprofit coalition of mostly business groups, plans to launch a roughly $500,000 phone and digital advertising campaign over the next several weeks in an attempt to promote the controversial curriculum standards. New York's business groups have long been among the state's most vocal supporters, arguing chiefly that a Common Core education will help close the skills gap that makes it difficult for companies to recruit qualified workers.
http://goo.gl/9G4gez
Different Common Core exams, very different reaction(Capital)
State experts break down the tests, which students took on Tuesday
Cuomo's Common Core panel might skip final report via
. writes that the Common Core standards are this generation's answer to Brown vs. Board of Education
To be clear, "Cuomo's Common Core" was actually approved by the Board of Regents, appointed by the Legislature, mostly the Assembly.
* School issues—with a focus shifted from the property-tax cap to the Common Core standards and teacher evaluations—will likely play an important role in this year’s statewide elections, Newsday reports: http://goo.gl/AoHYdQ
* Newsweek’s Alexander Nazaryan explores a viral tweet from comedian Louis C.K. that maligned the Common Core testing standards and its effects on his children, who attend New York City public schools: http://goo.gl/kYwcDc
Regents on Monday debated the quality of the Common Core examination questions.
* Some are questioning why brand names like Nike, Barbie and iPod were used on Common Core standardized English tests earlier this month, fueling speculation it was some form of product placement advertising, the Associated Press writes: http://goo.gl/vpQ859
Albany Working on Common Core Delay Changes in Tax Credits for Ed
A deal is reportedly being negotiated to put a two-year moratorium on the use of Common Core tests for grade promotion, with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver saying discussions are pointing toward something Common Core-related possibly being in the budget, Newsday reports * Lawmakers Weigh Funding for Pre-K(WSJ) * A moratorium on the implementation of Common Core standards is being discussed as part of a final budget deal so that testing in April will be less traumatic for students, State of Politics reports:
To the Moon in the 60's, But in 2014 We Cannot Find AS Way to Teach Common Core
A Culture Out of Gas
On September 12, 1962 President Kennedy Said America Would Go to the Moon By the End of the Century. Yet we can't find a way to teach common core until the next decade, 2022?
Left Turns Against Common Core
Common Core Curriculum Now Has Critics on the Left(NYT) The newest chorus of complaints about the common learning standards is coming from one of their earliest champions: New York State. *
New York State Regents Delay Full Implementation of the Common Core Until 2022
Common Core Test Easier
Many Pupils Say 2014 New York Reading Tests Are Easier, but Complaints Persist(NYT)
Passing rates plummeted when the state changed its tests to match Common Core curriculum standards, but this year students say they were better prepared to handle the material.
Despite concern about the Common Core curriculum standards, students say this year’s state ELA tests were easier because they knew the types of questions and the state trimmed the number of questions.* Brooklyn Teachers Blast Recent Tests(NY1)
* More Delay State education officials acknowledge there are flaws in the accuracy of new teacher job ratings, which has forced the state to push back the deadline for the release of ratings until at least mid-March, Newsday reports: * There’s a Common Core iPad app.* New York’s eighth graders were ranked behind eighth graders in multiple countries and states in a National Center on Education Statistics report on math and science scores, with one think tank concluding the state would benefit from the Common Core, the Post writes: * The Common Core standards represent a positive, and the state should focus on finding the best way to put them into practice rather than considering nixing them because of opposition from critics who don’t have a better plan, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s Michael Petrilli and Michael Brickman write in the Daily News
City Tries to Save School Librarians
City officials asked the state
Education Department for a waiver from state regulations that require
middle schools and high schools to provide a librarian for part or all
of the day depending on enrollment, the Wall Street Journal reports: http://on.wsj.com/19LdRBO
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Charles Gasparino
