Taking education seriously
Mayoral control and NYSED's answer to the letter about the problematic Math Briefs
When I look at the education debate in NY, it’s difficult to believe that our elected officials are taking education seriously. Why would any mayoral candidate propose to get rid of mayoral control when it has clearly delivered much better results for kids than the previous system of 32 elected school boards? Or why would the NYS Department of Education not listen to constructive feedback on their math briefs when there are so many obvious problems with the guidance they are providing to educators?
Prof. Benjamin Solomon received a letter from NYSED and it doesn’t address the problems listed in his initial letter. I wrote an article for
asking for lawmakers in Albany to investigate how much money from NY taxpayers was spent to develop this bad guidance, and why the department is not following the science of math. I also wrote about what is behind this movement that prioritizes equal outcomes in math instruction over rigor and merit.
The Case for Mayoral Control in New York City Education
has a new report for the
on why NYC needs to keep mayoral control of the public schools and what reforms are required. Her analysis shows how mayoral control has produced results for kids.“Over the past two decades, NYC’s mayoral model has reduced graduation gaps, increased academic proficiency, and carried out system-wide reforms.”
What I am reading this week
has a great analysis on which students in Boston take AP classes and which ones actually pass the test - there are important differences in these two groups.
NY state educrats go to war against . . . math quizzes (NY Post)
NY politicians, hear our cry: Charter schools give our kids the education they deserve (NY Post)
How Brilliant Toddlers Became the Center of Attention in New York’s Mayoral Race (WSJ)
The Nation’s Report Card Shows New York Needs a Course Correction (City Journal)
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Contact me if you want to help bring universal education choice to NY! #SchoolChoiceNY
Mayoral control is not the issue; MC brought us a much higher graduation rate but post secondary performance has not improved.
So is the goal of this system to get its students out with a diploma regardless of how capable they are for post secondary work, or is the goal to prepare students for post secondary success.
If post secondary success is the goal, mayoral control has not succeeded. I’m not at all suggesting a return to the past, I am merely saying that when students leave this system, they are overwhelmingly headed for less than satisfactory results.
Barely a quarter of students earn a 2 year degree after FOUR years of college! Yes, they did earn a HS diploma but is it worth anything?
This was part of the topic I helped deliver to students who attend college in New Haven last week: what is the goal of your k-12 system?