EDUCATION
DARREN MCGEE / OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
EXPERT OPINION
Gov. Andrew Cuomo will again try to revamp the Common Core education standards.
city & state — September 28, 2015
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acknowledged that there are problems that have been problems with the Common Core,” Marcellino said. “Teachers are concerned as to how it was implemented, how it’s going to be evaluated based on tests that they’ve indicated they have no faith in, and they’ve encouraged and parents are encouraging the opt-out movement. That seems to have grown over the last couple of years. ... But I’m glad the governor’s involved, because he’s got the biggest bully pulpit in the state.” Marcellino said that Senate Republicans would also continue pushing for the education investment tax credit, which would encourage donations to private as well as public schools. Cardinal Timothy Dolan has championed the measure in recent years, and it has drawn bipartisan support. But during the 2015 session, the Assembly did not pass it and the Legislature instead boosted funding for private schools by $250 million. “We did a lot for parochial schools this year,” Nolan said. “I think we’ve really done right by our parochial schools and it’s a substantial amount of money, and we’ll see happens next. With the governor’s initiative, you’d have to ask him about whether it’s coming back or not.” Another hot-button issue that will be back again next year is mayoral control of New York City’s schools. Senate Republicans last year ensured that Mayor Bill de Blasio’s control of the city’s schools would only be extended for 12 months, even though his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg, had been given a seven-year period to work with. “I certainly support the mayor,” Nolan said. “I would make it
permanent or give him a long period of time, you know, sunset it with a sevenyear period or something like that. We’re going to keep working on that too.” Marcellino suggested that the brief renewal period was linked to de Blasio’s opposition to charter schools. The mayor has been viewed as a foe of the charter school movement, while Cuomo has sided with charter advocates. Last year the state raised the city’s charter school cap to 50. “I think the mayor has made some comments and got himself into a bit of a conflict with the charter school people and I can understand from the union’s perspective what their concerns are relative to the charter schools, but a lot of communities want charter schools and appreciate charter schools, and they’re viable in some cases,” Marcellino said. “They do a job. So they’re worth a discussion. They’re worth looking at. And rejecting them out of hand, I don’t think is a good idea.” WHAT GOT DONE IN 2015 * $603 million toward closing the Gap Elimination Adjustment * Raising the charter school cap in New York City * One-year extension of mayoral control in New York City WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA * Common Core overhaul * Closing the Gap Elimination Adjustment * Education investment tax credit
ERNEST LOGAN President, Council of School Supervisors & Administrators
Now that Mayor Bill de Blasio’s universal pre-K initiative is a success, naysayers are attacking the rest of his education plan. The programs the mayor announced in his Sept. 16 “Equity and Excellence” speech would be taken for granted in suburban, private and, yes, charter schools. Detractors who chided the mayor for not being visionary now see his transformational idea: What’s good for suburban, private and charter school kids is good for our students. These are simple but game-changing proposals, like the notion that all second-graders read at grade level and all ninth-graders be proficient in algebra. The second-grade literacy initiative is the most urgent of de Blasio’s concepts. Reams of research show that children who aren’t reading by the end of third grade are unlikely to catch up with their peers academically. Under the plan, each elementary school would receive support from dedicated reading specialists – approximately 700 of whom would be in place across all elementary schools by fall 2018. School leaders must use these specialists effectively and find new ways to enlist families as learning partners. The mayor vows that every student will complete algebra no later than ninth grade. Research indicates that algebra is the gateway to higher-level math and science. About 60 percent
of our middle schools now offer algebra to eighth-graders. The mayor wants algebra in all middle schools by 2022, with the first new classes and prep programs starting in fall 2016. The mayor also wants to give all students access to computer science and Advanced Placement courses. To do that, principals will need the best teachers, and will need to make sure these educators get the necessary professional development. Computer literacy is another prerequisite in our technology-centric society, and for good reason. In 2014 New York’s high-paying high-tech industry was creating jobs four times faster than the rest of the city’s economy. Over the next 10 years the city will introduce computer science classes in first through 12th grades, giving every student access to fundamental programming, coding, robotics and Web design. Expanding Advanced Placement courses is also part of the plan. Starting in fall 2016, the city will offer at least five AP classes at each of our 400 high schools. I can think of no reason not to back these initiatives and others in the proposal, including College Access for All and the revolutionary Single Shepherd, a family educational mentor plan. I urge our school leaders to embrace this agenda.
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