Mike Bloomberg’s education policy wasn’t perfect, or PS 106 wouldn’t have fallen through the cracks as long as it did. But Bloomberg was pretty clear about what he wanted to do with failing schools: He wanted to close them down.... NY Post EditorialThis was as clear a hit job as we've seen. In as an astounding an editorial one can imagine, the NY Post today managed to ignore a decade of BloomKlein mismanagement of schools like PS 106 and protection for principals like Marcella Sills who as a Leadership Academy (Klein's Rosemary's baby) went after teachers with a vengeance.
It was pretty clear to me that with the history of PS 106 having been out there (on ednotes and The Wave) for over 6 years) Sue Edelman and the Post waited until the real culprits were out of office and could no longer be held accountable before publishing the story so they could now say:
All of which makes PS 106 an excellent field trial for de Blasio’s education “reforms.” If he and his chancellor are unwilling to close down a school as rotten as this one, surely they have an alternative that will turn things around quickly. We emphasize quickly — because children stuck in failing schools today can’t afford to wait years.Maybe Farina and de Blasio will come up with the kind of solution other than closing the school: remove a principal that was allowed to rise on the very back of the BloomKlein deforms that defended almost any principal no matter how awful and bring in the resources that a real principal will know how to use for the benefit of the children instead of for a personal political agenda like Sills did. (We'll get to the library destruction story another time.)
Chancellor Farina says the situation at PS 106 is “unacceptable.” The mayor admits it’s “deeply troubling.”
But it’s something else, too: It’s their problem now. And they’ll be judged on whether they can fix it.
Its incredible how the New York Post gives the Bloomberg/Walcott/Klein Administration gets a pass when they a for Marcella Sills.re the blame
ReplyDeleteGreat Info here. You and Chaz have taken over the true problems going on. Gothamschools was a great place to go for info, but now it's a disaster. Many teachers will be on your blog along with Chaz's. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteSo how does a teacher report inside info that is newsworthy to yourself in confidence?
If Farina truly wants to improve things and I'm not quite sure yet she does - she needs to:
ReplyDelete- remove EVERY SINGLE PRINCIPAL with low scores on the School Environment part of school surveys. That would be a step in the right direction.
Next thing - LISTEN to teachers, LISTEN to parents
Another thing - REMOVE POOR QUALITY READING & MATH programs and she knows EXACTLY what those are
Last things - Remove the BUDGETS from principals
If Farina does not do these four things, there will be NO improvement. Period.