Perdido Street School:
What Did NYSED Commissioner King Know About Pine Bush And When Did He Know It?
Sheriff Andy Cuomo In A Huff Over All The De Blasio Attention
Perdido Street School
What Did NYSED Commissioner King Know About Pine Bush And When Did He Know It?
That's the question Sheriff Andy Cuomo is asking in his letter to SED over the Pine Bush anti-Semitism charges the NY Times revealed yesterday.Here's the text of the letter Cuomo sent to SED:Dear Commissioner King, I write to express my serious concern with reports of anti-Semitic harassment including physical attacks at Pine Bush Central School District. The alleged behavior is nothing that shoul
Sheriff Andy Cuomo In A Huff Over All The De Blasio Attention
You can tell the mark of a man by how he handles the success of someone he considers a friend.Sheriff Andy says Bill de Blasio is a friend of his from their Clinton days, but boy, he doesn't seem to be happy about the success de Blasio is enjoying these heady, post-election days:NY1′s Zack Fink sent the following dispatch from the Somos el Futuro conference in San Juan: I have a handful of friend
Is Governor Cuomo Looking To Use The Pine Bush Anti-Semitism Allegations To Dump NYSED Commissioner John King?
What do you make of this story?Top state officials responded publicly and with distress today to a New York Times article detailing anti-Semitic incidents in the Pine Bush school district. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the State Police and Division of Human Rights would investigate the allegations. He also wrote to State Education Commissioner John King asking for a full accounting of whether t
De Blasio's Inner Circle
Very useful graphic at the Times showing de Blasio closest advisers and counselors.There are some neo-liberal Clintonistas like Harold Ickes on the list (as you would expect given de Blasio's work in the Clinton administration and for Hillary), but no real DFER- or ed deform-red flags that catch my eye.Take a look at the list and let us know what you think - anything that worries you on this list
Suffolk Superintendents To "Embattled" Commissioner King: Slow Down
Newsday front cover story today:School superintendents throughout Suffolk County are uniting to send embattled state Education Commissioner John B. King Jr. a strong message: Stop over-testing, slow down the Common Core curriculum and rethink teacher and principal evaluations. One letter -- a detailed, four-page missive supported by all 18 superintendents in the Western Suffolk BOCES district -- w
NYSED Commissioner John King Hears It From The Crowd Once Again
It's old hat now - parents and teachers tell NYSED Commissioner John King his education reform agenda sucks and King says "Oh, we're listening..." and then goes back to implementing that agenda anyway.It happened again last night:Syracuse, NY -- New York Education Commissioner faced 20 questioners during a 90-minute forum at WCNY-TV headquarters during a live broadcast and webcast tonigh
On Name Calling In The Education Debate
My response to the Stephanie Simon article in Politico in which the reformers cry to the press about how their feelings have been hurt by that mean Diane Ravitch and those nasty education bloggers:For years now, the education reformers have branded themselves with names like "Children First" or "Students First" for their groups, they've called teachers "special interests&q
Sometimes It's Cool To Do Nothing
NAEP scores out - small gains on math and reading.WE MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!!!WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS!!!SOMEBODY MUST BE FIRED, WE MUST CHANGE EVERYTHING AND MAKE SURE THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN!!!WE CANNOT WAIT ANY LONGER!!!!CHANGE COMES NOW!!!!
NOV 07
John King: Learning Should Not Be Fun
.@SoniaBasko learning is fun for only Montessori students, the rest can eat Common Core cake. #roc forum— Chris Cerrone (@Stoptesting15) November 7, 2013With the Common Core and NYSED modules, I'd say John King's mission has been accomplished.
Bloomberg Plans To Spend His Post-City Hall Days On Propaganda Touting Himself
I've long said that we will never get a fair and accurate portrait of the Bloomberg Years - especially around the corruption and data manipulation in the various agencies, the DOE, the NYPD and FDNY, etc - because Bloomberg plans a huge post-City Hall propaganda offensive to tout himself as the bestest mayor ever and he owns so many media outlets (with the threat of buying even more) that there ar
Michael Mulgrew And Leo Casey Just Like The Fonz
.@PSulliv yup, wonder if @LeoECasey will apologize to @carolburris now & admit she was right— leonie haimson (@leoniehaimson) November 7, 2013Mikey and Leo now criticizing the teacher evaluation system they helped develop and defend against criticism from Carol Burris and Diane Ravitch.Mikey and Leo are criticizing the system for some of the very reasons Burris and Ravitch criticized it in the
Another Bloomberg Education Failure
From NY1:It's half school, half extracurricular, all hands on. For two years, the city's Summer Quest program has provided extra learning for thousands of struggling students in the South Bronx, nine hours a day, five days a week for five weeks.For the students, the goal is to prevent summer learning loss, a big problem for low-income kids. For the program, the goal is to prove that it works and t
A Strategy For The First Year Of De Blasio's Term As Mayor
Lorenzo St DuBois in a comment here at Perdido Street School:In 2008 I could not believe what I was hearing out of a presidential candidate: thoughtful, intelligent, scornful of soundbites, refreshing rhetorical breaks from tepid democratic compromises. Talking about a more nuanced foreign policy, bringing back constitutional checks, bringing back regulation and a focus on the middle class, skepti
NOV 06
How'd That Ballot Line Thing Work Out For Students First?
The corporate education reform group Students First had their own ballot line this year - Joe Lhota was on it.How many votes did Lhota get on the Students First line?765 votes.Not exactly a rousing success for either Students First or Joe Lhota.Bill de Blasio was on the Working Families Party line as well as the Democratic ballot line.De Blasio received 40,000 votes on the WFP line.
Cuomo Wants To Win Big In 2014 To Set Up A 2016 White House Run
From The Buffalo News:Political insiders say the governor wants to drive his showing up in 2014, in part, to keep his name in play for the 2016 presidential contest and to use as leverage with a State Legislature that has increasingly cool relations with Cuomo. And Western New York is key to that, which could be a problem for Cuomo if Buffalo developer Carl Paladino, who lost to Cuomo in 2010, run
The NY Times Leads Off With Some Bloomberg Propaganda Today
Income inequality has skyrocketed in NYC during the 12 years Mayor Bloomberg raigned.But if you read the NY Times opinion pages today, you learned just how much Bloomberg has done for poverty and how much more he will do not that he is freed from his municipal duties to focus on his "philanthropy" efforts.And so, the inevitable post-Election Bloomberg Propaganda Juggernaut begins.Ignore
How De Blasio And His Team Ran A Very, Very Savvy Campaign
Good summary in the Daily News on how de Blasio and his team crafted a message of change, stuck with that message, and rode it all the way to Gracie Mansion, with the help of his some affecting ads using his family and the ineptitude of his opponents.Nothing surprising in the article, but it does show how deft a campaigner de Blasio is.Whether he shows the same skill at governing is another matter
Don't Get Too Excited
So we have a new mayor, a so-called progressive mayor, who won yesterday's election by an overwhelming margin over his GOP challenger.Exit polls showed 3 out of 4 New Yorkers want the city to go in a different direction from where Bloomberg took it in his 12 years.And Bill de Blasio ran as just that candidate and was rewarded for it at the ballot box.Yet, I feel a tinge of concern over this de Bla
NOV 05
De Blasio Puts DFER Reshma Saujani On His Transition Team
Okay, bad news folks:members of .@Tish2013 transition team: @reshmasaujani, the publisher of El Diario & C. Virginia Fields. #pubadv2013— Azi (@Azi) November 6, 2013Calling Rahm Emanuel a "great mayor," putting DFER fav Reshma Saujani on his transition team.Starting to look like we have another case of a "progressive" who put his walking shoes into the closet once he got el
De Blasio Calls Rahm Emanuel A "Great Mayor," Vows To Work Closely With Him
In case you missed this quote from earlier in the day:De Blasio was coy on his transition plans, but did say that a meeting last week with Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel had been helpful."I won't go into detail, I'll say I think he's one of the great mayors of this country and obviously as having been the chief of staff at the White House and having played a key role in President Obama's transiti
Tish James: I'll Make Sure De Blasio Governs As A Progressive
Tish James, responding to questions of what happens if de Blasio governs as a corporatist like Andrew Cuomo: “I don't think he's going to have much wiggle room,” says New York City councilwoman Letitia James, who will replace de Blasio as public advocate come January. “I'm going to make sure that he stays focused on a progressive agenda.” The public advocate office doesn't have much power, but it
Weingarten For Chancellor Is A B.S. Story
Gossip columnist at the the Murdoch Post:Bill de Blasio is considering hiring teachers’ union boss Randi Weingarten as the next NYC schools chancellor, sources tell me. Weingarten — who was head of the United Federation of Teachers in New York before becoming chief of the national American Federation of Teachers — is against charter schools, teacher evaluations and most of the other reforms Mayor
Wingnut Attack On De Blasio
De Blasio Wins! Exciting! How soon until streets of NYC look like scenes from 'The Warriors'? pic.twitter.com/FMxIpbhdM1— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) November 5, 2013In actuality, the city is already crime-ridden:
Daily News Claims Bloomberg Education Reforms A Success
A DN editorial today: Schools: Under Bloomberg, children made gains on standardized reading and math tests, even as pass rates gyrated. A good gauge is how the kids compared with peers around the state. In 2006, 62% of fourth graders read at or above grade level in New York State, versus only 51% in New York City. By 2013, the schools here had closed that 11-point gap to just five points. De Blasi
Vote De Blasio, James, No To Gambling
Let's go back to last April as Anthony Weiner was getting ready to enter the race for City Hall.Christine Quinn was firmly in front of all other candidates, the Anybody But Quinn group had just launched their advertising campaign against Quinn but the ads had yet to do real damage to her, Thompson and de Blasio were well behind Quinn in low double digits.Then Weiner jumped into the race, the ABQ a
NOV 04
F*#% You Bloomberg Benefit Party - Friday Night
Make plans now:Join activists and artists from around New York City to celebrate the end of an error! Bloomberg may have reigned for 12 years and brought new levels of policing and market speculation that have torn communities apart. But his reign is over now, and we're still here. Join us for a night of music and dancing. We have amazing acts all night, so check out the line-up here to make sure
Shael Polakow-Suranksy Will Not Be The Next Chancellor
More politicking in this Capital NY piece about the next chancellor - one of the names mentioned is current deputy chancellor Shael Polakow-Suranksy.I'm going to go on record now - there's no way in hell de Blasio picks Shael.De Blasio ran pushing a clean break from the Bloomberg years - how does he pick one of the chief architects of the Bloomberg ed agenda, a guy still working for Bloomberg now,
"Independent" Dems In State Senate Will Push De Blasio's Tax Hike
More payback against Sheriff Andy - his former allies in the State Senate, who worked with Senate Republicans and Cuomo to push through a "pro-business" agenda, are now looking to stick it to Cuomo: ALBANY — On the eve of Tuesday’s mayoral election, Democratic front-runner Bill de Blasio’s push to tax the wealthy to pay for universal prekindergarten has received crucial support in the Le
Christie, Cuomo, Booker - All The Same
Mark Naison points out Chris Christie is not the only local teacher-basher and destroyer of public education: As we watch, with excitement and some trepidation, how our Hero-BAT Love Light is being given national exposure because of her campaign trail encounter with Republican Gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie, let us remember that there are two other Presidential aspirants in the New York Me
Legislature Looks To Turn Moreland Commission Against Cuomo
Again, from Fred Dicker at the NY Post:The Democratic leaders of the Legislature may seek to turn the tables on Gov. Cuomo by formally requesting that his anti-corruption Moreland Commission probe Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy’s “questionable’’ dealings with a Rochester business group, The Post has learned.Aides to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and Senate Independent Democratic Conference (ID
Cuomo Pressures Unions To Support His Gambling Initiative
From Fred Dicker at the Post:Cuomo and other supporters of Proposition 1 on Tuesday’s ballot fear that Bill de Blasio’s expected landslide in the mayoral race will hold down city turnout, costing the controversial plan to legalize casino gambling potentially crucial votes. Many of the city’s biggest unions, under pressure from Cuomo and other gambling supporters, mounted a major effort in recent d
A Moratorium On Tying Test Scores To Teachers Does No Good
I agree with Chris Cerrone:A moratorium on linking CCLS testing to teacher evals will not change the fact high-stakes tests should never be mandated on schools.— Chris Cerrone (@Stoptesting15) November 3, 2013The problem is not tying teacher evaluations to test scores.The problem is the mandating of standardized tests onto schools by the federal and state governments.It leads to the culture of qua
NOV 03
Merryl Tisch Tied To Rapfogel Scandal
Regents Chancellor Tisch's ties to alleged embezzler draw scrutiny. "It's all very incestuous" NYPost on "cronies": http://t.co/bdIdRA2rTc— Patrick J. Sullivan (@PSulliv) November 3, 2013And the Post story Sullivan links to:William Rapfogel really lost a sweet deal when he was charged last month with stealing millions of dollars from his employer, the Metropolitan Council on Je
Chris Christie Will Get His
Governor Chris Christie had another "Beat Up The Teachers" moment yesterday that has people in the education and progressive blogosphere upset.While Christie's bullying of a female teacher is upsetting to me as well (as is the clear glee with which his wife watches the bullying from the side), I would note that Governor Christie has gotten some exposure courtesy of the Romney campaign th
Daily News Endorses De Blasio - Even Though They Disagree With Him On Every Issue
The neo-cons at the Daily News published a weird endorsement of Bill de Blasio for mayor today.They disagree with him on every issue - from stop and frisk and policing to charter schools and school closure policies - and they lay down markers for what he MUST do on these issues that is different from how he has campaigned as mayor.In short, they say de Blasio must change his policy positions to Lh
NOV 02
Bill De Blasio Meets With Rahm Emanuel To Talk "Transition And Urban Affairs"
Sure Bill de Blasio had a union rally yesterday - but he also met with one of the more virulently anti-union Dems around:Bill de Blasio met with Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel this morning in New York City, according to sources familiar with the meeting.Emanuel and de Blasio overlapped in the Clinton administration, where Emanuel served as a senior adviser to the president, while de Blasio served as a
Nearly A 1000 People Let State Senator John Flanagan Know How They Feel About The NYSED Education Reform Agenda
Great turnout by the people of Comsewogue:On Nov. 1 hundreds of parents, teachers, and community members lined the streets in front of State Sen. John Flanagan's office chanting that high-stakes testing needs to change. Educators define high-stakes testing as an exam that has important consequences. Many teachers feel the amount of testing that is being done to children through the new standards i
Charlie Crist To Run Against Rick Scott In Florida
From Political Wire:Charlie Crist (D) is running for Florida governor as a Democrat, the Tampa Bay Times reports. "The worst-kept secret in politics was confirmed Friday afternoon when the Republican Party of Florida spotted Crist's official filing with the state Division of Elections." Crist was a Jeb Bush ed deformer in the past too, but he did veto that teacher tenure bill.Scott is v