Every Child Matters
New Yorkers don't hold back. They took a strong stand in the last mayoral election on many things, particularly on education: They want a new direction in public schooling, one that helps all kids, not just some, from prekindergarten through college. And that's what they got--a mayor devoted to the educational needs of every child in the city, to turning around struggling schools, to valuing teaching and learning over testing, and to supporting high-quality schools in every neighborhood. But scorching tabloid stories and an expensive advertising campaign have painted a different picture in recent weeks, accusing Mayor Bill de Blasio of throwing students out on the street. What gives?
The blowup followed the Bloomberg administration's eleventh-hour decision to co-locate 45 more charter schools in New York City public schools. De Blasio has committed that his administration will conduct a comprehensive review of the contentious co-location policy. Nevertheless, he approved the vast majority of the co-locations, denying those that would place elementary schools in high schools, overwhelm already overcrowded schools, or displace students with disabilities and special needs.
That sounded reasonable to most people, including many charter school advocates.Parents who had worried their children would be displaced or lose programs and