Principal to N.Y. Gov. Cuomo: Stop spreading a false narrative about public education
Jamaal Bowman is the principal of the Cornerstone Academy for Social Action Middle school in the Bronx. The school’s website says that the mission of the school is to graduate “self-aware, hard-working and socially responsible 21st century learners.” Cornerstone Academy’s curriculum, based on the Common Core State State Standards, focuses on improving the “creative, critical, collaborative and higher-order thinking skills” of students, who take practice state assessments every six to eight weeks. Teachers and administrators look at the scores, the website says, and devise new instructional plans based on the results.
Bowman clearly believes in data-driven instruction, and that makes the following open letter he has written to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo — which talks in part about the misuse of data in education — particularly interesting.
Implementation of the standards and aligned testing was widely described as a mess, and 20 percent of students across the state refused to take the Core tests this past spring as a protest. Cuomo took notice and in September, he created a task force to review the Common Core in his state. The New York Times just reported that Cuomo, a staunch advocate of making student standardized test scores up to 50 percent of teacher evaluations, may be ready to move away from that stance (which would be a significant change) and is awaiting the task force’s conclusions. (It could happen but don’t hold your breath.)
In any case, here’s Bowman’s open letter.
Dear Governor Cuomo:I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health and good spirits. I write not only to you, but also to those who share your view of public education.I want to start by thanking you for creating a commission to review and “reboot” the Common Core standards. I agree, “the implementation of the Common Core just did not work,” and needs a “total overhaul.” By forming the commission, you have provided a platform for parents and educators to share their thinking regarding not just the common core, but public education in general. I am hopeful that the feedback you receive will make its way into our schools and begin a much needed student centered redesign of public education in New York State.I also want to personally thank you for allowing me to provide testimony to the common core commission at the College of New Rochelle. It seems that my testimony went over pretty well as it has nearly 4,000 views on social media. Your commission has also chosen to make me one of their technical advisors, whichPrincipal to N.Y. Gov. Cuomo: Stop spreading a false narrative about public education - The Washington Post: