Do Students in the Big Five, Rural Schools and Low-Wealth Districts Receive the Same Rigorous, Robust, Well-Balanced, Coherent Curriculum as Students in High-Wealth Districts?
Every month I sit in the audience at the NYS Board of Regents meetings, listen to the discussion/debate over a wide range of issues and tweet – you can follow me @edintheapple.
The major topic on every agenda will be Graduation Measures, a wide ranging discussion of graduation requirements including the exit exams: the Regents examinations.
See the Graduation Measures website here.
Some of my twitter repliers were cynical, “…there already is a plan,” “Gates is manipulating the process,” and like. I tweeted back that reaching consensus among the members of the Regents (BOR) is akin to herding cats; no disrespect to cats or the members. The BOR members, thirteen representing geographic sections of the state (judicial districts) and four at-large are an fiercely independent group. They are unpaid and unstaffed, and, are expected to attend meetings and visit schools across their region.
Although they are selected in a political process, they are “elected” for five year terms by a joint meeting of both house of the state legislature, in reality by the Democratic majority. While there is no statutory or regulatory process at the end of a five year term or if a member leaves the positions are posted and anyone can apply. All applicants are interviewed in Albany at open meetings by the chairs of the education committees and other members who choose to attend. In the Westchester/Rockland district the legislators have held public interviews in their region, in others consultations with stakeholders. While Speaker Silver selected BOR members without any scrutiny Speaker Heastie has followed the opinions of local legislators.
Five of the BOR members have served as superintendents (Cashin, Chin, Rosa Young, Ouderkirk), Susan Mittler was a teacher union president, Dr. Collins a CONTINUE READING: Do Students in the Big Five, Rural Schools and Low-Wealth Districts Receive the Same Rigorous, Robust, Well-Balanced, Coherent Curriculum as Students in High-Wealth Districts? | Ed In The Apple