Governor Andrew Cuomo may have given some Upstate mayors just the holiday present they were hoping for: you guessed it, mayoral control. In a recent letter from a Cuomo aide to the state’s top education leaders, Chancellor Merryl Tisch and outgoing SED Commissioner John King, Cuomo indicates that he wants fresh ideas to boost academic […]
Tim Louis Macaluso
I was born and raised in the Rochester area, but I lived in California and Florida before returning home about 12 years ago. I'm a vegetarian and live with my husband and our three pugs. I cover education, health care, and local politics for City.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Savoring satire in Pittsford
Elaine Miller describes herself as a groupie. The celebrities she follows, though, are cartoonists who specialize in political satire. Miller has studied and analyzed political cartoons and the artists who create them for decades. The longtime Pittsford resident regularly attends their conventions, lovingly collects their work, and frequently lectures on the intrinsic value of political […]
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School board approves UR plan for East
The Rochester school board last night approved a plan from the University of Rochester to partner with East High School with the goal of dramatically improving student performance at East. The vote was 6 to 0, with board member Melisza Campos absent. The plan, which allows the UR to take over the management of East […]
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Summer school programs net math gains
Rochester city schools students who participated in a summer program entered school this fall with a significant advantage in math over their peers, according to the early results of a RAND Corporation study. The RCSD is one of five large school districts from around the country participating in the six-year study, which is part of […]
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Vote may be this week on UR’s plan for East
If all goes well, the Rochester school board will vote on Thursday, December 18, on the University of Rochester’s sweeping proposal to transform East High School. That would let the district meet the State Education Department’s December 31 deadline for submitting a turn-around plan. If the SED approves the plan, the UR will assume full […]
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UR envisions smaller, more robust East High
After six months of planning, yesterday the University of Rochester presented the Rochester school board with a sweeping proposal to transform its low-performing East High School into a highly successful learning environment. If the proposal is approved by both the school board and the State Education Department, it will clear the way for the UR […]
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Virus linked to slowed development
The congenital human herpesvirus-6 has long been associated with a wide range of conditions and illnesses. And now a researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center says that HHV-6 could play a role in slowing children’s mental development. Dr. Mary Caserta, a URMC professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases, recently completed a study showing […]
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Teachout takes on the Hedge Funders over education
Zephyr Teachout, the Fordham law professor and progressive Democrat who ran a primary election against Governor Andrew Cuomo earlier this year, made a favorable impression on many voters across the state. Her campaign revealed serious discontent with Cuomo and some of his policies. While Teachout didn’t topple Cuomo, she didn’t shrink quietly into the night, […]
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Charlotte’s closing may be a condemnation of school choice
Charlotte High School, which just underwent a multimillion-dollar makeover as part of the district’s massive modernization project, should be revered at least as much as Charlotte’s famous lighthouse. And it was a generation or two ago, but not anymore. Today, the school is arguably a better example of the death of neighborhood schools. That was […]
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Voting hurdles for transgenders
Laine DeLaney was nearly unable to vote in this year’s midterm elections because of a mix up with her identification. DeLaney, 36, who came out as a transwoman in 2013, went to the Department of Motor Vehicles earlier this year to change her name on her license. Updating official public records is one of the […]
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Does anyone hold the SED and the Regents accountable?
It’s hard to say what the future holds for Ted Morris, the 22-year-old former lead applicant for the Greater Works Charter School. Morris went from wunderkind to someone people began eyeing with suspicion in the span of a day or two after it turned out he had invented much of his educational background and work […]
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Immigration plan’s winners and losers
People come to the US to escape extreme poverty and violence, said one Upstate New York immigrant farmworker after hearing President Obama’s immigration speech last week. “We’re here to do the right thing and provide food for everyone,” he said. “I didn’t come to this country to produce weapons or smuggle drugs. I produce food.” […]
