Resistance to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s education reform agenda seems to be gaining steam. Cuomo has weathered several controversies, and though he won re-election, it wasn’t an overwhelming victory. And frankly, some of his statements about public schools and his relentless attacks on the teachers unions haven’t made a lot of sense politically or in terms […]
Common Core
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Profits or passing grades?
One of the most common complaints that many teachers and principals make against education reformers is what they commonly refer to as the privatization of public education. It’s a phrase that can take on many different meanings and is often dismissed as little more than a conspiracy theory. But federal and state governments spend billions […]
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NYSUT sues state over Common Core tests
No matter how state education officials promote the benefits and successes of the Common Core curriculum standards, it remains controversial. And a new lawsuit by New York State United Teachers probably won’t ease those concerns. The union that represents most of the state’s teachers says that the state is stepping on the First Amendment rights […]
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VIDEO: Zephyr Teachout campaigns in Rochester
Zephyr Teachout, the Fordham University Law professor who’s challenging Governor Andrew Cuomo in a Democratic primary later this month, made a campaign stop this morning at Village Gate plaza in Rochester. Teachout stuck to the main themes of her campaign: Cuomo supports too many tax breaks for banks, corporations, and the wealthy, she said. And […]
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Elections and education
Two education initiatives are among the few issues in this partisan climate somehow crisscrossing ideological and political boundaries. Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has not backed away from his support of charter schools despite some tensions with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The new mayor of the country’s largest school system has been […]
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Cuomo presents his 2014-15 budget
Governor Andrew Cuomo is sticking to his claim that if the state continues to hold down spending increases, the budget will have a $2 billion surplus by the 2016-17 budget year. And during his budget address this afternoon, Cuomo once again said that the surplus will enable a suite of tax cuts for businesses as […]
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Cuomo critical of Common Core rollout
Only minutes ago, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that’s he going to convene a panel of educators and legislators to review the rollout of the controversial Common Core curriculum. Cuomo made the announcement during his 2014-2015 budget presentation. Acknowledging that there have been complaints statewide about the Common Core from parents, teachers, and students, Cuomo said, […]
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Conservatives find opportunities in Common Core
It’s hard to find many areas in the current political climate where conservatives and progressives agree. But they seem to have found one in education. Many progressives reject the tougher standardized curriculum referred to as Common Core because they’re suspicious of how it was developed — largely absent of input from everyday teachers. They’ve also […]
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Public relations battle continues over Common Core
For the last two months, State Education Commissioner John King has been on what officials call a “listening tour” in communities around the state.
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Commissioner King gets an earful on education
The Affordable Care Act’s disastrous rollout may not be the Democrats’ only problem in the 2014 elections. Dissatisfaction with the Obama administration’s education reforms is growing, and anger is building at the local level. State Education Commissioner John King, during a public forum held in Brighton last week, heard dozens of parents, teachers, and students […]
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Preliminary teacher evaluations released
State Education officials have released preliminary statewide ratings for teachers and principals under the new Annual Professional Performance Review. The composite results show that 91.5 percent of teachers earned ratings of “highly effective” or “effective,” while 4.4 percent are “developing,” and 1 percent are “ineffective.” The data also show that 89.9 percent of principals are […]
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Commissioner King cancels Common Core forums
Sometimes reality can overwhelm rhetoric, and that appears to be the case with a recent set of statewide public forums planned by State Education Commissioner John King. King intended to use the forums to provide more information about the rigorous new Common Core curriculum. But after a disastrous first meeting (see YouTube video below), King […]
