Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg, along with all the borough Presidents, decided to go on and appoint a Schoolboard (close allies of the Mayor) and let Joel Klein continue to be the Chancellor. Mayor Bloomberg said that the issue of continuing mayoral control on NYC's public education system cannot be left floating around and unattended to in the chaos of the State Senate. That is why he and other elected officials are taking care of it instead. Because our children are important.
My friends, who are teachers in the system, gave me an overwhelming "NO" when I asked if they want mayoral control to continue. My friend, Miss C., goes on to explain her frustrations over our nachos and guacamole. I love guac.
Schools are closed for failing results, but they are closed too quickly. There was no chance and resources to let them improve. It is not a business, as the Mayor is approaching it as, but a school. Numbers are improving, students are passing, but at a cost. Smarter students are moved to a better school and failing students are moved to a failing school. Miss C. sees no advantage of leaving behind any student who is or in danger of failing in a classroom. She wants to continue to work with them until they succeed and not condemn them to failure only.
Having mayoral control and the No Child Left Behind Act also forces teachers to teach students how to pass exams. Teaching for this reason and not for their minds is not a success to Miss C. I don't think its a success for NYC students, either.
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