Bloomberg & Klein Visit PS 126, Manhattan
By Michelle Accorso

On a recent afternoon, reporters piled into the cozy second floor library at P.S. 126. Draped with literature ranging from children's books to Time magazines, the library is just one reason that P.S. 126 is leading the way in the New York City public school system.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein's purpose for coming to P.S. 126 was to applaud Principal Jose Montañez and P.S. 126 for setting high standards and enabling children to achieve in one of the most ethnically diverse schools in the city comprised of 40 percent Hispanic, 36 percent Asian and 18 percent African-American. "Only 9 percent of African-Americans earned a Regents diploma last year in New York State. Shame on us for letting a group fall by the wayside," stated Bloomberg.

"Among the reasons why P.S. 126 seems to be doing so well," explained Chancellor Joel Klein, "is the leadership advisory committee. The school does intensive assessment right from the beginning. The children are then educated based on those assessments." Klein described P.S. 126 as being the model, a school that understands the need for an exciting learning community that attracts and retains good teachers.

"We're trying to get as much funding as we can," Mayor Bloomberg stressed; "the political reality is we will never have enough—we have to do the best with what we have." Klein when asked about third-grade promotion policies said,  "If we start in 1st and 2nd grades focusing on students, then we can make sure these children have the skills they need. The jump from 3^rd to 4th grade is a big deal and if we let kids pass without the skills they need, we will end up with poor testing numbers throughout the city."#