Education Update - Metro Beat

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

Union Leaders Speak
Pension Shortfall is Wall Street’s Doing
By Michael Mulgrew
New York’s professional hand-wringers are leading the public fight against union pensions and benefits, calling them major causes of the city’s fiscal distress....READ MORE

NOVEMBER 2005

Patting Yourself On The Back Can Damage Your Rotator Cup
By President Jill Levy
It took less than 24 hours after the city and UFT announced a tentative teachers’ contract for Chancellor Joel Klein to crow about his perceived victory. READ MORE

OCTOBER 2005

“Union” Is Not A Four-Letter Word
By CSA President Jill Levy
Labor in the United States faces a great challenge in this 21st century. During the AFL-CIO annual convention in July, three of the largest affiliates walked away from the parent union even after intensive talks.
READ MORE

SEPTEMBER 2005

Improving New York City’s Middle Schools
By Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
Our Administration’s public school reforms are producing real results for our students; we’re clearly moving in the right direction. The four-year high school graduation rate, while still too low, is the highest it’s been in 20 years. READ MORE

The Heavy Hand of Autocracy
By CSA President Jill Levy
What does one call a governance structure or governing body that does not respect dissent, discourse and the free flow of ideas and information? Several months ago the media was bombarding the union with requests for access to Principals and Assistant Principals in their schools without DOE orchestration. READ MORE

Double Testing by State and City Must be Stopped
By Assemblyman Steven Sanders
Whatever one thinks of the frenzy of standardized testing brought on in part by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and regardless of one’s view of high-stakes testing, almost everyone can agree that subjecting students in the same grade to two sets of standardized tests is plain wrong. READ MORE

AUGUST 2005

JULY 2005

The Lesson I Learned from Dr. Kenneth Clark
By CSA President Jill Levy
Dr. Kenneth Clark, noted psychologist, educator and member of the NYS Board of Regents in the 1970s passed away last month. When I saw the notice about his passing, it was the day after I spoke about my only personal encounter with him. READ MORE

JUNE 2005

Moving in the Right Direction
By Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
I’ve always believed that if we set high academic standards for our city’s students, and surround them with the right support and encouragement, they will achieve more than we can ever imagine.
READ MORE

Father’s Day
By Matilda Raffa Cuomo
Surprisingly, the United States is one of only a few countries in the world that sets aside one day of the year to honor fathers, and it took a woman, inspired by a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909, to think of the idea. READ MORE

Teacher, Scholar, Manager, Entrepreneur?
Those Who Hire Principals Often Don’t Understand the Job
By Jill Levy, CSA President
Having been part of the public education system in New York City for 34 years, I find the question of who is leading our schools of paramount importance. Yet, no one has defined leadership as it applies to our schools. READ MORE

Scandal At The State-Operated School For The Blind Exposes State Ed’s Neglect Of Multiply-Disabled Kids
By Assemblyman Steven Sanders
I have called for a criminal investigation as well as for two federal probes, by the Justice Department’s Office of Civil Rights and by the Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general, into the recent scandal involving serious neglect of multiply-disabled children and young adults at the State-operated New York State School for the Blind in Batavia, NY. READ MORE

MAY 2005

Helping to Make Our City Even Better
By Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
The truth is that money is not the only way to give back; all of us have the ability to give something just as valuable: our time. There are many organizations and groups in—every community, in every borough—looking for a helping hand. READ MORE

The Glory of Mother’s Day
By Matilda Raffa Cuomo
It was springtime in ancient Greece when the “Mother of the Gods,” Rhea, was first celebrated. READ MORE

Assistant Principals: Crisis Management to Instructional Expertise
By Jill Levy, President, CSA
Recently, it has been my pleasure to work with Assistant Principals through the Executive Leadership Institute, and be exposed to their enthusiasm and intelligence. READ MORE

Bill Would Guarantee Education of
Incarcerated Youth
By Assemblyman Steven Sanders
I am proud to be the prime sponsor of legislation, Assembly bill 6009, which would amend the State’s Education Law and the Executive Law to guarantee the provision of educational services to youth confined in detention facilities. READ MORE

APRIL 2005

Discussing Our Five Borough Economic Plan
By Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
New jobs numbers came out recently, and they show that New York City’s economy continues to grow. Unemployment is down to 5.9 percent—the lowest it’s been since before 9/11. READ MORE

Celebrating Creative Expression During National Poetry Month
By Matilda Raffa Cuomo
In April, the Academy of American Poets will celebrate its 10th annual National Poetry Month, a program that the Academy established to promote appreciation of contemporary poetry. READ MORE

How to provide ‘Fiscal Equity’ for School Leaders with ‘Fiscal Equity’
By CSA President Jill Levy
Last month, I wrote about what was missing from all the proposals on how to spend Campaign for Fiscal Equity funding, the necessity for increasing the support and resources for school leaders. READ MORE

Legislature Rejects Pataki’s Education Cuts, Even As Gov. Continues Stalling On CFE
By Assemblyman Steven Sanders
Despite our best efforts, the Governor refuses to acknowledge the most recent findings of the courts, and despite our most vigorous objections, the Governor has entered into another round of frivolous appeals, doomed to failure... READ MORE

MARCH 2005

Where’s the ‘Fiscal Equity’ for School Leaders?
By CSA President Jill Levy
It may come as a surprise, but I actually requested to be among the last to testify before the City Council’s Commission on the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. I had made a private bet with myself and unfortunately, I won. READ MORE

JANUARY 2005

From ‘Infantilization’ to ‘Professionalization’
By CSA President Jill Levy
Ensconced in a conference room not too long ago with members of the Teaching Commission and their invited guests, I was immediately aware of the prospective power of the participants, not only as individuals, but also of the group as a whole. The group had the potential, as stated in its mission, “to raise student performance by transforming the way in which America’s public school teachers are recruited, rewarded, and retained.” READ MORE

How to Make a Difference in the New Year
By Matilda Raffa Cuomo
January 2005 is National Mentoring Month. According to the Mentoring Partnership of New York, a coalition of non-profit organizations has developed a major national initiative, in collaboration with the leading broadcast and cable networks to create January National Mentoring Month an annual, concentrated intense national and local media activity combined with extensive community outreach. READ MORE