Education

Mayor Bloomberg And Chancellor Klein Release First Annual 'Arts In Schools' Report, A School-By-School Analysis Of Arts Instruction In New York City

Thu, 6 Mar 2008 14:20:46 -0600

First-Time Report Describes New Supports to Boost Arts Education

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today released the first Annual Arts in Schools Report, which provides the most comprehensive analysis of arts education in New York City public schools ever produced. The new report documents the comeback of arts education since it was nearly eliminated during the 1970s, and identifies areas where schools are excelling, as well as where targeted interventions are needed to improve results. It provides student participation and access to arts programs data during the 2006-07 school year – the year before the ArtsCount initiative began – and will therefore serve as a baseline for measuring performance under ArtsCount, which was announced last summer to enhance and provide greater accountability for arts education. Early indicators suggest that ArtsCount is already yielding results: in 2007-08, schools budgeted to increase arts spending by 3 percent, or $9.5 million, including a 2 percent increase in the number of full-time, certified arts teachers. The Mayor and Chancellor were joined at Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn by Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin, Theatre Development Fund Executive Director Victoria Bailey, and Principal Jo Ann Chester.

“Arts instruction is essential to a high-quality education,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “As the first Annual Arts in Schools Report clearly shows, we have come a long way from the days when the arts were essentially eliminated from our schools. This resurgence would not have happened without the creativity and commitment of the arts community, but much work remains. The report gives the DOE, parents, and the arts community an essential tool to track our continuing progress.”

“Many of our schools are providing an outstanding arts education, cultivating students’ creativity and honing their artistic talents, but clearly, many other students are being shortchanged, which is unacceptable,” said Chancellor Klein. “We will use the data in this report to target support to the schools that need it most, and we will enlist the arts community to assist us in ensuring that every student has access to a well-rounded arts education.”

“The schools that best serve their students are the ones that thoughtfully and actively engage with their communities,” said Commissioner Levin. “In New York City, those communities include some 1,400 non-profit cultural organizations poised to extend and enhance the learning that begins in the classroom.”

Baseline data from the first Annual Arts in Schools Report allow the DOE to measure progress and develop targeted strategies to move schools toward the goal of providing high-quality arts education for all students. As announced last summer, principals will now be held accountable for arts education in their progress reports, quality reviews, and annual performance reviews.

Among new strategies announced today that will begin soon:

* For elementary schools, the DOE will develop curriculum and provide professional development for classroom teachers to integrate all four arts forms—visual arts, music, theater, dance—into their regular instructional programs.

* At the middle-school level, schools will be offered professional development workshops to help school leaders strategically use their schedule, space, and budget to provide more arts programs. These are the three issues most often cited as creating barriers to arts education programs.

* At the high school level, the DOE will offer seminars to help more districts and schools establish multi-year arts sequences. In addition, the DOE will be implementing a 12th grade comprehensive exam in all four arts disciplines, which students will take for the first time in the 2008-09 school year.

In addition, the DOE will develop arts curriculum toolkits for all principals and work with School Support Organizations to help their schools deliver an arts curriculum aligned with the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts, a set of clear standards for what students should know and be able to do in the four arts forms. And to address shortages in full-time, certified arts teachers, particularly in dance and theater, the DOE will work with education departments at local universities to develop a strong pipeline of future teachers.

Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein also announced that beginning June 2, Bank of America will sponsor a week-long celebration, “P.S. Arts Week”, which will feature student artwork and performances in marquee locations throughout the city, including Carnegie Hall and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“The arts are an essential part of the instructional program at Fort Hamilton High School,” said Principal Jo Ann Chester. “They lead to a more well-rounded individual. The variety of music, visual arts, and drama programs we offer also give students the opportunity to make a connection with something they are passionate about, which helps to keep them focused and motivated.”

“Partnerships with committed teachers and principals are central to the success of TDF's work here at Fort Hamilton and in all of the schools where we work. Together, we are able to enrich the lives of students while strengthening key skills they will need as they move beyond the doors of their school,” said Victoria Bailey, Executive Director of Theatre Development Fund. “All of us at TDF would like to thank the Mayor and his team, who are working so effectively on behalf of arts and education.”

The Annual Arts in Schools Report identifies both areas where schools are excelling and areas where the targeted interventions described above are needed. In high schools, nearly half of students (46 percent) are exceeding graduation requirements by earning two or more credits in the arts. In elementary schools, 98 percent of schools are providing arts education to every student each year, with 62 percent providing instruction in two arts forms. However, only 4 percent of elementary schools are offering all four art forms to every grade annually, as required by the State. At the middle school level, more than 90 percent of schools offer at least one art form and 79 percent offer at least two; but only 29 percent of students received one semester’s instruction in two distinct arts disciplines, as the State requires.

Other key findings from the report include:

* Members of New York City’s cultural community are instrumental in helping schools offer diverse arts programs. For example, when working with cultural partners, 68 percent of elementary schools offer at least three arts disciplines and 38 percent offer all four.

* Between 2004-05 and 2006-07, the number of arts vendors in partnership with City schools increased by 56 percent.

* Between 2004-05 and 2006-07, the number of school buildings with arts rooms increased 3 percent, and the total number of arts rooms increased 1 percent. Nearly all, 92 percent, of school buildings have arts rooms.

* Between 2004-05 and 2006-07, the number of full-time certified arts teachers increased by 9 percent.

The Annual Arts in Schools Report is accessible at www.nyc.gov/schools. Additionally, an individual report has been published for every school and can be found on the ‘Statistics’ page of each school’s website.

Mayor Bloomberg Accepts Broad Prize for Urban Education Recognizing New York City as Nation's Most Improved Urban School District

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:10:05 -0500

$500,000 to Be Awarded to New York City for College Scholarships

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today accepted the Broad Prize for Urban Education recognizing New York City as the nation’s most improved urban school district. The annual prize, the largest and most prestigious education award in the country, is given to the district that has demonstrated the greatest progress in raising academic performance for all students while also reducing the achievement gap between ethnic groups and high and low-income students. The Mayor was joined in Washington, D.C. by Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development Dennis Walcott and New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein. This is the third consecutive year that New York City has been a finalist for the Broad Prize.

“I thank the Broad Foundation for their vote of confidence in the New York City public school system. While we have made significant progress, much work remains to be done,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Today’s result demonstrates that New York City’s school reforms are raising achievement among our students, particularly minority students, to levels that weren’t considered possible just a few years ago, and this award recognizes the hard work of the teachers, students and parents and acknowledges that we are heading in the right direction.”

“I thank the Broad Foundation and congratulate the people whose hard work made this happen: the principals, teachers, students, and parents in our 1,400-plus public schools,” said Chancellor Klein. “They all deserve credit for the fact that more students than ever in New York City are proficient in reading and math, and are graduating high school in record numbers.”

Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein congratulated the four other finalists: Bridgeport Public Schools, the Long Beach Unified Public School District, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and Northside Independent School District in San Antonio. Since 2002, when the State Legislature gave Mayor Bloomberg control of the school system, the Children First reforms instituted by the Mayor and Chancellor have redirected hundreds of millions of dollars from the bureaucracy into classrooms and given principals more authority to made decisions for their school while holding them accountable for raising student achievement.

Criteria for awarding the Broad Prize are grounded in research-based school and district practices found to be effective in three areas: teaching and learning, district leadership and operations and support systems. This year, 100 of the nation’s largest urban school districts were eligible for the Broad Prize, and the five finalists were selected based on an extensive review of data by MPR Associates, Inc., a national education research consulting firm. A review board of 14 prominent educational leaders evaluated the data and selected the finalists. The board found New York City stood out on several fronts.

In 2006, New York City outperformed other districts in New York State serving students with similar income levels in reading and math at all grade levels.
New York City is closing achievement gaps for Hispanic and African-American students. Gains made by Hispanic students outpaced their white counterparts in reading and math. Gains by African-American students outpaced their white counterparts in math.
Between 2003 and 2006, participation rates for Hispanic and African-American students taking the SAT exam have gone up.

Earlier this year, teams of educational researchers and practitioners visited the finalist districts to interview administrators, union representatives, community leaders and parents. They also conducted focus groups with teachers and principals, and observed classrooms. A selection jury of nine prominent leaders from the fields of business, industry, education, and public service then reviewed site visit reports and performance data to select the winning school district.

The $1 million prize is divided among the five finalists with New York City set to receive $500,000 in scholarships for graduating seniors. The Department of Education will notify students of the availability of the scholarships and encourage them to apply. Scholarships of $10,000 will be distributed to students applying to four-year colleges, and $2,500 awards will be granted to students applying to two-year schools. Administration of the scholarships is handled by the Educational Testing Service. The other four district finalists will each receive $125,000 in scholarships.

Mayor Bloomberg Delivers 2008 State Of The City Address

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:51:16 -0600

"Thank you, Helen, and good afternoon. It's great to be in Queens. Home of Louis Armstrong, Simon & Garfunkel, and the great Count Basie, who wrote my entrance music today - 'One O'Clock Jump.' I'm especially glad to be here at the brand-new public pool and ice rink in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. I was hoping to ride in on a Zamboni but I couldn't get it through the Midtown Tunnel.

"Speaker Quinn and members of the City Council, Comptroller Thompson, Public Advocate Gotbaum, Borough Presidents, Mayors Dinkins and Koch. I want to welcome you and all our distinguished guests here today. And I'd like to start by introducing you to some guests of my own. Five special families: the Ramóns, who came to New York from Colombia 20 years ago; the Chens, originally from Ningbo, China; the Snreenivasans, originally from Madras, India; the Bias family, who moved here in 1953 from South Carolina; and finally, the Farruggios, who came from Sicily, and are here today with the newest member of their family - Sienna - born just two weeks ago.

"Five different families. Five different backgrounds, origins, even native languages. Yet they all live, just blocks apart, right here in Flushing. And they share something else: Immigrant - or native-born all of them have hitched their dreams to this great city. I wanted to invite these families today, and a number of others in the front rows, because the diversity they represent is what makes our town special. This is New York City.

"These families - like all of us - do not know what the new year will bring, especially as the economy appears headed for difficult times. Family budgets are tightening, and so are budgets for businesses and governments. But these families have put their faith in our city. They believe in the promise it has always offered. And our challenge - those of us in this room who work for them - is to make it just a little bit easier to redeem that promise, a little bit easier to get through these uncertain times.

"Their presence is a two-way street. New York gives them unlimited opportunities and these families help make New York the nation's economic engine, its financial hub, its fashion center, its media mecca, and its cultural capital. And that's one of the messages I've been speaking out on, to those who are wailing against immigration, to those politicians who, all of a sudden, have embraced xenophobia, I say: open your eyes.

"Take a look behind me. This is what makes America great. This is New York City. This is Freedom. This is Compassion, and Democracy, and Opportunity.

"We are in a competitive struggle. And the stakes couldn't be higher. Over the past year, I've seen cities from London to Paris to Shanghai, pushing the frontiers of progress. They are doing everything they can to attract the best and the brightest in every field: medicine; engineering; construction and more. These cities are not putting up barriers; they're not looking inward or blaming someone else. They're not afraid of the new or the different, and we shouldn't be either. If we are, we won't have a future.

"Keeping New York City and America at the front of the pack begins with an openness to new energy, meaning immigration, and to new ideas, meaning innovation. It means thinking about problems in new ways, and using the most powerful new technology from every place to solve them. It means recognizing what we do well and how - with education - we can improve and be the beneficiary of change, not its victim.

"That's how I built my business and that's the approach I've brought to a City government that was insular, and provincial, and married to the conventional. To stay competitive, this year New York will continue implementing the most ambitious agenda of any city in the country, and doing something that too often doesn't happen in government: following-through on promises.

"We are committed to making our City government quicker, leaner, stronger, better, and to giving all New Yorkers a city that matches their ambition and honors their dreams. What I'm going to describe today is not just about programs and applications. It's about helping people like the families behind me who live the State of the City every day, and who feel the State of the City when they're walking down the street, when they're paying their bills and when they're sending their children off to school.

"So let's talk about the State of our City for these families - and yours. Let's begin with government's most fundamental responsibility: public safety.

"In 2007, we made the safest big city in the nation safer than it has been in generations. The fewest traffic deaths in nearly a century. Historic lows in jail violence. Historic lows in fire fatalities. And the fewest homicides recorded in modern history. This is New York City today.

"Sadly, just three days into our new year, we got a heartbreaking reminder of the risks our first responders take every day: We lost FDNY Lieutenant John Martinson while he was battling a fire in a 25-story building. And last August, we lost firefighters Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino to a fire at the old Deutsche Bank Building. These heroes left us more than an inspiring example of sacrifice. They left us with a job to do: Providing our police officers and firefighters with the best new tools and training - so that when they walk into an emergency situation, they'll have the best possible chance of walking safely back out.

"This year, Commissioner Scoppetta and the FDNY will pioneer a state-of-the-art high-rise fire simulator that will play an important role at our new 23-week training academy. That's nearly double the length of the old training program. And starting this year, the fire academy will begin welcoming the most diverse classes in its history.

"We'll also take a major leap forward in modernizing and improving emergency communications. By placing GPS-systems in every fire truck and ambulance, we can now track and deploy them more effectively - which has helped reduce ambulance response times by 21 seconds over the past 18 months. That makes a big difference in saving lives. But we can do better.

"This year, we'll be launching the New York City wireless network - which allows first responders to get more information, more quickly. Maps, mugshots, rap sheets. It will move us from slow dial-up to high-speed broadband with 100 times the capacity of the old analog system. At the same time, we'll expand its functions to serve all of City government - even the more mundane things that influence our quality of life.

"For instance, it will allow us to read water meters remotely or improve control of traffic signals. To further reduce police and fire response times and improve emergency communications, we'll move past the old agency-centric way of handling 911 calls.

"Right now, if you call 911 to report a fire, you first speak to a police operator then you're transferred to a fire operator - in a completely different location - and you have to tell your story all over again wasting precious seconds. This year, to begin streamlining the call-taking system, operators and dispatchers will move into the first of two new centralized facilities, working side by side, saving time, and possibly even lives.

We'll also have 'Digital 911' up and running by this summer, allowing New Yorkers to send digital photos to the police from their cell phones. These new communication tools will enable the NYPD to continue driving crime down to historic lows. Because, whether it's one murder or 496 we are not satisfied we are not finished and we are not letting up in the fight against crime - not for one second.

"In the year ahead, we'll use the latest technology to continue turning up the heat on criminals - and, to more quickly exonerate the innocent. The single most powerful way to do both is through DNA analysis. Two years ago, we convinced the State Legislature to expand DNA testing to cover all convicted felons, and some misdemeanors. This year, we will urge Albany to follow the lead of the federal government - and a growing number of European countries - by taking DNA fingerprints from all those who are arrested. This would help keep the innocent out of jail and the guilty off our streets.

"In the months ahead, we will also challenge the private sector to speed up DNA fingerprinting so that when DNA is left behind, officers can identify suspects more quickly and avoid wrongful arrests. And to do this, we will establish a six-figure prize for anyone who can invent a device tailored to the NYPD that analyzes DNA right at the crime scene. It's just one more way we are trying to bring private sector innovation into the public sector.

"This year, we'll also use technology to fight the #1 public safety threat in our city - and in all cities: illegal guns. In less than two years, our bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from 15 members to more than 250. Together, we've put the issue of illegal guns back on the national agenda - and against all odds, we have made important progress: Beating back federal legislation that would have made it easier to traffic in illegal guns. Convincing the federal ATF to release some of the critical trace data our officers need to track the flow of guns across state lines. And most recently, in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, we helped pass a major upgrade to the federal background check system.

"The Virginia Tech murders showed what happens when state governments fail to share mental health records with the ATF. But Virginia was not alone. Right now, thousands of New York's mental health records are not in the federal background check system. So, this year, we will push for new State legislation requiring all State agencies to supply these records to federal authorities - and I say: Let's get it done before the April 16th anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre and before another senseless tragedy takes place.

"Two years ago, under Commissioner Kelly's leadership, the NYPD created a special Gun Suppression Squad to improve our anti-trafficking intelligence. Now, to take this work to the next level, we will begin creating a comprehensive database of firearms evidence - something no other city in the country has. It will become the latest addition to our revolutionary Real Time Crime Center.

"We will also seek to follow Governor Schwarzenegger's lead in passing legislation that requires manufacturers to use microstamping technology, which helps police better connect crime scenes to guns. Criminals are hoping we don't pass it - so what are we waiting for?

"We'll also deploy the latest technology against those who seek to attack our city a possibility that, unfortunately, is just as strong as it was before 9/11. In the year ahead, Commissioner Bruno and the Office of Emergency Management will help every City agency draw up plans that guarantee continuity of operations during a wide-scale emergency. At the same time, the NYPD will expand its Lower Manhattan Security Initiative by deploying 30 vehicles Downtown with automated license plate reading devices. The NYPD deserves the world's best counter-terrorism tools and we're going to make sure they have them.

"We've brought new technology to every level of city government to improve customer service and employee performance. I've always believed that achieving these goals begins with providing the information people need to hold our feet to the fire. That's the idea behind the streamlined Mayor's Management Report, and behind the progress reports we've released on both our campaign promises and PlaNYC. A government that is more open, more responsive, and more accountable: This is New York City.

"In the months ahead, we will take that philosophy to new heights with a major new addition to our most popular customer service innovation 311. Since 2003, we've logged more than 60 million calls. Now, we haven't been able to satisfy everyone, of course. Someone recently called trying to buy tickets for a Hannah Montana concert. But today, I'm pleased to announce a new and improved 311. The citizens' hotline will soon go on-line. From now on New Yorkers will be able to track the progress of their service requests on the web.

"By this summer, the public will also be able to go online to monitor the progress of SCOUT, our roving team of quality-of-life inspectors who hit the streets last fall. SCOUT has already covered every city street three times over - and we even have one of their scooters here today.

"Over the coming months, we'll go even further. Working with Public Advocate Gotbaum, we will conduct a massive public opinion survey and reach out to 100,000 New Yorkers to get their feedback on how well City government is serving them. We'll also roll out the mother of all accountability tools, which we call Citywide Performance Reporting. It's going to put a wealth of data at our fingertips - more than any other American city has ever made available. Fire response times, noise complaints, trees planted by the Parks Department- you name it.

"More than 500 different measurements from 45 City agencies - all available with a few clicks of the mouse. I like to think of it as a Bloomberg terminal for City government - except that it's free to the public. And no future mayor will ever be able to walk away from it because the public won't let them, and rightly so. Good government is about transparency and accountability. We're doing everything we can to make them both permanent.

"Modernizing City government also requires a comprehensive look at its structure and operations, something that hasn't happened since Mayor Koch appointed a Charter Revision Commission 20 years ago. Since then, a lot has changed, and we've come to see redundancies, antiquated regulations, and areas for cost-savings. It's time to apply those lessons in order to make government more open, accountable, and efficient - not just this year, but permanently. Today, I am pleased to announce that we will appoint a new Charter Revision Commission that will conduct a top-to-bottom review of City government over the next 18 months. We'll consider any proposal that will improve the life of New York and New Yorkers.

"Unfortunately, a Charter Revision Commission can't affect an area that desperately needs modernization: The Board of Elections, perhaps the only agency that still has the party bosses directly calling the shots. But this year, we will work with Citizens Union to build a nonpartisan coalition that unites the left and the right around a very basic idea: Hiring should be based on merit, not party ties. 2008 is the 130th anniversary of the death of Boss Tweed. Let's also make it the year we finally put to rest his style of politics.

"All of our work to make government more accountable stems from a simple principle: Serving our citizens is our most basic responsibility. That goes for every citizen at every income level. In 2008, we will use technology to continue breaking down barriers to City services. For too long, individual agencies have looked at their clients in isolation - even though many New Yorkers interact with City government on a whole spectrum of issues.

"For instance, today, the Human Resources Administration has no way of knowing that a woman who is seeking help finding work might also have a history of homelessness and a child in foster care. This year, in a first for any municipal government, we will link the computer systems at more than a dozen City agencies. They'll be able to share client information without compromising confidentiality.

"Under this new system - called Health and Human Services Connect - New Yorkers will have to give us their information only once, and their case file will be updated online as needed. For the caseworkers this will mean less time pushing paper more time with their clients and, most importantly, a more comprehensive picture of the people we are trying to help.

"We need to give New Yorkers the best service we can because New Yorkers give their best to the city they love. They give their time, their talent, and sometimes, they give more than anyone can imagine. Luís and Yolanda Ramón moved to 45th Avenue, not too far from here, where they raised their three sons, and sent them to P.S. 24. Their eldest boy, who was born in Colombia and emigrated here, joined the United States Marines in 2003, to defend his new country.

"As many of you might remember, three years later, Corporal Julian Ramón gave his life in Anbar Province. Luís and Yolanda, on behalf of all eight and a quarter million of your neighbors, we honor your son, and all of the brave soldiers who've served our country, and city so valiantly. The bravery of Julian, the strength of Luís and Yolanda - This is New York City. And that's why we're going to do more than ever to protect New Yorkers here at home when they're most vulnerable.

"To step up our fight against domestic violence, we will open the City's second Family Justice Center in Kew Gardens giving victims another place where they can find all the services they need under one roof. And to press the battle against homelessness, we will establish nearly 500 beds for the toughest cases: Those who avoid the shelter system because they don't want to be bound by a curfew or forced into a substance abuse program. We can't be afraid to flip the conventional wisdom on its head when it comes to intractable problems like homelessness or poverty. And that's exactly what our Center for Economic Opportunity is doing.

"Over the past year, it's put more than 30 innovative strategies into motion, representing the best new ideas in the field, ideas that have the potential to unlock new solutions to poverty. This work has also helped us build on the progress we've made in reducing the number of welfare recipients to the lowest it has been in nearly half a century.

"Another 12 pioneering ideas will hit the ground this year - including a new partnership with our three public library systems to promote literacy among high school dropouts. It will be part of an emerging focus on New Yorkers who are a key part of the poverty puzzle: young fathers. Through a new campaign called 'NYC Dads,' for example, we will help more young fathers connect with their children, and with jobs. Congress should do its part too, by ending the marriage penalty in the Earned Income Tax Credit and lowering the qualifying age from 25 to 21. At the same time, Congress should withhold the money from any father who isn't up to date on child support payments. Bigger benefits, basic responsibilities. To me, that's the right way to fight poverty.

"At the same time, let's face up to the hard fact: too many of today's young fathers have run afoul of the law. They face an uphill battle in getting their lives back on track - but if they don't, their children will suffer most.

"That's why this year, we will build more classrooms at Rikers Island and make going to school there more attractive. And to keep inmates on the right path once they leave, we will link them to the benefits they need immediately upon release. They've paid their debt - but with no prospects, sadly, too many of them will return to jail. Let's help them build their future - which will help keep all of us safe.

"A central part of reducing poverty is improving public health - and over the past six years we've helped New Yorkers of all incomes be proactive about their health. The results speak for themselves: 265,000 more New Yorkers now have a regular doctor; a record number are being screened for colon cancer; teen smoking has plunged an incredible 52 percent; and due to these accomplishments - and others - the average New Yorker is living longer than the average American. Think about that. On the other hand, why shouldn't we? This is New York City!

"Now, we're stepping up our fight against New York's number one killer: heart disease. That's why, last year, we didn't just ban trans fats. Working with Speaker Quinn, we've increased the availability of healthy foods in neighborhoods where they are hardest to find and also introduced legislation to raise the number of street vendors who sell fruit and vegetables.

"This year, we will raise the quality of food served in every City agency from our hospitals to our schools to our senior centers. That's nearly 1.5 million meals every single day of the year. We'll also continue opening parks and playgrounds in every neighborhood, so that every New Yorker has no more than a 10-minute walk to enjoy them.

"Over the next 25 years, the number of New Yorkers over 65 is going to nearly double- growing to 20% of our city. That's an incredible statistic. Seniors bring both stability and vitality to our neighborhoods. Just take a look at John Bias. He's joined councils, clubs, and community boards. He retired and now he's busier than ever.

"Today I'm announcing a major effort called 'The All Ages Project.' In collaboration with the City Council and the New York Academy of Medicine, this project will completely re-envision what it means to grow old in New York, for seniors like John and me!

"For instance: How can we ensure that more seniors are cared for in their own homes, rather than in institutions? And how do we make our city easier to get around in? Next month, we will begin to address that second challenge with traffic engineering improvements at 25 high-accident areas which are especially problematic for seniors, including some here in Flushing.

"This will make the streets safer for all of us including our children. Everything we're doing, in fact, will create a better future for our children - because soon this will be their city. They'll be the ones sitting in your seats, voting, paying your Social Security benefits or even be up here giving the State of the City address.

"That's why, from the beginning, we've pursued major education reforms that put 'children first.' That commitment has been the engine driving everything we've achieved in the past six years: Raising graduation rates by 20%; increasing reading and math scores by double digits; slashing the bureaucracy; funding schools more generously - and more equitably; rewarding principals and teachers for excellence; closing the shameful achievement gap between ethnicities; and giving all children a chance to fulfill their God-given potential. This is New York City.

"The families of New York expect a lot from their schools - and they have every right to. They're entrusting us with their children. Five children, in the case of the Snreenivasan family. They're the people we have to answer to. That's why one of our first steps was putting parent coordinators in every school. It's why we reached out to 850,000 families in the biggest school survey ever. "It's why we've created school progress reports - in 10 languages.

"And this year, we'll use the power of technology to give families another window into their children's schools. Recently, we unveiled a performance management database that allows principals and teachers to track student progress. This fall, we'll open up this web-based system to parents. No longer will kids be able to hide test scores from parents.

"We will put technology to work in other ways, too. For instance, this year, we'll begin testing GPS systems on our school buses to help us measure on-time performance and keep track of our fleet in the event of a citywide emergency. Technology will also help us in our mission to ensure a first-rate teacher in every classroom. This year, we'll provide a new web-based 'tenure tool kit,' to empower principals to make tenure decisions the right way: Rigorously, fairly, and based on student learning and progress.

"This will build on our work with the UFT to make teacher tenure what it is supposed to be- a reward for success, not an automatic right for punching the time clock. Make no mistake, we believe in our teachers. That's why we've raised salaries 43% and invested more than $2 billion in training and supporting them. But we're also going to be tough enough to give principals the authority to evaluate all teachers based on how well their students are actually learning. Students and parents deserve nothing less.

"In 2008, we're also going to set higher student standards and make sure that every student entering high school is ready to do high school work. Last year, Speaker Quinn and the Council did a great service by spotlighting the challenges we face in our middle schools. We've begun implementing many of their recommendations and now, we're ready to take the next step.

"Four years ago, I proposed ending the shameful practice of social promotion for 3rd graders in our city. Not everyone liked that idea, you may remember. But our 3rd graders rose to the challenge - and then, when we expanded the policy to 5th and 7th graders, they rose to the challenge, too.

"Now I will ask the City's Panel on Educational Policy to end social promotion next school year in the 8th grade. We're going to give 8th graders the extra support they need to meet our higher standards. If they're going to succeed in high school, and in a competitive world they need to know the basics before they get there. Three years ago, we launched new vocational programs to engage young people who had either already left school, or were on the verge of dropping out. Thousands of them have now gotten their lives on track. This year, we're going to begin dramatically transforming how high school students prepare for technical careers in a number of growing fields. Traditionally, such career and technical education has been seen as an educational dead-end. We're going to change that. College isn't for everyone, but education is.

"Building on work by the State Education Department, we'll do what no other public school system in the nation has done- create rigorous career and technical programs that start in high schools and continue in our community colleges. We'll offer the first of these new options in September 2009. And we'll lay the groundwork this year - a process that will be led by a task force I'm announcing today.

"I'm glad to say it will include Merryl Tisch of the Board of Regents, and will be co-chaired by two great citizens: New York Life CEO and Chairman Sy Sternberg and my good friend, former Mayor David Dinkins. Thank you, Sy and thank you, Mayor Dinkins.

"Finally, let's talk about the most pressing concern to the state of our city: the economy. This is likely to be a difficult year - as our great comptroller, Bill Thompson, and others have forecast. But, you should know, we haven't waited for the hard times to hit before taking action.

"During the sunny days, we prepaid debt, saved for retiree's healthcare, and budgeted responsibly, and when clouds started forming last year, working with the Comptroller, we began to cut spending and freeze hiring. Now, we will not walk away from making the hard decisions about what we can and can not afford.

"Next week, I will present our preliminary budget for Fiscal 2009. It will contain spending reductions we committed to last fall. It will also rely on support from our partners in State government and our municipal unions, which have always stood with the City during difficult times. But it will also offer something that more and more homeowners need continued tax relief.

"We remain committed to extending the $400 property tax rebate to all homeowners. Also last year, working with the City Council, we offered a seven percent, across-the-board property tax cut for one year. Next week's preliminary budget will propose an extension of that cut. However, adopting it will depend on a variety of factors unknown today - from the health of our economy to the continued help we get from our partners in State government to the outlook for future years after our Administration has come to an end.

"We've been through tough times before and come out stronger because we came together to make this city better for everyone. That is exactly what we will do once again by pushing ahead with a five-borough economic development strategy that has broken all the rules about the ability of City government to affect the economy. By investing in a diverse, growing slate of industries and by making our city more livable and more business friendly, this strategy has helped create 179,000 private sector jobs over the past four years alone.

"In 2007 we set records in so many key economic areas: The highest bond rating in nearly 80 years; roughly $25 billion in new construction; a record 33 percent home ownership rate; and 46 million tourists. This is New York City. And since small businesses are the backbone of our city's economy, supporting them now is more essential than ever.

"From my own experience, I know that the last thing small businesses want to deal with is a lot of red tape. That's why this year, our Business Express web site will make it much simpler for business owners to determine what permits and licenses they need from various agencies. And the Department of Consumer Affairs will also begin offering online applications and renewals for those permits and licenses. The growth of our small business community has been fueled by our population growth - and together, they're adding new urgency to the need for modern infrastructure.

"That's exactly why we developed PlaNYC, our strategy for creating the world's first truly sustainable city. PlaNYC includes 127 proposals - many of them pioneering the latest technology to achieve our goals. This year, we'll work to increase our use of solar panels to continue greening government buildings and we'll join forces with the real estate industry to make new construction and old buildings greener.

"This is the single most important thing we can do to reduce our carbon footprint - but it's not the only thing. With the State's blessing, we'll also use technology to create a system of congestion pricing - something no other American city has done. It will help us achieve four critical, inter-connected goals: reducing traffic congestion; raising money for mass transit; improving our air quality; and fighting climate change.

"Better mass transit is key to our economic growth. That's why we refused to wait for the MTA to build the extension of the Number 7 line, and just last month broke ground on the first new mile of subway track that the city has funded since the 1950s. The 7 extension is a great example of our five-borough economic development strategy in action. That's New York City today.

"By rezoning some 40 blocks of underused land on Manhattan's West Side, we set the stage for the neighborhood's revival. That's New York City today. Now, by investing in infrastructure and public parks, we are unleashing the forces of the private sector. That's New York City, too. And that's been our story in every borough.

"Over the past six years we've rezoned one-sixth of the city - more than the past six administrations combined. And we've invested more than $4.5 billion dollars in new infrastructure and public attractions. Just look at the building we're in today. In fact, this is the largest facility ever built inside a City park. The pool upstairs won't officially open until next month but if anyone wants to take a dip now, I'm sure we can work something out.

"This year, we'll keep charging ahead - rezoning the South Bronx and continuing to invest $3 billion in new infrastructure. We'll rezone 125th Street in Manhattan to make way for more jobs and more affordable housing. We'll do the same at St. George on Staten Island, catalyzing new jobs and economic growth. We'll also rezone Willets Point, a stone's throw from here, the first step in what will be one of the most significant environmental reclamation projects of our time. And, with our partners in City and State government, we'll work to bring the magic back to America's first playground: Coney Island. This is New York City. We can't lose it!

"The list of investments could go on and on. It starts in Lower Manhattan, where we will do everything possible to pick up the pace at the World Trade Center site and, working with the State, finally bring the Deutsche Bank building down this year. At the same time, we will continue to revitalize Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan, and we'll open the first section of the hottest new park in the country: the High Line, which we hope will be anchored by a new Whitney museum.

"We'll break ground on a new home for the Theater for a New Audience in Downtown Brooklyn and begin constructing Brooklyn Bridge Park. Not far from here, the Queens Museum of Art will expand, and construction will begin on a million-square-foot office complex at Queens Plaza. And not far from there, in Long Island City, we will work to turn some 30 acres of prime, waterfront real estate into the largest new development of middle-income housing since Starrett City more than 35 years ago.

"As you know, affordable housing is the foundation of strong communities. That's why we created the largest affordable housing program ever undertaken by any city - 165,000 units by 2013 enough for 500,000 people more than the entire city of Atlanta. We've already financed construction and preservation of 69,000 units - and this year, we'll see the largest number of units financed since the mid-70s. We're also going to help more New Yorkers buy their own homes - families like the Farruggios. Joe, his wife Alexis, and their two kids, wanted to build their dream home and now they're building it on the lot right next to his father's.

"To help even more families buy and keep their homes, we recently joined with the City Council to create the Center for New York City Neighborhoods. This month, the Center will open its doors and begin helping families who've been hit hardest by the sub-prime mortgage crisis. Keeping housing affordable is essential to remaining a city that welcomes the middle class.

"And to help more New Yorkers enter the middle class, we will continue promoting an industry that offers tens of thousands of jobs for those on their way up the economic ladder: tourism. Last year, NYC & Company ramped up its global reach by launching the 'This is New York City' campaign and opening offices in places like Sweden, Russia, China, and Brazil. In 2008, we'll add new locations in India and Australia to keep us moving closer to our goal of attracting 50 million annual visitors by 2015.

"There is no doubt what draws so many tourists to our city: arts and culture. No matter what your pleasure - from MoMA to Mamma Mia from Landmarks to sculpture parks you can find it here. This is New York City - the most diverse arts and entertainment community in the world.

"Later this year, in what will be a major new work of public art, four man-made waterfalls - as tall as the Brooklyn Bridge - will rise out of New York Harbor; a fitting symbol of how our entire waterfront is coming back to life. And also this year in what will be an incredible send-off to America's greatest sports cathedral, Yankee Stadium will not only host Pope Benedict the 16th but also the 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game and, I have no doubt, the most dramatic Game Seven of the most thrilling Subway Series of all time.

"The year ahead is not going to be easy - but as I stand here, I'm more optimistic about our future than ever. There's a great quote in the latest Philip Roth book: 'I came to New York,' the character says, 'and in only hours, New York did what it does to people; awakened the possibilities. Hope breaks out.'

"What a wonderful description of our city. We believe in all of the possibilities. A city that constantly pushes the boundaries of innovation. A city that's open to everybody from around the world. A city that can compete with any place on Earth. A city where 'hope breaks out.'

"Every January, when the mayor gives this speech, it's tradition to sum up the 'State of the City' in one word - one adjective. But today I look to the people behind me and say: The State of the City is as energetic as Julian Chen at the playground and as vibrant as a holiday dinner with the Snreenivasan. It is as inspiring as John Bias, as strong as the pride inside Luís and Yolanda Ramón; and as full of promise as beautiful little Sienna Farruggio.

"Energetic. Vibrant. Inspiring. Strong. Full of promise. This really is New York City. God bless you and God bless New York City."

For Better Schools, Look To The Big Apple

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:47:08 -0600

By Julia E. Koppich

Paying teachers based in part on performance is an idea whose time has come. But it hasn't gained much traction, especially among teachers. Only a few large school districts use this approach.

But last month, New York City – the nation's largest district – signed on. If the plan is approved by the state, the city's teachers will receive substantial financial incentives for improved student performance.

The plan creatively marries paying good teachers more and providing incentives to take jobs in understaffed, low-performing schools where the potential for improvement and the need are greatest. This is a reasonable model that could serve as a blueprint for other districts around the country.

Teachers in New York, and in nearly every other school district in the United States, currently earn added compensation based on years of experience and college credits. Because salaries within a district are the same regardless of which school the teacher is assigned to, there is little incentive for teachers to work in high-poverty schools.

Critics say the system should instead reward individual teachers whose students make measurable achievement gains. They argue that will attract and retain able teachers to the low-performing, hardest-to-staff schools.

Those who support the conventional teacher pay structure – and unions have been among its most ardent supporters – say doing what the critics advocate would be unfair and unmanageable.

New York City's plan addresses the concerns of both sides: It creates performance-based incentives but bases these on school, rather than individual teacher gains.

Schools that improve performance, based largely on test scores, will receive a pot of money equal to $3,000 for every teacher and other school educator (counselors, classroom aides, etc.) represented by the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the New York City affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. Each participating school must establish a compensation committee composed of two teachers elected by their colleagues, the principal, and another person designated by the principal. This four-person committee will determine how to divide up the money. The only prohibition is that they cannot distribute it on the basis of seniority. If the committee cannot agree on how to divide the funds, they forfeit the dollars.

Unlike pay plans where only a few teachers are eligible for incentive dollars (e.g., only teachers in tested subjects such as reading and math), the New York plan makes incentives available to everyone at the school, thus encouraging educators to work together. Research shows that collaboration leads to improved student achievement. New York's plan also promotes collaboration among teachers and between teachers and the principal.

Participation in the program is voluntary: Each school must have a 55 percent affirmative vote of UFT members before it joins the program. Thus, the plan ensures teacher buy-in, an essential ingredient of any successful pay program.

The plan will target 200 of the highest poverty schools in the system in the first year, costing $20 million. That money is being put up by a New York City-based business coalition. Two hundred more schools are likely to join the plan in the second year, with the city assuming financial responsibility.

How will we know if the program is succeeding? Improved achievement in schools that have long suffered from low performance will be an important marker. In addition, the approach will prove significant if it encourages high-quality teachers to take assignments in chronically low-performing schools.

Other districts have implemented new teacher-pay plans. As in New York City, teachers unions have played a central role in designing and promoting them.

But New York City, by virtue of its size and visibility, takes teacher performance pay to a new level. In addition to actively rewarding educators who raise student achievement, this plan should help dispel the conventional wisdom that unions are wedded to the traditional and can't, or won't, think deeply about how to solve the problems plaguing the nation's most troubled schools.

New York City's plan was a breakthrough agreement among the city, led by Mayor Michael Bloomberg; the school system, led by Chancellor Joel Klein; and the UFT, led by Randi Weingarten. This high-level agreement is a testament to their leadership and to the importance of this issue. We can only hope that other school districts follow suit.

Julia E. Koppich is a San Francisco-based education consultant and coauthor, with Charles Kerchner and Joseph Weeres, of "United Mind Workers: Unions and Teaching in the Knowledge Society."

By Julia E. Koppich. Reused with permission from The Christian Science Monitor (http://www.csmonitor.com), November 13, 2007. (c) 2007 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved. For permissions, contact copyright@csmonitor.com

Kids Learn, Teachers Earn

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 08:37:00 -0500

City public school teachers are getting a powerful new incentive to do everything they can to help children learn: money. Those who work in schools that raise achievement will be eligible for substantial bonuses.

Such a program represents a revolution. Until now, it was written in stone that teachers of equal seniority were paid equally, regardless of whether one was a better educator or the faculty of one school brought kids further than the faculty of another.

Now, a new era has begun, thanks to enlightened leadership by United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and accountability reforms instituted by Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. Where kids learn more, teachers will earn more.

Starting with the 200 lowest-performing schools, the Education Department will divide $20 million raised from private donors among schools that show the most progress from this year's school report cards, due out soon, to next year's.

The best performers will be rewarded with a pot of money equal to $3,000 for every UFT member in the building. A school-based committee will decide how to allocate bonuses.

The potential benefits reach beyond extra bucks. The plan could draw energetic teachers into schools that need improvement; it should foster teamwork among teachers and supervisors, and it may nudge weaker teachers toward the door.

Weingarten's members have done well since she permitted Bloomberg and Klein to gain needed management rights in return for raises. Teacher pay is up 43%, and performance bonuses will sweeten the deal.

So, too, will a pension benefit that Bloomberg agreed to back for Weingarten. If the Legislature and Gov. Spitzer agree, teachers now on the payroll will be able to retire after 25 years of service at age 55, down from 30. They will have to increase pension contributions to be eligible. Future hires would pay the extra sum and retire at age 55 after 27 years.

Bloomberg says the arrangement will cost the city nothing for the first five years and save money after that. If so, it is more than a fair deal for teachers and the public. But far more important, the performance bonuses could be gold for thousands of kids.

Dollars for Scholars

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:05:54 -0500

Paying kids for good grades is a popular (if questionable) parenting tactic. But when school starts next week, New York City will try to use the same enticement to get parents in low-income neighborhoods more involved in their children's education and overall health.

Mayor Bloomberg, Speaker Quinn And Chancellor Klein Unveil New Initiatives To Improve Academic Performance And To Provide More Resources To City Middle Schools

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:34:36 -0500

Department of Education to Implement Several Proposals of Council’s Middle School Task Force

Former Region 8 Local Instructional Superintendent Lori Bennett to Serve as Department’s Director of Middle School Initiatives

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein today announced a series of initiatives to help improve academic performance in New York City middle schools and to provide greater resources for students, parents, teachers, and administrators. At today’s announcement, the City Council released the findings and recommendations of its Middle School Task Force. The Department of Education (DOE) is moving to implement many of these recommendations for the coming school year, and the Mayor announced $5 million in funding to support them. The Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein also announced the creation of the Director of Middle School Initiatives position within the Department of Education and the subsequent hiring of former Region 8 Local Instructional Superintendent Lori Bennett. The Mayor, Speaker and Chancellor were joined for today’s announcement at JHS 44 in Manhattan by United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, Council Member Robert Jackson, and members of the Council’s Middle School Task Force.

“Our City’s schools have made enormous progress over the last five years, but we still have a long road ahead,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “The new strategies we are announcing today will continue that progress and help more students make the difficult transition from elementary school to middle school to high school. Middle schools are where too many of our students begin to lose their footing, so I want to thank Speaker Quinn, Chancellor Klein, and the task force for coming up with such a sound set of recommendations to help us continue moving forward.”

“When the Council decided to make middle school reform a major priority, we pulled together experts and stakeholders from every facet of the education community,” said Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “The recommendations of our Task Force point the way toward a comprehensive, effective approach that will dramatically improve New York City’s middle schools and create bright futures for our students. We are proud that the Administration and the DOE have agreed to implement many of these recommendations this year, and we will continue working to move forward with even more of our key proposals city-wide.”

City Council Middle School Task Force

The City Council appointed the Middle School Task Force to tackle persistently low academic achievement among New York City middle school students, whose performance has consistently lagged behind elementary and high school students. In 2007, less than 50% of middle school students met or exceeded the English Language Arts (ELA) standard, and only 45.6% of 8th graders met or exceeded the math standard.

Members of the Middle School Task Force held a series of public forums in all five boroughs, hearing testimony from middle school students, parents, teachers, school administrators, and other members of the community. The Task Force investigated test scores recorded by students in subject areas throughout the middle school curriculum, and considered best practices championed by leading experts and advocates in the education field.

New Middle School Initiatives

The Administration and DOE have agreed to the following steps recommended in the Council’s report:

• Identifying at least 50 high-need middle schools that will have access to a $5 million fund to implement the Middle School Task Force recommendations
• Working to implement Task Force recommendations citywide
• Waiving fees for professional development for high-need schools
• Expanding Regents-level courses citywide
• Establishing an ongoing discussion on middle-grade reform with various stakeholders

In addition, Mayor Bloomberg announced the creation of the Director of Middle School Initiatives and the hiring of former Region 8 Local Instructional Superintendent Lori Bennett for the new position. Ms. Bennett, a Middle School educator for three decades in both the New York City and Newark, New Jersey school districts, assumed her new position last week and reports to the Deputy Chancellor for Teaching and Learning, Marcia Lyles. Her new responsibilities include designing middle school professional development programs and implementing task force recommendations. She will also maintain an ongoing dialogue with stakeholders to ensure that middle school reforms continue to evolve throughout the system.

The Department of Education will collaborate with the City Council to identify high-need middle schools to serve as the primary beneficiaries of intensive professional development support. The cost of all centrally-offered professional development will be waived for these schools.

Working with the support of the new Director of Middle School Initiatives, the School Leadership Teams of these targeted middle schools will be able to choose from a variety of Task Force recommendations, and to access a $5 million fund to implement those that best fit with the needs of their individual schools.

New City funding may also be used to hire additional guidance counselors and family assistants, offer extended day programs to students, award teacher scholarships, create collaborative communities, and purchase external professional development or consultation services.

“The middle school years are crucial years for our children. I am confident that the steps we are taking will help us address the needs of this vulnerable student population,” said Chancellor Klein. “Thank you to the Middle School Task Force for its valuable input and to Speaker Quinn for her leadership. I’d also like to thank Lori Bennett for taking on this challenge as our new Director of Middle School Initiatives. Lori has worked in middle schools for three decades. She brings both passion and understanding to this position.”

“This initiative is an important step in focusing attention and resources on our middle schools, which pose significant educational challenges not only here in New York City but across the nation,” said UFT President Randi Weingarten. “We are particularly pleased to see a commitment to provide our middle schools with more guidance counselors and enhanced support services, professional development for teachers and challenging instructional programs for students. The Middle School Task Force's recommendations are so on point that our goal is to have all of them adopted. We also hope this initiative will lead to a real lowering of class size, which will go a long way toward helping to improve these schools.”

“In our report, the Task Force has outlined a series of reforms that we believe can lead to significant and measurable improvement across the City's middle schools,” said Task Force Chair Dr. Pedro Noguera. “These recommendations are based upon a series of consultations with teachers, students, parents, and administrators from throughout the system. We have done our best to incorporate the ideas and concerns that have been raised and drawn on the best research on proven and effective measures that can lead to improvements in the classroom. We are proud that the DOE has agreed to begin implementing key components of our proposals, and thank Speaker Quinn and the Council for focusing much needed attention on this often forgotten segment of our public schools.”

“For years our City's Middle Schools have been trailing elementary and high schools in basic performance, and lacking the resources necessary for improvement,” said Council Education Committee Chair Robert Jackson. “Today we begin the process of reversing this trend, giving our middle schools a greater chance for success. I want to thank the Task Force for all their work in identifying core problems and proposing clear and practical solutions, and I commend the DOE for moving quickly to implement many of our proposals.”

“This is a hopeful moment for NYC public school children,” said Ocynthia Williams of the Coalition for Educational Justice. “CEJ applauds the Speaker of the City Council for convening this Task Force, the Task Force for its great work and smart recommendations, and the DOE and the Mayor for responding. There is much work ahead but this collaboration is an important first step.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg Addresses National Urban League Annual Conference

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:08:26 -0500

“Good afternoon. Thank you, Marc, for the invitation to join you here today. And I also want to thank Darwin Davis, president of the New York Urban League, for all his good work back home. His predecessor, Dennis Walcott, is my Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development, and back when I was first running for Mayor in 2001, I met Dennis on the campaign trail and I borrowed – Dennis might say ‘stole’ – his New York Urban League pin. And I’ve been wearing it ever since.

“It’s an honor to be here to help kick-off the National Urban League’s annual conference. The Urban League has been going strong for 96 years, which makes it two years younger than my mother. And almost as energetic. But for all the energy and vitality of this organization, and for all the people who live in cities in this country, and for all the votes that we cast on Election Day, you would think that the federal government would zero in on issues the League concerns itself with, and take bold action. You would think.

“But when it comes to the most important issues that nearly all cities face – crime, housing, poverty, the environment – Washington is dragging its feet – and in some cases, walking backwards. That’s why, more and more cities – many of them Urban League cities – have been taking the lead on these national issues, and nowhere is that more true than in the case of education.

“Next year is the 25th Anniversary of the publication of ‘A Nation at Risk,’ the landmark study that showed how American students were falling behind students in other nations – and the consequences we would face if it continued. Well, it did continue – and it got worse. Much worse. Today, our schools are further behind than they were 25 years ago –even though we’ve doubled education spending over the last several decades. If you did that with your 401(K) or your pension fund, you’d work for the rest of your life and die broke!

“In many cities, including New York, the money was squandered by politicians and special interests who protected their own jobs first, and worried about classroom learning second. A generation of students paid a terrible price, and let’s face facts: No group of children paid more than African-Americans.

“Today, black and Latino 12th graders – who should be reading college catalogs – are reading at the same level as white 8th graders. And a shockingly high percentage of black and Latino 4th graders – who should be reading Harry Potter – cannot even read a simple children’s book. This is not only not acceptable – it’s shameful. Whitney Young Jr. must be turning over in his grave!

“Here we are in the greatest country on earth – home of the best universities in the world. Is this really the best we can do? No way. We’re better than that. But let me tell you something. Let me tell you exactly who’s at fault: Us. That’s right. We are the ones to blame. And here’s why: Politicians have pandered to us by selling us on the idea that all we need is more money and smaller classes – and we’ve bought it. They’ve given us cheap platitudes and slogans instead of real solutions – and we’ve bought it. Whoever’s in power, they’ve pointed fingers at the other party when nothing improves – and we have bought it!

“If we want to truly improve the education our children receive, and fulfill the promise of the Civil Rights movement, we have to stand up and tell them: ‘No more!’ No more pandering to special interests. No more fear of the tough issues. And no more excuses for failure. We’re not buying it!

“That’s the approach we’ve taken in New York – and when I came into office in 2002, we certainly had our work cut out for us. The school system – with 1.1 million students – was the ultimate case study in mismanagement: Everyone had power, but no one was in charge. And so the system was defined by paralysis, patronage, and corruption. We began our reforms by getting to the root of the problem: Winning control of the school system and abolishing the broken Board of Education. We re-directed money away from the bureaucracy directly into the classroom. And we significantly cut the cost of school construction.

“We expanded the school week by 150 minutes – which is about 15 extra days a year. We put parent coordinators in every school, so that parents would always have someone to turn to, 24-7 – instead of turning to the politicians, who could care less if you’re not one of their supporters. We improved safety and discipline, which is a hallmark of any good school – and we’ve enforced the ban on electronic devices like PDAs, iPods, and cell phones. You come to school to learn, not to play games or send text messages!

“To encourage more students to start preparing for college, we’ve begun paying the fee for all 10th and 11th graders to take the PSAT, which has allowed us to substantially increase the number of black and Latino students who take the test. We’ve doubled the number of charter schools. And we’ve broken up large failing high schools into smaller schools, where students get more individual attention.

“Graduation rates have gone from less than 40% at the old, large high schools, to more than 70% at the new small high schools. And across New York City, over the past four years, graduation rates have gone up about 20%. Test scores in grades 3-8 have gone up 10 points in reading, and more than 20 points in Math – and improvements among black and Latino kids in Math have been at double the rate of white and Asian kids.

“We still have a long way to go, but we’re finally making real progress – and we’re not letting up. We’re continuing to tackle the tough challenges and address the historic inequities – and let me give you two quick examples.

“First, for decades, school funding formulas have favored some schools over others – because of politics, of course. We’re putting an end to that, by revamping the formula so that it’s based on the number of children who attend a school and their diverse needs. That’s just basic fairness! No one can argue with the principle of it, but there was no shortage of politicians and special interests who called for more study, and endless delay. But our children can’t afford to wait – and in New York City, we’re not going to wait.

“Second, we’ve expanded Advanced Placement courses and gifted and talented programs to communities that never had them. The absence of these enrichment programs from schools serving black and Latino students was a perfect example of the soft bigotry of low expectations. We have to expect the best from the best students – of every race.

“And we have to expect success from every single student – and hold schools and teachers accountable for helping them achieve it. Accountability, like funding fairness, is a basic idea that everyone agrees with – in principle. But once again, when the rubber hits the road, too many politicians fall off the wagon.

“Let me give you an example. For decades, New York City tolerated the practice of social promotion – where students are promoted even if they haven’t learned what they need to succeed in the next grade. This doomed children to fall further and further behind. So we said, ‘No more!’ We announced that we would enforce minimum standards, and to help struggling students, we would offer extra-help after school and on Saturdays.

“Parents know that setting expectations – and enforcing the rules – is essential. It’s no different in our schools. And yet most elected officials, union leaders, and even some editorial boards fought us tooth and nail. They wanted more delays and studies – anything but action. But we didn’t bend to politics – that’s not leadership. And when the new promotion standards proved successful, and more students met them, the establishment came around.

“That experience shows how real change requires the guts – and the independence – to challenge the entrenched interests. And the fact is, the only way we’re going to change the current situation is if we’re willing to take on a subject that too many politicians are afraid of: Finding ways to hold not only students, but also teachers and principals accountable for classroom learning and getting the most effective teachers and principals into the schools that need them most.

“All the research says that the single most important factor in determining a child’s classroom success is – not class size or funding levels – but teacher effectiveness. Studies have shown that if our most effective teachers taught in our lowest performing schools, we could close the achievement gap. But instead, we have a situation where the highest performing students get the most effective teachers and principals – while the most needy students are stuck with the least effective ones. And I don’t have to tell you, it’s black and Latino students who pay the heaviest price.

“Getting effective teachers into the schools that need them most is the next frontier of education reform – one that we’ve been afraid to face for too long. And, I believe, it is the great unfinished business of the work that Thurgood Marshall and so many others began all those years ago. How do we do it? Well, I think it begins with a very simple idea: Treat teachers like the professionals they are. Let me explain what I mean by that.

“I think we would all agree that in all of our cities, most teachers and principals do amazing work – and that they make a big difference. I went to public schools growing up, and I remember certain teachers – like Mr. Lally, my high school history teacher – really making the subject come alive.

“The teachers I meet across New York City are smart. Hard-working, inspiring, and they’re passionate about the kids. We need a system that keeps these special individuals in city schools. Respects their hard work and unleashes their talents where their talents are needed most.

“Many of you in this room work or have worked in the private sector. You know how to attract and retain the best people. Make them feel respected. And get the most out of them. You pay them more. You give them incentives to take on the toughest challenges and succeed. And you hold them accountable for results. And those who don’t perform up to standard – you let go. That’s Management 101, and it’s the way we treat all professionals – except in our schools.

“In most school systems, teachers experience low pay, lockstep pay scales, no recognition of talent, no incentives for success and no accountability for failure. This kind of employment system didn’t work in the Soviet Union, and it’s time for us to recognize that it’s not working in our schools.

“In New York City, we’ve worked to confront this reality – and to ensure there is an effective teacher in every classroom – by taking several important steps toward treating teachers and principals like the professionals they are.

“First, we’ve raised teacher salaries by 43%, which helps us attract the best and brightest. Now, senior teachers can make more than $100,000. Second, to drive the most effective teachers to the schools that need them most, we negotiated with the teachers union to create a “lead teacher program”, which pays some of our best teachers an extra $10,000 to teach in our lowest performing schools. We’re offering an even more generous incentive program to principals: $25,000 to take over low performing schools. And third, we’re also offering a $15,000 signing bonus to Math and Science teachers – because more and more Math and Science majors are opting for high-paying private sector jobs, leaving the schools with severe shortages in these critical subjects.

“These three financial incentives – combined with all of our other reforms – have helped us to dramatically increase the number of job applicants, and our retention rates. Critics of bonuses say that educators aren’t in it for the money. That’s true. But we can’t expect them to make career decisions based purely on altruism. They have families to feed and kids to put through college!

“So let’s stop pretending that offering teachers financial incentives somehow diminishes their motives. It’s ridiculous! We should be offering teachers and principals incentives not only to take the toughest assignments, and to fill special needs, but also to get the best possible results from their students.

“In New York, the contract we just negotiated and signed with the principals union offers all principals up to a $25,000 bonus for meeting performance targets. We’d love to give a similar deal to teachers – but so far, we have not been able to convince the union to accept it.

“I understand their concerns – it’s not easy to evaluate teacher effectiveness, and standardized tests don’t present the full picture. But if we put sophisticated data on student achievement together with principal and peer evaluations, there’s no reason why we can’t create a fair review process.

“In New York, we’re building the most sophisticated achievement data system in the nation, which will allow us to focus on how well individual students are learning. And it will allow us to begin grading every single New York City public school – all 1,400 of them – from A to F, beginning this fall. That means that parents will be able to see how their child’s school is doing – and compare it others.

“Principals and teachers will be trained to use the data to identify each student’s needs and to improve outcomes. Information technology has revolutionized the private sector, but the public sector is just starting to catch up. We ought to remember the words of the management leader who said, “In God we trust. Everyone else bring data.

“I was happy to hear that Senator Obama recently became the first Democratic presidential candidate to offer at least modest support for the idea of bonus pay for teachers. Right now, we pay teachers solely based on longevity and education credits – even though the evidence shows that education credits have precious little to do with actual student learning. Just think about it: Why should a good teacher with a Master’s degree whose students make huge strides earn less than a mediocre teacher with a Ph.D whose students make no progress? That makes no sense!

“Focusing on how well students are actually learning will also allow us to take two other critical steps: reforming the tenure process, which right now is almost automatic. And reforming the process by which teachers can be fired, which right now is almost impossible.

“When a teacher is up for tenure, too often the questions are: Did he come to work every day? Did he cover the curriculum? Do people like him? But the one question that really matters isn’t asked: Are his students learning as much as they should? Most times, the answer is ‘yes.’ But if the answer is no, that teacher should not receive tenure.

“And when a tenured teacher’s students are not learning, principals, after a reasonable appeals process, should have the authority to let that teacher go. Right now, that appeals process is anything but reasonable. It’s a nightmare. That’s why many principals don’t even bother with it – and once again, it’s our children who suffer.

“In New York City, we’ve begun taking the first steps toward tenure reform by requiring principals to evaluate each tenure-track teacher, so that tenure is earned by those who deserve it, and not granted as a right to those who don’t. But to inject some sanity into the process of firing bad teachers. And to pay bonuses to highly effective teachers, we need buy-in from the unions. That hasn’t been easy in New York – or anywhere else. And I’ll be honest: I’m not sure we’re going to get there without support from the federal government.

“So I’d like to offer you an idea, and I hope you’ll bring it back to your communities: When ‘No Child Left Behind’ comes up for re-authorization, there will be many things that need fixing – including its lack of funding. Politicians love to talk about this lack of funding – because it’s easy. But they don’t want to talk about the hard part: How do we ensure that any new money actually results in higher student achievement?

“I believe that as part of the next version of NCLB, the federal government should commit to a significant increase in new federal funding, including for higher teacher salaries – but cities and states could only receive it if they began implementing the reforms I’ve outlined today: Bonus pay for effective teachers and principals, and for those that serve in the toughest schools. As well as tenure reform and accountability systems, including a streamlined process for firing ineffective teachers.

“If we do that, in a few short years, we could have the most effective teachers working in the schools that need them most. More high-quality math and science teachers. More of the best and brightest working in City schools – and fewer failing teachers hurting our children’s future. Then, we can stop talking about closing the achievement gap between races, and actually close it.

“We can stop talking about our students catching up to the rest of the world, and actually have them catch up. And we can stop talking about the equal opportunity of the Civil Rights movement, and actually make it a reality. We can do all of this – if all of you help take the lead.

“Marc, you and all your affiliates represent the vanguard of change. The status quo is just not acceptable. There are no second class kids – why should there be second class schools?! Why should we go along with a system that is helping to relegate our children to failure, or jail, or death? We have to say ‘No more!’ – and we have to start giving our children the opportunity and support that is theirs by right.

“The last generation fought and died for them to have that right – but it’s up to us to deliver it. Let’s get to work.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg And Chancellor Klein Announce Artscount, Strategies To Enhance Arts Education For All City Students

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 12:35:45 -0500

ArtsCount to Create Accountability for Schools to Provide a Quality Arts Education

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today unveiled ArtsCount, a new set of strategies to enhance arts education in New York City schools through accountability and quality improvement initiatives. ArtsCount builds upon the Blueprint for the Arts, implemented in 2004 and 2005, which established common benchmarks and curriculum goals for each arts discipline. ArtsCount incorporates arts metrics into the Administration’s measurement of school performance, establishing first-ever accountability for arts programming and signaling the importance of art to a student’s overall education. The Mayor and Chancellor were joined at Stuyvesant High School’s Summer Arts Institute by First Deputy Mayor Patti Harris; Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development Dennis Walcott; Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin; Executive Director of the Children’s Museum of Manhattan Andrew Ackerman; Principal Barbara Sanders of I.S. 383 in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and members of the newly-formed Arts Education Task Force. The Mayor and Chancellor also announced the creation of the Arts Education Task Force, which includes leaders from the City’s cultural community, and whose purpose is to help guide the City as it works to improve arts education for all students.

“An excellent arts education is essential to the creative and intellectual development of our students,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “ArtsCount ensures that all New York City students can take advantage of the City’s unparalleled cultural resources while participating in an arts program that enriches their lives. Our students live in one of the world’s best arts cities and they deserve nothing less than a world-class arts education.”

“We demand results in math and English and now we are demanding the same in the arts as well,” said Chancellor Klein. “We have already set clear standards for what students should know and be able to accomplish in the arts, but we still have work ahead to ensure that all schools and students meet those standards. With ArtsCount we are taking arts education to a new level and holding schools accountable for providing all students with the arts instruction they need and deserve.”

Beginning in September 2007, the City will establish new measures to hold schools accountable for providing rigorous arts instruction to all students. These new accountabilities will include the following:

• Parent, Student, and Teacher Learning Environment Surveys. This fall, results will be released from the City’s new Learning Environment Surveys, which addressed arts participation and satisfaction with arts programs at City schools. This survey data will factor into schools’ Progress Report grades.

• Quality Reviews. Beginning next fall, annual Quality Reviews will add arts education as an evaluation criterion for all City schools.

• Annual Compliance Review. Compliance with State requirements will be included in principals’ annual performance evaluations.

• Focus on Outcomes. This year, the Department of Education worked with the cultural community to create comprehensive exit exams in music, drama, and dance. The 2007-08 school year is the first in which these exams will be available to all high school seniors. Students who pass these or the existing visual arts exit exams, which are aligned with State standards, will graduate with Arts-Endorsed Regents Honors Diplomas, a type of Advanced Regents Diploma. Increasing the number of students who earn Advanced Regents Diplomas helps schools to improve their annual Progress Report grades.

• The Annual Arts in Schools Report. This new report will collect and synthesize data on arts participation, spending, staffing, and instructional programming to provide a comprehensive view of arts education in City schools. The report is being developed in consultation with the arts community and will be published every January. It will include reports for individual schools and aggregate data for the school system as a whole.

The Annual Arts in Schools Report and other accountability tools will help the Department of Education to identify underserved schools requiring additional, targeted support to improve arts instruction. Details about the new accountability measures are available in ArtsCount: A Guide for Principals, a newly-published reference manual to support school leaders as they implement high-quality arts programs. The Guide includes practical information regarding New York State instructional requirements for the arts and links principals to supports and resources to improve arts instruction at their schools.

The Department of Education’s Office of Arts and Special Projects will provide essential services to support schools in meeting these new accountability standards. Principals and arts instructors will have access to new professional development resources to ensure that their arts programs meet or exceed New York State requirements. The Department also will create resources for schools to share best practices in developing effective arts programs. Arts education data will be assessed on a continuous basis to inform system-wide arts education policy, analyze trends in arts instruction across the City, and direct timely, targeted interventions when schools fail to provide adequate arts programs for their students.

“Our middle school offers a rich and diverse arts program because we know that arts education builds confidence, competence, and community,” said Principal Sanders. “Students need to be inspired by culture and encouraged to pursue their talents. For many students, arts programs are what they look forward to most when they leave for school each morning. Our school's experience demonstrates that arts education has a positive impact on adolescent development and provides a benchmark for every student to excel. I am gratified that the Mayor and Chancellor are committed to ensuring that all students benefit from a strong arts program.”

The Mayor and Chancellor also announced the formation of a new Arts Education Task Force whose purpose is to help guide the Department of Education as it works to improve arts education for all students. Members of cultural and arts organizations will be key players in ArtsCount, building on decades of productive collaboration to improve arts instruction in public schools. They will advise the Department in developing assessment tools and measures to collect information about students’ experiences in music, theater, dance, and visual arts classes. The Department will conduct quarterly surveys of task force members to gather regular feedback based on their work in City schools. The task force will also provide guidance on developing a common frame of reference for “quality arts education” to help the City continue setting high standards for arts instruction.

“The Arts Education Task Force will work closely with the DOE to develop a disciplined approach to ensure the quality of arts education—from the art that children experience in our museums and concert halls to the process of creating and thinking about art in the classroom with arts teachers and artists,” said Andrew Ackerman. “We will also advise the department to make sure arts resources reach every child. This is a challenge that we take on with passion for the arts and for the children of New York City, and we are dedicated to helping the Mayor and Chancellor meet their objectives.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg Delivers End-Of-Year Report On Progress In City's Schools System

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 09:58:00 -0500

The following is the text of Mayor Bloomberg’s speech.

“Thank you, Kathy, not just for those kind words, but also for everything that you and the members of the Partnership have done for our city and—especially—our city’s 1.1 million public school students. You’ve made a huge difference for them.

“Good morning, everyone. As we meet, those students I just mentioned are preparing to receive their final report cards for this school year. It’s not easy being in their shoes. I remember the days when my grades would come all too well, because I was the kind of student who made the top half of the class possible.

“But I want to say that—as a group—this year our students, and their parents, have a lot to be proud of. And we should all be proud of the students for the enormous strides they’ve made—for progress that would have been thought impossible just a few years ago. Think about this: If five years ago, I had stood here and predicted that by today, New York City public school students would be performing math on a par with students in many suburban school districts—And that students in the historically problematic middle-school grades would be leading the way—Most of you would have thought that I had lost my marbles.

“But the statewide math scores released earlier this month revealed that that is precisely what our students have achieved since our school reform efforts began five years ago this month. There have also been remarkable advances in reading and writing test scores, in graduation rates and in closing the ethnic and racial performance gaps in the classroom—and I’ll elaborate on that progress in a few minutes.

“Since 2002, along with Chancellor Joel Klein and his team at the Department of Education, we have been engaged the most far-reaching overhaul ever made of any major public school system anywhere in the nation. Our schools still have a long way to go. At this stage in the process, however, we can step back and clearly see just how our reforms fit together, and appreciate how they have fundamentally transformed our schools, both structurally and philosophically. That transformation has been so successful that I believe there can be no question now about ever returning to the failed status quo that we have swept away.

“In the spirit of the outstanding math scores I mentioned earlier, I’ll sum up what we have achieved in this simple equation: A plus E plus C equals R. Anyone know the answer? – and let’s not always see the same hands.

“All right, here it is: Accountability plus empowerment plus competition equals results for our students. This is our formula for school reform; let me tell you how it’s working.

“The first essential element in that formula is the accountability made possible by the historic decision Albany made five years ago to grant New York City government control of our public schools. That permitted us to scuttle a school governance status quo that was fractured, patronage-ridden, and utterly dysfunctional.

“You can compare the school system we inherited to a ship that was foundering in high seas. Not only wasn’t it going anywhere; it was definitely in danger of sinking. Now we’ve got control of the ship. Accountability is our tool for fixing its worst problems.

“Accountability begins at the top—and now we’ve also established it at every level of the school system, right down to each classroom in the city. We’re holding principals accountable for the performance of their schools. They understand that there are consequences for consistent failure; we’ve shown that by shutting down 62 schools across the city.

“Teachers are also being held accountable. Our citywide curriculum in reading, writing, and math means principals can more rigorously measure the job they’re doing. And the longer school day we’ve negotiated as part of the teachers’ contract means we’re getting more value for the instructional dollars we’re spending. We’re also holding students accountable for their behavior with our successful, no-nonsense approach to school safety.

“By beginning to end social promotion—and giving youngsters the extra help they need—we’re also holding youngsters accountable for learning. And by issuing objective report cards on the performance of every school, we’re giving the real bosses of the system—the parents and taxpayers—the tools to hold all of us accountable for the job we’re doing.

“Accountability also means rewarding good performance. It’s why we’ve created a ‘lead teachers’ merit pay program, and negotiated ‘pay for performance’ bonuses of up to $25,000 a year into the new contract with the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators. The CSA’s overwhelming vote approval of that contract was also a vote of confidence in our reforms.

“Joel describes what we’ve done as replacing ‘a culture of excuses with a culture of performance.’ From the outset, this process has been data-driven.

“Beginning in the new school year, we’ll sharpen that robust use of data even further. A new and unprecedented ‘achievement reporting and innovation system’—called ARIS—will provide regularly updated information on student performance. It’s going to help principals identify classrooms where students are lagging, and enable teachers across the city to share ‘best practices’ to improve student performance. It’s going to give us better answers to the essential accountability question we’re asking at every point in the system: Are children learning? If the answer is ‘no,’ we’ll have the real-time information we need to change it to ‘yes.’

“That’s accountability. Then there’s the second element in our school reform equation: Empowerment. The classrooms—not the bureaucracy—are where the real action is in education, and they’re where the action always will be. The schools have to be light enough on their feet to respond to each of our 1.1 million students. So we’ve done something virtually unprecedented in American schools. We’ve pushed decision-making and resources as close to the child as possible.

“A year ago, almost 25% of principals embraced the challenge of leading ‘Empowerment Schools’ giving them extra resources and broad discretion in using them—in short, the authority and the means to run their own shows. This year, we’ve laid the groundwork for the next phase of this empowerment process.

“When the new school year begins in September, the principals in all 1,400-plus schools will, for the first time, truly be in the driver’s seat when it comes to making key decisions about their schools. Our new system of student funding will support them by giving every school in the city a fair budget deal from City Hall.

“We’ve also freed principals from what were known as ‘seniority-based transfers’—a euphemism for the musical chairs game of fobbing off teachers who simply weren’t pulling their weight on schools that had to take them. And by flattening the bloated bureaucracy we inherited, we realized $350 million in savings—money that principals can now spend to buy textbooks, or hire teachers—or use how they see fit.

“The third element in our reform equation is competition. This was a foreign concept in the old school system. But just as it does in the private sector, competition in education rewards innovation, weeds out failure and provides a mechanism for continuous improvements in quality. That’s why we’ve injected competition into the city’s public schools.

“We’ve done that by dramatically increasing the range of schools, like our 200 new small secondary schools, available to students and parents. We’ve also made New York the most charter school-friendly city in the nation. By this fall, we will have opened 45 charter schools—and this year, we achieved our longstanding goal of persuading State leaders to let us charter at least 50 more.

“And let me describe another innovation that will promote more competition. In the past, the school bureaucracy told schools what kind of support services—like in-service staff development—that they needed and could receive. It was a cookie-cutter, top-down model—antithetical to flexibility and innovation.

“Starting in the new school year, there will be competition in providing those services. Principals will be the consumers picking and choosing what they want, based on what their schools need. The support groups who do a good job of meeting their needs will flourish. Those that don’t, won’t. And our students will be the winners.

“Now, combine competition with accountability and empowerment, and you get the sum total of our equation: Results in the classroom. And at your tables are handouts that detail exactly what those results have been.

“They show that five years ago, fewer than 40% of students in grades 3 through 8 scored levels ‘3’ or ‘4’ in either math or English Language Arts—meaning that fewer than 40% were working at or above grade level standards in those areas. Today, close to two-thirds are at levels ‘3’ or ‘4’ in math, and more than half are meeting or exceeding standards in ELA. We’re not where we want to be yet—but we’re making real progress.

“You’ll also see that the most heartening thing about this progress is the way that black and Hispanic students are leading the way. The proportion of black students scoring at levels ‘3’ or ‘4’ in math has increased by 29 percentage points, and that Hispanic student performance is up 29.6 points. Even as the performance of white and Asian students has also improved, their black and Hispanic classmates are still succeeding in closing the gap. And while gains have been smaller in English Language Arts, the same pattern holds true.

“Graduation rates are also on the rise. Measured by the State Department of Education’s yardstick, which excludes students earning their General Equivalency Degrees, in 2002 only 41% of the city’s public high school students graduated within four years. In 2006, roughly half did—a 20% increase. And in fact using any yardstick, whether it includes or excludes GED students, special education students, and other groups of students, the story is the same: A steady upward trend in graduation rates.

“Today, we’re five years into this philosophical and structural transformation of education in our city. And most of the biggest pieces in our school reforms are now in place. From here on out, most of what we will be doing will be deepening and refining the accountability, empowerment, and competition that I’ve just described.

“We’ll also build on the already significant gains we’ve made in improving the quality of the principals and teachers in our schools. Any organization is only as good as the people in it. And that’s why we will continue to work with the UFT to revise the teacher tenure process. We need to make sure that those who receive tenure have genuinely earned it. We’ll also explore new incentives designed to put our best teachers in the schools where their talents will do the most good—teaching the students who need them most.

“These sound like basic ideas to most of you in this room: Reward excellence, promote based on merit, invest in success. But far too often, these have been unknown in public schools—and we’re changing that. An intensified focus on quality will build on what we’ve achieved with accountability, empowerment and competition. That’s our formula for successful school reform.

“The results we’ve achieved speak for themselves. They’ve created a new era of hope in our city schools, and made them a model for big-city schools across the nation. Other cities are looking to us for guidance in turning their schools around, because they see that we’re no longer writing off generation after generation of students. Instead, for the first time in years, our schools - and our students – are on the right track. And it’s our students who deserve the real credit for the incredible distance we’ve come in these past five years.

“They have shown what they can do if the schools put their interest first. That’s what we’ve done in these past five years—put the children first. By staying on the course we’ve set, we can do even better for our children in the years to come.

“And on that note, I’ll be glad to take some questions.”

Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein Announce Across-the-Board Gains by Elementary and Middle School Students on Math Exams

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 23:20:22 -0500

Percentage of Elementary and Middle School Students Meeting State Math Standards Increases by 8.1 Points; Students Scoring at Lowest Level Decreases by 5.1 Points

Black and Hispanic Students Make Greatest Gains

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein today announced that the percent of students in Grades 3 through 8 meeting or exceeding State math standards rose by 8.1 points between 2006 and 2007—representing the largest increase since 1999, while also shrinking the achievement gap between students of different racial backgrounds and surpassing gains attained by students in the rest of the State.

“I am proud of our principals, our teachers, our parents—and most importantly, our students—for realizing these record gains,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We have made real and sustained progress over the past five years, and it’s due to hard work, smart decision-making, and true accountability for results.”

“Our schools are tailoring instruction to meet the needs of individual students. Struggling students are receiving extra help—after school, on Saturdays, over the summer—and our students are thriving,” said Chancellor Klein. “Math is essential, both in school and in life, and I’m pleased that more of our students are learning the skills they need to pursue math in college and in jobs. This is truly an exciting day for our City.”

On the March 2007 New York State Math Assessments, 65.1% of elementary and middle school students scored at Levels 3 and 4. This represents a gain of 27.8 percentage points since 2002, the first year of the Bloomberg Administration. The percent of students scoring at the lowest level dropped to 10.6%, representing a 5.1 percentage point decline since 2006 and a 16.4 percentage point decline since 2002.

“This is a day to celebrate; for kids and teachers in particular, but also for all those who played a supporting role, including parents, administrators, Chancellor Klein and Mayor Bloomberg. This dramatic increase in math scores is further evidence of the importance of quality teachers being able to use a strong, consistent curriculum,” said UFT President Randi Weingarten. “It takes time for students to master a new curriculum and for teachers to figure out the best way to teach it. Unlike English Language Arts, we have had a cohesive math curriculum for a number of years and we can see the difference. We also have gotten fewer complaints from teachers about being micromanaged in the classroom. If the small group instruction is playing a part here, imagine what would happen if we significantly lowered class sizes for everyone?”

“It’s always a good day for school leaders and public education when we can come together and recognize achievement,” said Council of School Supervisors and Administration President Ernest Logan. “We still have a long way to go, but improvement is being made, and it is the continual show of progress that is so meaningful.”

More students at each grade level passed the State math exams in 2007 than in the previous year, building on gains accomplished over the course of the Administration. At the elementary school level this year, third-graders gained 6.9 points since 2006, with 82.2% of students now scoring at Levels 3 and 4; fourth-graders gained 3.2 points, with 74.1% of students now scoring at Levels 3 and 4; and fifth-graders gained 9.8 points with 71.1% of students now scoring at Levels 3 and 4. This year, gains were more substantial in the middle schools, where students typically encounter more academic challenges. The percentage of sixth-graders meeting grade standards increased by 10.5 points since 2006, to 63.2% from 52.7%; the percentage of seventh-graders increased by 11.6 points, to 55.5% from 43.9%; and the percentage of eighth-graders increased by 6.7 points, to 45.6% from 38.9%.

While students at all grade levels progressed, gains achieved by black and Hispanic students—who historically have lagged behind their white and Asian peers—were the largest. Since 2006, the percent of black students in grades three through eight scoring at Levels 3 and 4 climbed 9 percentage points to 55.4%, and the percent of Hispanic students scoring at the highest levels rose 9.3 percentage points to 59%. By comparison, the percent of white students scoring at Levels 3 and 4 climbed 5.4 percentage points to 82.7% and the percent of Asian students scoring at Levels 3 and 4 increased by 4.4 percentage points to 88.4%. Since 2002, the percent of black students meeting standards has risen to 55.4%; an increase of 29 percentage points; since 2002, the percent of Hispanic student meeting standards has risen to 59%, an increase of 29.6 percentage points. Overall, the gap among the percentage of blacks and Asian and white students meeting and exceeding standards decreased by 10.1 and 7.7 percentage points respectively since 2002. Similarly, since 2002, the gap among Hispanic, Asian and white students also decreased by 10.7 and 8.3 points respectively.

This year, City students’ gains were greater than gains throughout the State. From 2005 to 2006, the City’s students in grades 3 through 8 have gained 8.1 points, with 65.1% of students now meeting or exceeding standards. Students in the rest of New York State gained 6.2 points so that today, 76.8% meet or exceed standards. The percentage of City students scoring at the lowest level also continued to fall at a faster rate than the percentage of students scoring at the lowest level in the rest of the State. The percentage of City students scoring at Level 1 fell 5.1 points since 2006 to 10.6%, while the percentage of students in the rest of the State scoring at Level 1 fell 2.8 percentage points to 5.8%.

Gains by students who are still learning English also surpassed their peers this year. English Language Learners (ELLs) in grades 3 through 8 gained 9.3 percentage points since 2006, compared to 8.2 points for students who are proficient in English, and the percent of ELLs scoring at the lowest level in grades 3 through 8 dropped 8.7 points, compared to a 4.6 point decline for English proficient students in New York City.

Students with disabilities made progress as well, almost matching gains throughout the City and showing larger decreases in Level 1 than their peers. The percentage-point increase in students with disabilities scoring at Levels 3 and 4 rose by 7.9 points, compared to 8.6 points for general education students, while the percentage of special education students scoring at Level 1 fell by 10.9 points, compared to a 4.3 point decline for general education students.