"The Board of Regents and the commissioner are committed to the uninterrupted implementation of the Common Core in New York's classrooms. At the same time, however, we will continue to seek public input and will make adjustments along the way."
In short, they plan on going "full speed ahead" with their reform agenda implementation, they'll pay lip service to taking public input and making adjustments, but you can bet whatever changes they make will be around the edges of the reforms.
Here's what I mean:
Jon Burman, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, said that the state is seeking adjustments for students with disabilities and those who are English-language learners and wants to avoid double testing of advanced math students in eighth grade.
Gee, that's great - but it doesn't come even close to addressing the main problems parents and educators have with the Common Core standards, the tests, the evaluations tied to those tests or the data collection the state is forcing on every school district.
It doesn't come close to addressing parent complaints like the one from this mother of a NY State student:
I was very angry when I addressed Commissioner King and Chancellor Tisch at Ward Melville last week. I can't explain how satisfying it was to look directly into his eyes and describe how his policies are destroying my daughters' love for school.
Nope - these "adjustments" do not come close to mitigating the problems with the SED/Regents reform agenda.
Alas, Tisch, King, and Cuomo remain in denial about all of this - they think they can ride this storm out by making small adjustments and keeping the pedal to the metal.
They will be disabused of those delusional beliefs soon enough.
The protests and opposition to the Common Core, the Common Core tests, the evaluation system that mandates so many of these tests, and the data collection program that has been forced on every district in the state will not abate any time soon.
This is right out of the Bloomberg PEP playbook. Let the masses scream and yell and then go right out and do what you want. Unless there is serious political opposition to the Governor and legislators, how can you envision any real changes taking place?
ReplyDeleteTake a look at the Siena poll from this morning and my analysis of the numbers, James. The tide is turning - the more people who learn about the Core, the more people who are turning against it. And we already have a clear majority of people against testing. Also, I have a piece going up at 10 AM today about Cuomo's silence on these issues. In the past he was in your face with his reform agenda. Now he's totally silent. That's a sign that he knows it's more trouble than he envisioned it was going to be. If students, parents, teachers, and administrators keep the pressure up on legislators and Cuomo, on Tisch and King too (makes for good news stories!), there WILL be changes to Cuomo's reform agenda. Here is the link to the Siena poll post:
Deletehttp://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/2013/11/siena-poll-clear-majority-of-nyers-say.html
James, I should add that Siena has Cuomo under water in job performance by a good percentage - 44% approve of his performance as governor, 56% disapprove. Those are terrible numbers going into re-election. He won't lose, because there are no credible opponents, but it doesn't bode well for 2016 and his White House run, which is all he thinks about. His education reform agenda isn't the sole reason, or even the main reason, why his numbers are down so much (he used to be at 79%!) But they are a contributing factor and they soften him up for adjustments to his ed deform agenda if students, parents, and educators push him on it.
DeleteCuomo needs to lose the governorship. The only realistic way out is a class action lawsuit.
ReplyDeleteHe wont lose re-election. But his job performance ratings are at their lowest ever. I imagine he imagines his reform agenda has contributed to that number, as he was reportedly polling it last week.
Deletehttp://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/2013/11/looks-like-cuomo-is-paying-attention-to.html
The interests of corporations will never give way to the interests of parents in the current environment. Unless pressure is focused upon the political actors the train will keep rolling.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right - that's why students, parents, teachers and administrators must keep up the pressure on legislators. Every day, keep calling about the Core, protest the tests, protest inBloom, etc.
DeleteThe legislators are where it's at. That is where we can make a meaningful difference. That is where groups of parents, students, and teachers can make a true difference at the polls. Those races are impacted by corporate money less than federal races or governor races. We likely can't beat Cuomo. But it'll send a clear message to him if we start to knock off well embedded, multi-term state legislators. We need the public to start to move their focus off of King and onto Tisch. Tell your legislators to remove Tisch or we will remove them come November.
DeleteThe soft fascism of that marked Bloomberg's reign as "democratically elected" NYC mayor and leader is now extolled by the likes of "democratically elected" king Cuomo and his court, including KIng and Tisch. Cuomo needs to be impeached for this ruination and severe overreach of power concerning locally run public education.
ReplyDeleteHe is a dictator, there is no doubt. But he has enemies up in Albany, and they are looking to shiv him these days. I suspect he will end his second term in Albany with a big scandal. There are people out to get him, and he's dirty and there is stuff to get on him.
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