New York's education policymakers say they really were listening, even to the shouting, during a series of volatile public forums held to explain a slate of education reforms intended to better prepare public school students for college and the job market.
This month, a newly appointed Regents task force will begin reviewing comments from the 20 statewide forums, with instructions to come back with ideas for smoothing the way forward on stricter K-12 learning standards, student testing and teacher evaluations.
"If you went under the surface of the contention, the truth was we heard some people bring up some very reasonable thoughts about modifications," said Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch, who appointed the six-member task force.
...
The goal is not to undo what's been done or slow the pace of reform, said task force members, whose first meeting is Wednesday. It wouldn't make sense, for example, to go back to testing on the old learning standards, they said. Instead, the task force will focus on how to improve professional development and communication and look for ways to cut down on the time students spend taking tests, perhaps by encouraging districts to replace local assessments with some other measure in teacher evaluations.
The message is, we were listening, we really were, but there can be no real change to our reform agenda because we know best and you do not.
We're saying there's going to be some changes, and we're tinkering with things at the edges of the reform agenda, but the goal remains - "not to undo what's been done or slow the pace of reform."
In short, there will be no real change to the Cuomo/Tisch/King education reform agenda until they are made to pay a political price for refusing to listen to the will of the people.
It is time to make them pay that political price.
We'll start with Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has promoted this education reform agenda in his last three State of the State addresses but lately has run from this agenda as opposition from the public has increased.
Cuomo CANNOT run from his own education reform agenda.
If he continues to have this implemented (and we learned from Newsday that he threatened Merryl Tisch if is it not implemented quickly and to his satisfaction), then he will be forced to defend this during his re-election campaign this year at stop after stop after stop.
Cuomo and the legislature can put a stop to this - and they will when the political cost becomes greater than the hedge fundie/education reform money they're taking that is currently driving so much of this "reform".
What happen to the vocal members like Regent Phillips, Rosa and Tilles? It seems like they too are not being heard! Amazing
ReplyDeleteThey are there to give the Board of Regents the appearance of dissent. The numbers are squarely in the deformers' favor.
DeleteRegents Cashin also
DeleteNot amazing. Cuomo and the other corporate Democrats have calculated that there is no political price to pay for going forward with the deform agenda and the corporate money will keep coming in.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. They do worry that there will be a political price to be paid - that's why Sheriff Andy worked so hard to distance himself from the CCSS (link below.) And that's why he has all but disappeared from the education landscape.
DeleteWatch what happens during the State of the State address. I would bet that he spends very little time on education this year (after spending a lot of time on it in the last three years), and when he does talk about it, he distances himself from the issue by talking about his education reform commission or the Board of Regents as the agents driving the change.
Also, there were some pretty good indications that politicians - including Sheriff Andy - have been polling the education reform issues, especially CCSS, APPR and inBloom (link below). Politicians don't poll on issues they have no fear or concern over.
LINKS:
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2013/11/8536207/cuomo-sees-legislative-changes-common-core
http://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/2013/11/looks-like-cuomo-is-paying-attention-to.html
http://www.news10.com/story/23999472/new-poll-shows-voters-not-happy-with-cuomo-common-core
So, Cuomo is worried about losing the election? I don't think so. Shelly Silver worried about his speakership? Not really. On one hand you are saying they are worried but then on the other hand you say they are going full speed ahead with their agenda and this is a sham commission. Which is it? Until there are real live candidates to challenge Cuomo, the reform agenda will go ahead and whether Cuomo is touting it or not, is for the most part irrelevant. A moderate Republican (if there is such a thing these days) or Liberal Democrat running for Governor talking about getting rid of Common Core is what will stop it dead in its tracks.
ReplyDeleteSee Barrack Obama 2012 for validation of what we are saying that Cuomo will be silent but the CCSS agenda will move ahead. Watch Andy stay silent or talk out of all sides of his mouth like Obama did in 2012. You see any policy changes? Only a real challenge will change the policy. Otherwise, it's full speed ahead.
DeleteFollow the corporate money.
DeleteIn the long run, you're right that we need pro-public school candidates to run. But in the short run, Cuomo IS worried about CCSS, inBloom and APPR. He wants to run for president in 2016. He needs to win handily in 2014 to do it (and he needs to hope HRC doesn't run, but that's out of his control.) He cannot afford to have a CCSS, APPR and/or inBloom rebellion flaming up, putting him on the defensive, and taking away from his "I Am The Government - and this gov't works!" messaging he's trying to send to the rest of the country. He is paying very close attention to the rebellion and while ultimately it would be nice to get legitimate candidates to run against the deformers, that is hard to do in a corporate political system where cash is in King. Look, we're better off now than we were a few short years ago when Arne Duncan was a non-controversial figure and Cuomo was hawking his ed deform agenda out in the open.
DeleteLet me add that Times is set to report Cuomo is shifting on medical marijuana policy. Seems pretty clear to me that's a political move in a re-election year. Yet that shift is happening because of pressure being put on Cuomo from advocates, not advocates threatening to run medical marijuana candidate against him. Proves that a shift can come from pressure alone - so long as there is political leverage.
DeleteMedical marijuana is like same sex marriage. It doesn't anger the money people so Cuomo can look progressive. Destroying, or at least radically changing for the worse, public education is at the top of the corporate political agenda. Listen to what Farina said about Common Core. This is a make or break issue for the elites. Cuomo knows what his money masters want. You are right that this is a sham commission and there will only be cosmetic changes. Anything else requires real live candidates to run against him, not Mark Naison as a write in candidate. You are a brilliant political analyst. We need to really scare Cuomo and the Republicans in the Senate that they might lose and then change will occur.
DeleteThanks for the kind words, but I don't think I'm a brilliant political analyst. Just a cynic with three decades observation experience.
DeleteMy latest on pressuring Cuomo:
http://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-fighting-education-reform-in-ny.html
Just saw the flyer from my legislator that promotes S4284, which would prevent the release of student data without parental permission. Hope it succeeds instead of Flanagan's toothless one.
ReplyDeleteYou mean this one:
Deletehttp://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S4284-2013
I agree - much better than Flanagan's bill, which does nothing but give more power to SED.