Nothing Changes Until Politicians Are Made To Pay A Political Price For Supporting Education Reform

Gary Stern at Lohud has a piece out about an Assembly bill to delay a new state test for prospective teachers that many education students say they have not been given sufficient time to prepare for.

In the article, we get this statement from an Assemblywoman Deborah Glick about the problems with the new NYSED policy and test:

"It hasn't been thought out," she said. "It seems the state Education Department, whether on this issue or K-12 testing, has been intransigent and disconnected from people's lives."

Just how disconnected from people's lives are the functionaries at the state Education Department?

So disconnected that NYSED Commissioner King, flanked by US Secretary of Education
Duncan, gave a defiant speech at New York University yesterday in which he declared there will be no turning back from the state's education reform agenda and no quarter given to opponents and critics of that agenda.

King further stated that no matter how botched the Common Core implementation has been, it will continue unabated:

“The road to change will always be bumpier for some than for others,” the commissioner, John B. King Jr., said in a speech to officials, educators and public policy students at New York University. “But that’s no reason to stop."

Nope, no change in course, no rethinking goals, no softening the rhetoric - just damn the torpedos, full speed ahead with reform!

So far, despite widespread criticism of King and the SED/Regents/Cuomo reform agenda, there have been few changes to the reform trajectory.

The Common Core Standards are still the "state" standards, the Common Core tests are still being given, and while the tests do not "count" for students, they are still be using to evaluate teachers and ultimately fire the "bad" ones.

In addition, the legislature and governor have given even more money to SED for "professional development" for teachers and administrators, more money to SED for public relations outreach to parents to win them over on the Common Core and other reform agenda components, and more time to continue their reform agenda pretty much undiminshed by public criticism or concern.

As I wrote earlier, until politicians are made to pay political prices for supporting King, Regents Chancellor Tisch and the state's reform agenda, SED Commissioner King and the other education reform functionaries at SED are going to continue on their reform trajectory.

You take out a couple of Assembly Members in a primary or general, directly related to Common Core and the state's ed reform agenda, and you'll see some changes.

There has been some talk of Oliver Koppell challenging IDC head/State Senator Jeff Klein of the Bronx.

Klein, despite being a former teacher, has helped Governor Cuomo dismantle public schools here in NYC by giving them unlimited expansion powers and more cash from the public school budget.

Klein has been very supportive of Common Core, APPR and other parts of the state's reform agenda.

Helping to take Klein out of power would certainly get some attention from the political hacks in Albany that critics and opponents of the state's reform agenda mean business.

Benedict Arnold/Tony Avella is another pol in need of a new job who would be ripe for a take-out over CCSS (with Avalla now part of the IDC, he helps ensure the state's reform agenda remains intact 100%.)

Dunno if either Klein or Avella will be primaryed, dunno if either could be taken out in either a primary or a general, but I'll tell you what - until that starts to happen, the arrogant autocrats at the SED and the Regents are going to continue to shove their agendas down our throats.

And they'll do it in style, as King did yesterday, with middle finger waving in our faces, letting us know just how powerless we are to effect change in this "democracy" we call New York State.