UFT Appears To Be Only Entity/Individual Fooled By Cuomo's Common Core Review Announcement

So far I haven't seen anything but cynicism and snark from people over Cuomo's announcement that he's going to convene his third education commission/panel, this time to review the Common Core standards, the tests tied to those standards and the curriculum developed by the state that goes by the misnomer EngageNY (should be called DisengagedNY.)

Here, for example was Liz Benjamin:

Haven't we done this once already? http://t.co/Qles0LSzYy

— Liz Benjamin (@CTLizB) September 3, 2015

We have indeed: 

It is not the first time Cuomo, a staunch defender of the higher Common Core standards, has criticized their implementation in New York. In February 2014, he said the state's Board of Regents and the Department of Education had "failed utterly" in the design and roll-out of the new Regents exams.

It is also not the first time he has convened a statewide commission to tackle wide-ranging problems in K-12 education. An earlier version, the New York State Education Reform Commission, issued a 92-page "action plan" in January 2014.

He also created the plainly-named Common Core Implementation Panel in 2014. It was to "undertake an immediate and comprehensive review of the rollout of the Common Core standards in New York state," and it too produced a report.

Gary Stern and Sullio put past Cuomo/commissions into perspective:

@perdidostschool @SteveMcNY Don't forget his "New Reform Education Commission." Held hearings around NYS. Quickly forgotten.

— Gary Stern (@GarySternNY) September 3, 2015

@sullio Looks about right. Last commission met once, repeated his positions, disappeared.

— Gary Stern (@GarySternNY) September 3, 2015

So why a third education panel/commission?

The political heat on Cuomo over Common Core and the Endless Testing regime was getting, well, hot:

The governor's press release, though, was noteworthy as a response to the mounting criticism and, in particular, the wave of test refusals among families with children in grades 3-8. About one of five students declined to sit for either the math or English exam in the spring.

Or, as Steve McLaughlin put it:

Cuomo hasn't seen the light on #CommonCore he's seen the polls.

— Steve McLaughlin (@SteveMcNY) September 3, 2015

When things get hot, it's "Commission time!" in Albany - Cuomo's done this with corruption (Moreland), public utilities (LIPA commission) and education - twice as Justin Murphy reported in the D&C.

So now we have a third commission, one that Cuomo hopes will allow him to put some distance between himself and his education reform agenda.

Steve McLaughlin explains:

.@NYGovCuomo now in full back-pedal/damage control mode on his prior heavy handed, bullying in pushing #CommonCore & high stakes testing.

— Steve McLaughlin (@SteveMcNY) September 3, 2015

About the only person/entity that doesn't seem to understand this is all jive is the UFT, which hailed the announcement today:

For once @UFT is pleased w/ Cuomo: Union says it's "happy to work" w/ his commission to fix "problems created by the Common Core rollout."

— Kate Taylor (@katetaylornyt) September 3, 2015

Right - because the last two education commissions/panels Cuomo put together "fixed" so much.

On the plus side, with Cuomo now officially pulling a Chris Christie on Common Core and trying to make like he never saw it, there are only a few supporters of CCSS left:

Cuomo dumps his support for Common Core leaving only @nysut @AFTunion @UFT supporting it in NY...

— lacetothetop (@lacetothetop) September 3, 2015

Indeed.

If anybody at the UFT/AFT/NYSUT actually thinks the Cuomo announcement today will lead to substantive changes to the reform agenda in New York, then they've fallen off a turnip truck.

But I suspect the the UFT hailed the Cuomo announcement because it gives them cover for continuing to support CCSS and Endless Testing in New York - now they can say, Hey we've got a commission coming to "fix" all the problems with them.

Sure we do...