With pre-K and charters dominating the conversation, there’s been little attention to de Blasio’s fuzzier agenda for the million-plus kids already attending conventional public schools. “We’re going to focus on teacher retention, which I think is a huge difference-maker, because we’re hemorrhaging quality teachers,” he says. “Why is Finland so wonderful? Because teachers are incredibly well prepared, and they do it as a lifelong career. That’s where I’m trying to move us, and I think we can get there.”
That goal is of course at odds with Cuomo's goal, and indeed the goals of many education reformers, which is to create "burn and churn" in the teacher ranks - move 'em in, burn 'em out, watch 'em go before they're vested for a pension.
