Education State of the States

State of the States: New York

By Sean Cavanagh — January 10, 2012 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

NEW YORK

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) • Jan. 4

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo told state lawmakers that the 2010 law that ties teacher evaluation to student test scores—a major piece of the state’s winning $700 million Race to the Top plan—is not working, and he suggested it needs to be revised.

The Democrat said he would appoint a bipartisan commission to work with lawmakers on the issue, though he did not say specifically how he wants the teacher-evaluation law to be changed. The commission will address “teacher accountability,” student achievement, and school district management, he said.

“We need a meaningful teacher-evaluation system,” Mr. Cuomo said, according to a transcript of his speech. “The legislation enacted in 2010 to qualify for Race to the Top didn’t work.”

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, center, talks with Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, right, and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos after delivering his State of the State speech to lawmakers.

It’s unclear how changing the teacher-evaluation law would affect New York’s Race to the Top award, which it won in 2010. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has made it clear that he expects the winning states in the federal competition to stick to their promises.

The governor offered few specifics on his education agenda for 2012, though he cast himself as an agent of change on school issues. In 2011, Mr. Cuomo said, “I learned that everyone in public education has his or her own lobbyist.” He named superintendents, teachers, principals, school boards, maintenance workers, and bus drivers as having that political representation, and quipped: “Consider me the lobbyist for the students.”

A version of this article appeared in the January 11, 2012 edition of Education Week as State of the States

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read