Special Report
School & District Management

N.Y. Regents Release New Plan to Improve Schools

By The Associated Press — December 14, 2009 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A new Board of Regents proposal to improve New York’s public schools includes far more charter schools and would link teacher compensation and advancement to student performance.

Those are also requirements for New York to qualify for as much as $700 million in the Obama administration’s Race to the Top funding, a new program to encourage school reform. But both measures have been successfully opposed so far by the state’s powerful teachers’ unions and the Legislature.

Much of the Regents’ proposal requires the Legislature’s approval. The plan would allow persistently low-performing schools to be converted to charter schools, potentially by an order of the state education commissioner.

The proposal seeks to lift the cap on the number of charter schools, now set at 200. State officials note New York could get the most “points” toward the competitive federal grants if the cap was doubled to 400 charter schools.

The proposal would revise state standardized tests so they more closely track student performance on national tests, and offer a uniform curriculum and tests in the arts, economics and multimedia computer technology.

The plan would link a teacher’s job evaluation to student performance under improved tests and as part of a variety of factors. It would also improve teacher training by colleges and mentors.

The plan would also provide options to closing the worst schools including firing the principal and half the teachers and hiring an outside management firm.

“We should not place a teacher in a classroom, nor a principal in a school, before each has demonstrated their capacity to be effective, including their ability to raise the academic achievement of all students,” said state Education Commissioner David Steiner said, who has been in the job two months.

The Regents’ proposal drew quick support from frequent critics of education policy in New York, but concern from the New York State United Teachers union, a top lobbyist and campaign contributor with strong support in the Legislature.

Maria Neira, vice president of the union, said NYSUT insists that the states’ standardized tests be improved and curriculums be aligned before teachers accept student performance as a factor in teacher evaluations.

Neira also warned that the cap in charter schools shouldn’t be lifted until the charter school system is fully evaluated. She said new charter schools should only be allowed if there is no financial cost to the nearby traditional public school.

“Conceptually we have agreement in many of the areas, but we do have some concerns,” she said.

Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, a Buffalo Democrat, praised the Regents’ plan and is optimistic the Legislature will act on measures needed to qualify for the federal Race to the Top fund by the deadline in mid-January.

“With the deficit next year to be approaching $8 billion or $10 billion or maybe more, I don’t know how you can turn your back on $700 million in federal funding,” said Hoyt, a leading supporter of charter schools. “That kind of money can help prevent massive layoffs and dramatic class-size increases.”

Peter Murphy of the New York Charter Schools Association credited President Obama, who “made it financially worthwhile for reluctant states like New York to do the right thing and genuinely reform public education.”

“It’s significant that the state’s Board of Regents is asking for a raising of the charter school cap,” said B. Jason Brooks, director of research and communications for the Foundation for Education Reform & Accountability, a think tank.

Charter schools are public schools run by nonprofit managers free to innovate and establish their own policies, programs, management, and hiring. They must gain re-approval every five years. The number of charter schools is now near the 200-school maximum.

The measures come at a time when Gov. David Paterson says school aid — including per-pupil state aid and school property taxes among the highest nationwide — needs to be reduced to affordable levels.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Events

Student Well-Being Webinar After-School Learning Top Priority: Academics or Fun?
Join our expert panel to discuss how after-school programs and schools can work together to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss.
Budget & Finance Webinar Leverage New Funding Sources with Data-Informed Practices
Address the whole child using data-informed practices, gain valuable insights, and learn strategies that can benefit your district.
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
Classroom Technology Webinar
ChatGPT & Education: 8 Ways AI Improves Student Outcomes
Revolutionize student success! Don't miss our expert-led webinar demonstrating practical ways AI tools will elevate learning experiences.
Content provided by Inzata

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

School & District Management Opinion When It Comes to Leadership, Self-Awareness Matters. Here's Why
One leader learned she had a habit of shutting down others' ideas instead of inspiring them. Here's how she changed.
Robin Shrum
6 min read
Picture1 6.19.32 AM
Robin Shrum
School & District Management Opinion Don’t Bewail Summer Vacation for Students, Rethink It
Students experience summer vacation differently, depending on family resources. We should rethink the tradition with that in mind.
2 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School & District Management Women in K-12 Leadership Don't Get Enough Support. Here's What Needs to Change
Fairer family-leave policies, pay transparency, better data collection, and more on-the-job support are elements of the plan.
7 min read
Illustration showing diversity with multi-colored human figures.
ajijchan/iStock/Getty
School & District Management School Counselors Face 'Role Ambiguity.' This State Tried to Clarify Matters
New York's new regulations didn't always change how principals viewed or interacted with school counselors, research finds.
5 min read
Man trapped in maze.
Man trapped in maze.
iStock/Getty Images Plus