Governor Andrew Cuomo is turning his attention to many of New York State's failing schools. Without revealing specific information - Cuomo said he would unveil his education reform plan in January's State of the State address - the Governor did say that he intends to set benchmarks for school standards, according to The Buffalo News:
Wherever the bar for school or district "failure" gets set, he said, his plan would likely have local communities decide how they want to change the governance of schools that don't measure up. The one thing local communities will not be allowed to do is nothing.
"You can have a state policy that says, if you get under this grade you fail, but then say to a locality, 'You have to do something about your failing schools. Here are options, and I'm not going to tell you what to do, but you have to do something,'" Cuomo said.