News

Today, the New York State Education Department made available a detailed data file for the 2012-2013 teacher and principal evaluation results for all districts except New York City (which did not begin its teacher evaluation program until the 2013-14 school year). Preliminary data released in October 2013 showed that the vast majority of teachers and principals (94% and 92%, respectively) were deemed "Effective" or "Highly Effective" despite student proficiency rates around 30% in math and ELA.

StudentsFirstNY released a new analysis today showing that at 75 New York City district schools, not a single student in a grade passed the state math or ELA test.

The big news this year is that once again New York City continues to set the pace for all cities across the state. After 12 years of an ambitious reform agenda, New York City schools are nearly tracking the rest of the state.

It's unfortunate that a candidate for governor would resort to a cheap political stunt on an issue as important as raising standards for New York schools.

It is surprising that the Department of Education would celebrate the return of 1,100 ineffective teachers back into the classrooms of our most vulnerable children. Semantic games aside, a world-class school system is not built on a foundation that gives preferential treatment to the lowest-performing teachers. Today’s announcement demonstrates that the DOE is not serious about ensuring that every child is taught by a quality teacher. Had they been, there's a simple solution: limit the time unwanted teachers can collect a paycheck.

In the hard work of implementing higher standards for students, Commissioner King and the New York State Education Department have gone to great lengths to hear and incorporate teacher and parent feedback. With today's release, they've thoughtfully balanced the urgency of raising the bar for kids with providing teachers and parents with the necessary tools.

As parents, we know that a great teacher can unlock a world of opportunity. And we also know the devastating impact that an ineffective teacher can have.

You hear a lot about government disfunction, but it's only fair to give credit where it's due. Today, the New York City Council passed the Audible Alarms Bill, also known as Avonte's Law, securing a huge win for kids and their parents.

Passage of the Audible Alarms bill is a great win for students and parents. Every day over one million parents entrust their children's safety to the City. We've seen too many tragedies and near-tragedies this year. We are proud to have lent our voice to this effort, driven by an outpouring of support from our parent members. Thanks to Councilmember Cornegy, we hope that DOE will begin installing these alarms immediately.

NEW YORK -- StudentsFirstNY called on the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board to investigate disturbing questions about a potential conflict of interest during the recently completed teachers’ contract negotiations.