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Rob Astorino’s attempt to exploit confusion about the Common Core by creating a “Stop Common Core” ballot line takes brazen, cynical pandering to a new low. New York students deserve leaders who will stand up for academic rigor and high standards in public education.

President Obama and Secretary Duncan took an important step towards closing the achievement gap today by calling on states to closely examine whether great teachers are fairly distributed.

StudentsFirstNY believes in transparency and accountability for all public schools, which is why we have supported making this data public -- as it has been for some time. This legislation does not share any data that hasn't already been made publicly available -- it's just political theater for politicians looking to pander to powerful special interests. Empty political stunts are bad enough, but this bill sets up a dangerous dynamic by pitting parents against one another and diverting attention from the real problems facing public schools.

The end to this legislative session has once again shown us that the teachers union will protect ineffective teachers even if it means harming the education of our children. Despite their efforts to gum up the works, higher standards, rigorous state tests and a teacher evaluation system remain in place in New York State. 

StudentsFirstNY parent members rallied today on the steps of City Hall on behalf of legislation that would require audible alarms on all public school exit doors. 

Today’s courageous and historic decision is a major victory for public school students everywhere. It pushes the reset button on a twisted reality that protected adults at the expense of kids.

Now that the details are out on the new teachers contract, take a closer look at whether the contract substance matches Mayor de Blasio’s flowery rhetoric.

In the days following the announcement of a new teachers’ contract Mayor de Blasio hid behind flowery rhetoric. Now that we’ve seen the fine print we know that his contract is really a sweetheart deal for the UFT that comes at the expense of New York City schoolchildren. Below are some critical ways in which the teacher contract reality failed to live up to de Blasio’s lofty rhetoric.

The following op-ed was published in the New York Post on May 9, 2014.

The mayor got his press conference, the union chief got his revenge — and the city’s schoolchildren got nothing.

Last week’s press conference celebrating the new teachers’ contract was full of smiles and hugs — but very few details. Now we’re getting them, and now we know: The contract is a sweetheart deal for the United Federation of Teachers.