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"There is already a mechanism in place to hold charter schools accountable; Mike Mulgrew should know this better than anyone because his was closed. Mike Mulgrew calling for more accountability for charter schools is like the Pony Express demanding faster service from FedEx. Our children deserve more high quality school choices, not more political posturing from union bosses. For Mulgrew to say this is his top priority is a joke -- his top priority should be improving the district schools that he runs," said StudentsFirstNY Executive Director Jenny Sedlis.

(Albany, NY) Parent advocates from StudentsFirstNY, a leading education reform organization, came to Albany today to call attention to the need for better school options. With the 2016 legislative session just getting underway, parent advocates who live in low-income communities across New York City and have children who attend both district and charter schools wanted to make sure their voices were heard.

On NY1's Inside City Hall, Mayor Bill de Blasio misstated the results of the previous administration's school closures. StudentsFirstNY Executive Director Jenny Sedlis is calling on the Mayor to issue an immediate retraction of those comments saying quote: 

"Last night Mayor de Blasio claimed that closing failing schools doesn't work because it 'left kids in the lurch in all those transition years and a lot of those schools were not necessarily better.' Either Mayor de Blasio is lying to defend his own failed policies or he hasn't done his homework." 

"In November, the nonpartisan Research Alliance for New York City Schools presented findings from a rigorous analysis of school closures under Mayor Bloomberg, showing that graduation rates improved by 15-points for students who left and attendance and graduation rates improved for those who remained during the transition. Mayor de Blasio has no evidence to support his failed policies and so he's attempting to tear down the proven successes of his predecessor." 

"One such school that Mayor de Blasio highlighted as an example of the success of his renewal plan is Boys and Girls High School, but a close look reveals no such success. According the Department of Education's own website, 385 students are currently enrolled at the school, down from 648 in the 2014-15 school year and 940 in the year before that. Counseling out 60% of the students to cook the books does not make for a success, it should lead to an investigation." 

"Mayor de Blasio could stand to learn from the effectiveness of Mayor Bloomberg's policies, rather than lying to make his own look successful. Now that he's been presented with the facts, Mayor de Blasio must correct his statements on the results of school closures under the prior administration."

CONTACT:

Michael Nitzky

646-565-8184

SFNY Calls for an Independent Audit of NYC Public School Coursework

NEW YORK, NY -- A new report released by StudentsFirstNY reveals rampant grade inflation within New York City public schools. While the majority of students are failing state tests, they are passing their schools’ coursework. At schools where fewer than 10% of students pass state tests, 85% of students are passing school coursework. Put another way, at struggling schools where 9 out of 10 students are below grade level, their school coursework makes it look like 9 out of 10 students are meeting grade standards. This is a phenomenon that extends far beyond failing schools – there is grade inflation going on across the board in the NYC public school system.

StudentsFirstNY is releasing the report The Hidden Truth: Massive Grade Inflation Conceals Underperformance in NYC Schools as part of its testimony today for the City Council’s hearing on struggling schools and is calling on the City to bring in an independent auditor to assess whether school coursework is meeting grade-level standards.

"Mayor de Blasio admitted last night that the City is force-placing excessed teachers. We know that teaching vacancies are predominantly in low income communities of color. It is a failed policy to put the unwanted teachers in the highest need classrooms. Mayor de Blasio is sorely mistaken about the goal -- it's not to reduce the size of the Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR) pool, it's to ensure quality teachers for all students, something his policies are constantly failing to do. Students in these communities deserve quality teachers who have been placed because of their talent, not simply because they're available," said StudentsFirstNY Executive Director Jenny Sedlis.

CONTACT:

Michael Nitzky

"The de Blasio administration is making a mockery out of what used to be a useful accountability measure. The redesigned School Quality Reports give high marks to schools with pass rates in the single digits because the administration would rather give parents a falsely rosy picture than admit schools are not performing. Parents in the lowest performing schools deserve to know the truth rather than be put through the de Blasio spin machine," said StudentsFirstNY Executive Director Jenny Sedlis.