On August 7, Schools Chancellor Denis Walcott announced the results of new state exams. The results set a new foundation for building on students’ academic success and preparing them to succeed professionally.
According to the New York Daily News, Walcott urged parents to ignore those who use the exam results for personal or political agendas:
Capitalizing on the scores to benefit adults would relegate a generation of kids to a second-class education, and cheat them out of the futures they deserve. To become distracted by politics would be disastrous for our students.
This is a new day for our public school students, and we believe in educators’ ability to shift their instruction and lead students to meet this higher bar, as they have in the past. This momentous transition is too important to politicize, and our students don’t have the luxury of time. They need skills that will enable them to earn livable wages, advance in their careers and thrive in life.