Chancellor Klein:

The NYC public school system is at an important crossroad. You have now initiated the third reorganization of the system in five years. Yet again, parents, teachers and students were shut out of the decision-making process. This plan will not result in better schools for all our children because it doesn’t focus on what our schools really need. Heed our advice: Stop the Reorganization and Listen to the Public.

Our Schools Need:

Real Engagement with Parents, Students and Teachers

A Focus on Teaching and Learning, Not on Constantly Restructuring the School System

More Equity and Fairness in Resources and Funding for ALL Schools

No Privatization of Crucial Supports for Our Schools

http://www.uft.org/action_center/petitions/reforms?referer=14372

Sincerely,

phyllis c. murray

Visit:http://www.uft.org/action_center/petitions/reforms?referer=14372

Let’s take this line:

“Now, because of the first phase of the Children First school reforms the Mayor and the Chancellor have enacted, New York City’s students are making real progress. .. Students’ progress in reading and math is now outpacing gains in the rest of New York State.”

Outpaced? Progress?

Only grades 4 and 8 can be tracked across years.

More than half the gains Klein takes credit for in literature and in public comments occurred four years ago, before the Children First reforms were in place. In ELA for example, only 4.2 of the 19 points of gains he takes credit for occurred before Children First. This has been documented by Diane Ravitch, and you can also read my incredibly good post on it here: http://edwize.org/unwinding-kleins-spin

What is more, a close look at ELA and math underKlein’s watch reveals:

1. ELA Grade 4, 2006: the only “outpacing” the city did was that the city scores didn’t decrease as much as the rest of the state.

2. ELA Grade 4, 2005: Grade 4 only kept pace with the state, but was “outpaced” by other big cities, like Yonkers and Rochester. (They were “outpaced”).

3. ELA Grade 8, 2006: the city did “outpace” the state in 2006, BUT

4. ELA Grade 8, 2005: city eighth graders went down 3 points, though the scores were up in the rest of the state (the city was outpaced).

5. Math Grades 4 and 8, 2006 :decreased at the same rate as the state (a little more in 8, a little less in 4)

6. Math Grade 8, 2005: decreased along with the rest of the state

7. Math Grade 4, 2005: increased along with the rest of the state

Overall, student city scores have largely followed the same trends as the state since at least as far back as 1999.

(I am not a good detail person, but I think I’ve got the scores down accurately. I went to a state site and then downloaded charts for most of the results: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/deputy/Documents/5-05-mathresults-pr.htm.)

A second thing about this letter: I take issue with this vague line: “Schools also must be funded fairly.”

Yes, they must be. But in written literature and in presentations, Klein disseminates misinformation about the current funding. He omits crucial information and distorts and inflates the differences between schools. Schools, of course, must be equitably funded, but the people likely to sign this letter will not be able to gauge with any accuracy the state of the current funding (unless they ignore Klein’s presentation of it), and therefore will not be able to determine the merits of his scheme.