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Performance in New York City schools is abysmal hjs. Children educated in NYC barely graduate and a good number can’t even read and write. NYC needs the money, but the city also needs teachers willing and able to teach. Where else would 51% performance be considered passing for schools and 50% graduation rates be considered acceptable?
(Parent’s are a huge part of the equation as well and probably work more against the schools than with, but it’s clear teacher worry more about increases in their pay check and guaranteed job security and pensions than anything else.)

Education in New York is a race to the bottom.
Years in service is ranked above teacher performance.
Experienced teachers teach where they are least needed while inexperienced new teacher are put into the most challenging environments leading to high attrition.
Dumb-down test are given instead of educating the children.
Graduation rates in the high 40s to low 50s is acceptable.
High rates of illiteracy in high schools is considered acceptable.
Children are labeled as learning disabled over putting forth any effort to educate them.
Student’s don’t even have to speak English.
And teacher get higher pay regardless.
New York doesn’t deserve a dime of the Race to the Top money with its race to the bottom policies, even though our children desperately need it.

why just the exam? how about including a portfolio aspect to assessment. this would provide more infomation to inform our instruction and is guided by the curriculum.

ted

Tisch has said that "we are committed" to improving state tests, improving teacher prep, etc.
These things have only gotten worse over the years. The people in charge don't have the guts to do what it takes to really fix public education.

More money will not help school. I think it is a big mistake that to assume a govenrment can purchase good grades. We live in a country that in no way values education, only rhetoric about education, as long as students continue to be indifferent to their education no amount of money will be of help.

Brian, what is an RSP?

I am a middle school teacher in Brooklyn. I don't have a problem with "accountability" as long a range of assessments are used. I don't want my pay attached to to a single test on a single day where a child may have a bad day. There also need to be considerations for the type of students that we teach. Several of my students have been homeless at one point or another, 3 have had abusive parents. These things are out of my control but if I am going to be held accountable for their growth (which I believe I should), those issues must be incorporated. We also use an interim assessment system where growth over the year is considered rather than one test at the end of the year. I favor this system.

So teachers are going to made personally liable for the performance of students -- regardless of the student' home environment, regardless of the supplies and environment in the schools?

How about making Arne Duncan's pay or Joel Klein's pay dependent on performance of schools?

Sorry, but talk about the tail wagging the dog. NYS shouldn't be doing anything we don't think is effective. $700 million is not worth it. There is still a lot of skepticism that testing really means anything as far as student knowledge goes, so I can't imagine applying student test scores to teacher performance.

Don't ever teach classes with ESL or students from the projects - you won't get paid as much as people teaching in wealthy suburbs.

new yorkers can pay for their own schools without federal help. this money should go to low performing states (ie the southern, plains and mountains states)