This is an interesting question: Is the New York Board of Regents now toast? Or is it actually chopped liver? Either way, it doesn’t matter. When Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed a commission and assigned the most consequential powers of the Regents to the commission, he neutered the Regents. Peter Goodman, a longtime observer of city and state politics, speculates on this question and leaves little doubt (http://mets2006.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/is-the-governor-firing-the-regents-andor-remaking-an-archaic-dysfunctional-education-policy-making-process-andor-running-for-the-white-house-in-2016-from-ed-in-the-apple/). Governor Cuomo has blatantly taken control of education policy, a function described in the state constitution as belonging to the duly appointed Regents.
Is this good or bad? I personally have never thought it problematic when someone says that a democratic body works slowly. That is the way democratic bodies are supposed to work. That is called checks and balances.. That is why we have not only an executive, but also a bicameral legislature and a judiciary system. Things done quickly and without thorough review are not necessarily better than those that must pass scrutiny.
I have not been a huge fan of the Regents, especially since they decided to go for Race to the Top funding and had the bad fortune to win. Various officials mistakenly thought that the $700 million from the Department of Education would help the state with its debt, but they didn’t realize that every bit of the $700 million had to be spent on Washington’s priorities, not New York State’s. And if New York’s experience is similar to that of other states, we will end up spending $2-3 billion because of having “won” $700 million, paying for the mandates and conditions to which we are bound.
And I am less than impressed by the authoritarian ways of the New York State Education Department. Our young commissioner, John King, who taught in charter schools, is certain that he knows more about how to reform schools and educate students than all the experienced principals and teachers in the state put together. I am too old to admire hubris. Pride goeth before you-know-what. King’s defensive response to Pineapplegate seemed immature, a harbinger of tough times ahead as the state begins imposing more of its mandates on the schools and districts.
But having said all that, I am nonetheless perturbed by the usurpation of the Regents’ authority by a commission composed largely of non-educators. All of them have day jobs. They are busy people. They will hold hearings. Who exactly is being asked to redesign education in New York State and what are their qualifications for doing so?
I dunno. It sometimes seems like education has become a hobby or a parlor game, and anyone can play.
Diane
Diane Ravitch's blog 
You new blog has me tied to my computer waiting…….
I thought the same thing and wondered why there were no comments from any members of the New York State Legislature since they elect the regents who oversee NYSED and the Commissioner of Education. It seems that Governor Cuomo just doesn’t care to be bothered with little things like the New York State Constitution and all those pesky legal requirements if they’re just going to get in the way of his reform agenda. If that’s the case, perhaps we don’t need the legislature or the courts either. After all, a benevolent dictator doesn’t really need any inefficient checks and balances to impede progress, and Governor Cuomo is already on record as saying, “I am the government.”
When are people going to demand expertise and credentials again? Are we going to see a time when it is not about who you know, but what you know? And maybe how did you learn that?
Why is it that teachers need to be licensed, observed, assessed…yet the people who decide what assessments to use are not even educators? Have you looked at their credentials? There is a definite science to teaching. What looks good on paper is not always possible in practice. Our regents have no idea how to best educate our children or how best to evaluate teachers. They do not need a license, possibly have never taught, have no idea how to extract information from children, do not realize the amount of pressure and anxiety these new standards put upon children. Where is their evaluation? If we do not believe they have been successful, according to the HEIDI standards, do they lose their jobs? How about our Governor, who evaluates him? If he is not producing, to our satisfaction, can we replace him?
I can see it now- Andrew Cuomo will ride into the fray and save our children by declaring an end to the Pearson testing and announcing that the “BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE” (without one educator with practical teaching and administration experience!) will present the solution to be implemented immediately!
The solution you ask- stay tuned! Same Cuomo Time- Same Cuomo Station!
[…] Diane Ravitch and others have speculated over whether Governor Cuomo’s Education Reform Commission is a threat […]
The real problem is a failure to properly define the outcomes of schooling. This is something the Commission and the Governor will fail to consider. I have a suggestion for their consideration “COLLEGE FOR ALL” HAS LIMITS
It is time to abandon the “college for all” mantra and a secondary education path which has its sole base in a common standardized testing package. After almost 30 years of various education reforms it simply has not worked for many students. More than half of high school graduates do not have a degree or credential at any level including many who aced the ACTs and SATs. The primary focus of K-12 educators has been to have students go to college. This is the wrong goal. The goal is to have students go to college and succeed and we have failed. There is a better way to prepare students for life, work and additional education and we must commit to it.
The current graduation assessments measure a narrow range of student potential and often limit the consideration of other dreams for students (think art, drama or other interesting work or pursuits that provide personal agency). Several things come to mind. First, ability matters and those with high intellectual ability are between three and five times more successful (think earn a doctorate, secure a patent, publish an article in a scientific journal or publish a literary work), Lubinski and Benbow. These are important and necessary contributions in a high imagination economy but hardly within the interest or grasp of all students. Second, for those concerned with “tracking” we do it now in a de facto manner by failing 25% of the students out of the system and 35% of community college enrollees who never see the second semester. Is a student with a practical skill and earning potential better able to pursue additional education than the dropout or even a graduate with low academic skills? Work skills matter and high school graduates with them have higher initial earnings and college success. Unfortunately, many high schools place a low priority on high engagement career education. Third, the college for all system has levied a trillion dollars of student debt on to the backs of our postsecondary graduates and non graduates. This is a pretty steep personal and societal cost for a system that yields 30% with BAs and 42% with any degree or credential. In fact, one of the stunning findings in the Harvard Pathways to Prosperity report is that 27% of those with a credential (less than an AA) earn more than the average individual with a BA. Finally, we have an engagement crisis that results in the performance crisis. High School academic life with rare exceptions is boring and fails to provide relevance to the student’s daily or future life. Isn’t it time to create a learning system that mirrors how work is done in a high imagination economy and engages and challenges students?
Here are a few difficult steps to consider to prepared students for success in life, careers and college.
Create multiple paths to graduation including career programs, all with a rigorous convergence of academic, technical and employability skills.
Incorporate national technical skills assessments into the package of school graduation assessments appropriate for the pathway and allow for substitution of those technical assessments for a state assessment.
Require all students to master the content and skills of three career, art, music or foreign Language courses, or a program equivalent, as part of a chosen pathway. This would provide Pre College (foreign language), art, music and career paths, none of which are mutually exclusive.
Insist on rigorous and relevant instructional practices. Rigor isn’t about making it hard or even requiring seat time it is about making difficult and important skills and information accessible to students. This means providing relevant experiences that are real world, interdisciplinary, complex and authentic. Relevance makes rigor possible for most students. It is about getting students to think and work.
Develop and implement a merit based system that guides students to interesting pathways and allow students to move over to a new path upon demonstration of ability and interest. Our global competitors in Asia and Western Europe do this now.
Encourage the not-for-profit sector to develop bridge year programs in public service or overseas service travel for students. The combination of a “walk about” experience and service to others will add maturity and allow students to find meaning before the investment of money and time in post secondary pursuits. Several small pilots of this model have found a higher level of persistence in post secondary education. These must be made available over the socioeconomic, ethnic and talent spectrum for all students. Businesses and entrepreneurs who are global competitors should be self interested in supporting such efforts.
Experiment with self organizing learning environments (SLOES) utilizing the internet and shared free learning resources based on work done in India and other emerging economies designed to accelerate learning . This is how adults work and learn outside of formal education.
Stress the importance of apprenticeships, corporate training, credentials (at less than the AA) and the military as legitimate forms of post secondary education. These often provide entry into middle class earnings and life. These choices often create less debt and the earning power to gain additional education.
Develop metrics to assess the level of implementation/success of these recommendations in every high school
All of this is in our grasp all we need is the courage and will to do it.
Edward A. Shafer
[…] Diane Ravitch and others have speculated over whether Governor Cuomo’s Education Reform Commission is a threat […]