This story in the New York Times tells a lot about what happened in New York City during the Bloomberg years (Mayor Bloomberg was elected in 2001, won full control of the school system from the Legislature in 2002, and put his plans into effect in September 2003). Although the city had a term-limits law of two terms, Bloomberg persuaded the NYC City Council to allow him (and themselves) to stay in office for a third term. So, Bloomberg ran the public schools from 2002-2013, when he left office. The signal strategy of his years in office was closing low-performing schools–many of them large comprehensive high schools–and replacing them with small high schools or charter schools, sometimes with three, four, or five schools in the same building, each with its own principal and administrative staff. The small high schools were allowed to exclude students with disabilities and English-language-learners for a set number of years, and of course, they had better results than the big high schools. The big high schools meanwhile became dumping grounds for the students unwanted by the new small schools or the charters.
The linked article notes that the Bloomberg administration closed 157 schools–most of them large high schools–and opened 656 schools, including charter schools.
The irony of the article is that it features Santiago Taveras, who was the man charged with closing schools. In public hearings, he appeared stonily impassive as students, parents, and teachers pleaded for the life of their school. Taveras is now in charge of DeWitt Clinton, one of the few remaining comprehensive high schools, and he is leading the effort to turnaround the school. His is one of 94 schools selected by the de Blasio administration for extra resources and services, because de Blasio wants to help schools instead of closing them. Taveras led the effort to close schools, now he is part of De Blasio’s effort to rescue them. Flexibility is a good thing.
I personally believe that de Blasio is on the right track in trying to give schools the help they need to survive. As the article points out, many of the comprehensive high schools were doomed because they took in the low-performing students that the new high schools excluded. Some of those that were closed–like storied Jamaica High School–had extensive programs for college-bound students, for English-language learners, and for many other students with different interests and needs. But Jamaica High School died, despite the loyalty and efforts of its staff.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The first school Arne Duncan closed as CEO of Chicago Public Schools was the one he worked at in their after school tutoring program (a position kindly provided for him by one of his billionaire friends who also helped provide him the CEO position).
The first school that Arne Duncan closed in Chicago was Dodge Elementary School, along with two other elementary schools. He closed them in 2002, as the beginning of his ambitious Renaissance 2010 program. When President Obama announced Duncan’s appointment in 2008 as Secretary of Education, he did it at Dodge, which had been renamed Dodge Renaissance School. The President commended Duncan for the courage to close down a low-performing school. In 2013, Dodge Renaissance School was closed as a low-performing school.
Taveras certainly seems open to suggestions:
You want to change the current direction of public education, to change the policies and practices of state schools – “better education for all?”
Let’s look at the State, first.
The USA, our nation-state, is comprised of two symbiotic groups: first, the wealthiest corporations and corporate cartels, and second, a governmental, bureaucratic duopoly that they finance and control, and which is vetted every few years through a sham national election process.
This state, through both its corporate and government components, is expressed in the following ways:
-> pervasive, inescapable surveillance, data tracking, and marketing
-> a presumption of guilt before innocence
-> constant fear
-> indefinite detention
-> state-sponsored torture
-> a militarized, mercenary police force
-> perpetual war
-> a for-profit prison system with the highest percentage of incarcerated citizens of any country in the world
-> economic and social inequality not seen since the Great Depression, and unequaled among other industrialized nations
-> a consumer economy based on compulsive consumption
-> human “value” accounted only in terms of increasing GDP and profit
This. Is. Our. State.
Why would anyone think that state schools would adopt policies or practices that reflect anything other than the aims and goals of the state?!
It is absurd!
Simply put, you can’t have the “Blessed, Non-negotiable American Way of Life” (to paraphrase Dick Cheney), without the American state and its state schools.
The nation-state, & my state, were very different just 40 yrs ago. And again very different 20 yrs ago. The steady undermining of public schools began only 12 yrs ago. The 1st draft of Common Core came out only 5 yrs ago, & RTTT forced it & its associated hi-stakes tests into widespread schools only in the last 3 yrs.
All of the changes can be turned around. It takes voter will & activism, all made harder by billionaire purchase of the press & govt, yet easier & faster via internet. It is time to cast cynicism aside in favor of activism.
First, the “steady undermining of public schools” goes back at least as far as the “Nation at Risk” report, so that’s more than thirty years.
Second, I think you may be conflating “pessimism” with “cynicism.” I freely admit that I believe that self-interest is the motivation behind the majority of decisions made by corporate operatives and government bureaucrats; for goodness sake, self-interest is the foundation of our glorious capitalist system!
However, if you think my attitude stems from pessimism, you missed my point completely. To clarify: American public education is one part of a complex system designed to maximize luxury, convenience, and entertainment for the largest number of it’s citizens as possible.
I contend that you can’t change the single component of state schools without bringing the whole house (state) down. Anti-school-reform-advocates (pro-real-reform-advocates?) want to have their cake (American consumer lifestyles) and eat it (unions, egalitarianism, professional teachers, etc.) too.
For those with a guilty conscience, take comfort in the knowledge that the number of people realizing the American Dream will steadily decline over time. Teachers, your days are numbered. Public school administrators, you’re next.
As for “voter will and activism,” have you been dutifully tweeting, facebooking, and clicking on petitions?
Did you vote Democrat in 2008? 2010? 2012? 2014? Did it help?
Gonna vote Republican in ’16?
Think that’ll work?
Way back in the history of NYC schools, 1970’s, enrollment was declining throughout a majority of the community school districts. The NYC Planning Commission had considerable influence on what schools to close in terms of capacity and what schools to build. Our position was that school closures were to be avoided if at all possible simply because an empty school building hastened the deterioration of a neighborhood. Ironically this post adjacent to the last post on community schools echos our approach to help solve the problem of empty schools. We began a campaign to bring social and health service programs into a school with low enrollment to not only save the neighborhood school from closing but also expand services to the neighborhood at significantly less expense. Unfortunately, just as we got this program going there was something called the NYC fiscal crisis.
Now i am curious as whether any of these closed schools are really closed or “re-purposed”..
Flexibility is the survivor’s guide!
it looks like this gross opportunist is looking for his skim wherever he can find it.
It’s disgusting characters like this that help make the NYC Department of Education the toxic, psychopathic institution it has come to be.
I work at DeWitt Clinton High School and while I do not always see eye to eye with Mr. Taveras (or Santi), I think he is realizing the real problems in school like ours. Ms Ravitch, if you reach out to him, you may find a new ally.
Rob, I wish he had not closed so many other schools .
I agree. But we have learned that he does listen ( at least now he does). Our unions chapter committee has learned that we have to be in his ear more often than the education reform-minded asistant principals in our building
Santi was my AP and mentor when I was a beginning teacher. People may disagree with his former position, but you will never meet a more talented and dedicated educator of public school children. Anyone who thinks that Santi is part of the problem does not know him.
Well, Jeremy Kaplan, rather than having a year-dead thread dug up and ended with a (totally hollow) endorsement of Santiago Taveras, I’ll give you the opportunity to back up your opinion – his record is out there for all to see. Cherry pick away.