Governor Andrew Cuomo has an unfortunate habit of spouting off about education, a subject where he is woefully uninformed.
When New York won a Race to the Top grant, the original proposal called for a 20% cap on test scores as part of teachers’ evaluations. Cuomo insisted, after the deal was struck, that it had to be 40%. If he knew anything about research on teaching, he would have said 20% was too high.
Last week, he said that low-scoring schools should have a death penalty, again parading his ignorance. He meant replacing democratic governance with state takeover or mayoral control or chartering. All are failed remedies.
Peter Goodman here predicts that Cuomo’s ill-informed policies could derail his presidential ambitions.
New York State has done a miserable job running the Roosevelt school district.
Voters in NYC are sick of mayoral control.
Cuomo needs better advisors. His lines are stale.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
We don’t need Cumo or any other “reform” Governor or anyone else in the “reform” business to be President of our country. We need teachers to run for this and any other open Offices!
He says “death penalty” because he thinks it will sound tough and decisive for the reformers he works for. Early in the APPR/Eval/3012-c process he wanted to press for a shorter timeline for agreements. In interactions with Buffalo schools (who wanted some collaborative reasoning between district and staff while the gallows were being constructed…some time before putting lives on the line) the Governor has backed The Commissioner’s stance that there will be no patience, no collaboration. Of course, the President and the Sec of Ed are ultimately to blame-but it has been almost enthusiastic cooperation down the line, driven by an intricate network of business, campaign donors (present and future?). My fear is another union backed, lesser of two evils campaign. We need game-changers running for office, and unions with the courage to back them.
Cuomo is a nasty piece of work, and unfortunately for students, teachers and schools, his viciousness far exceeds his ignorance.
If Andy’s last name was anything other than “Cuomo”, this very dislikeable and arrogant guy would probably be selling used cars or making unsolicited phone calls to unsuspecting seniors.
Is there anything Andrew Cuomo WON’T do for more money and power?
I think the Governor has forgotten something important. Teachers, working and retired, go to the polls and vote. He’s in big trouble.
The “Death Penalty” for failing governors – at the polls!
This man spent the last three years DE-FUNDING city schools across this state. Class sizes exploded, resources shriveled, elective programs disappeared, and teachers were demoralized. Now he has the unmitigated gall to blast struggling city schools in Buffalo and beyond. To call him a political lowlife would be an insult to lowlifes everywhere.
A toast to the smoldering ash heap of political ambitions Mr. Cuomo. Words do matter.
Cuomo, how about coming up with something different? Same old stale reform rhetoric really shows how bought out you are by the billionaires.
Diane, Please check out the school board candidate for Douglas County’s new press release at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ronda-Scholting-for-DougCo-Schools/419688454773911. Hooray for Ronda Scholting!
Lisa,
Network for Public Education has endorsed Ronda Scholting for school board in Douglas County
Another wealthy, imperious politician who’s out of touch with the working class and poor.
“Communist Teacher” needs to take his tired, juvenile trolling act somewhere else.