David Bloomfield, professor of educational leadership, law, and policy at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center, writes that it is time for Merryl Tisch, the chancellor of the New York Board of Regents, to step down and make way for new leadership.
Tisch was appointed to the Board of Regents on April 1, 1996 — almost 20 years ago. She became chancellor in 2009.
“Upon taking the Regents helm, Tisch promised, “We will embrace innovation with a data-driven approach . . . to raise test scores, raise graduation rates, and finally close the achievement gap.”
“By her own measures — and she’s had plenty of time to prove the wisdom of her approach — Tisch has fallen far short. Last month, statewide test scores showed a mere 31.3% of students proficient in English Language Arts and 38.1% in math on the tough, relatively new Common Core-aligned tests.
“In June 2012, Tisch bemoaned that “nearly a quarter of our students still don’t graduate after four years.” That is still the case. For students taking up to five years to complete high school, the 2010 graduation rate stood at 77%. Today it is 76.4%.
“Meantime, the achievement gap persists. Four-year graduation rates for 2010 and 2014 — one of the best apples-to-apples indicators we have — show exactly the same 25 percentage point difference between black and Hispanic students compared to white students…..
“Less appreciated, but perhaps more important, Tisch’s unsuccessful focus on standards and testing has distracted the department from another major function, district oversight. The crisis in East Ramapo — where the school board has long plundered district funds to provide services to students attending yeshivas — is only beginning to be met with effective action.”
Districts failed to meet state requirements for helping English language learners and immigrant children. The Regents didn’t crack down. In Néw York City, Bloomfield writes, “state requirements for school librarians, physical education and more have been ignored. Of greatest consequence, the rampant racial and income segregation of the state’s schools has been met with mere lip service from the person who should be New York’s leading voice and change agent on the issue…..
“Tisch vehemently believes that poor performance should lead to firings and school closures.”
Tisch insists that failure should not be allowed to comtinue.
Bloomfield writes:
“It is time for Tisch to take the medicine she has advised for others.” Leave, resign, go. Why allow failure to continue?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Please don’t let her move on to Wash,D.C. with John King. Then it’s a national disaster!
Wasn’t there a request for people to sign on to the Mars space ship voyage?
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For scrapping NY standards revision already in progress to usher in Common Core without thought to implementation, she should be fired.
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Well the trend lately seems to be one of advancing in status rather than declining for these reformers.
We have to understand that for all the reasons we point to for these people being complete disasters, the reform crowd sees them as leaders, champions, and heroes.
Tisch is particularly awful, and she seems to have no ambition beyond her current position. She may eventually get drummed out, but it won’t be one of those joyful moments for us that would be akin to her being fired for awful performance. She’ll lose some political support, not make the next cut, and many will herald her as a visionary and champion of reform. They will be louder than those on our side claiming she was a disaster. Look at John King’s ascendency.
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Shake-ups on the NY stage resonate throughout the country, but not as much the shake-up itself as its aftermath.
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Eh.
The more NY becomes “reformed” the more it resembles other states. With that, NY loses its status as a focal point for the national conversation. NY’s previous system of “Regents” track for students was a standard nationally envied for college preparation. That was rendered meaningless with the compulsory Regents tests, etc.
More than that though, what really made NY the state to watch was its teacher’s union. It was there where NY was truly the leader. NY organized teachers were once the envy of the country with their protections, etc etc. NY teacher’s union leaders were in a real way national leaders. Their voice mattered.
Obviously that is long over. LONG over. LOOOOOOONG over.
NYSUT leadership today more closely resembles something to laugh at…..and cry over.
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I agree. The governor’s testing regime along with bogus VAM scores brings New York down to Arizona’s level. Using weaponized VAM, the state will be able to circumvent due process. Why aren’t there any sanctions on Cuomo who deliberately ignored fair funding orders from the court? I also found it hard to believe that New York was the most segregated state, a “distinction” no state should want. What is the DOJ willing to do about it?
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Cuomo is an ethics disaster, and people are looking closely at any signs of buckling re CC, as it is a lightning rod esp with the evals.
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NY is no model. It’s a cautionary tale.
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This is music to roger tilled ears….that fraud is salivating to step into tischs position
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Reblogged this on stopcommoncorenys and commented:
We’ve been saying this for years.
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I may be dense (It’s okay, I am aware of my problem), but the following statement makes no sense: The crisis in East Ramapo — where the school board has long plundered district funds to provide services to students attending yeshivas — is only beginning to be met with effective action.”
Funding is attached to the number of students. Should a student decide to go to a Yeshiva, why should that money not follow that student? Or, if you do not want that money to follow a student, than the public school should not get it either – no student, no cost…
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Doesn’t work that way, Rudy.
“Should a student decide to go to a Yeshiva, why should that money not follow that student?”
From Article XI of the NYState Constitution:
“[Use of public property or money in aid of denominational schools prohibited; transportation of children authorized]
§3. Neither the state nor any subdivision thereof, shall use its property or credit or any public money, or authorize or permit either to be used, directly or indirectly, in aid or maintenance, other than for examination or inspection, of any school or institution of learning wholly or in part under the control or direction of any religious denomination, or in which any denominational tenet or doctrine is taught, but the legislature may provide for the transportation of children to and from any school or institution of learning.”
That would be why not!
Now the question becomes; Why hasn’t the state done something about what is going on in E. Ramapo school district?
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Wouldn’t be because Tisch has a “religious interest” in that situation could it?
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Then it should not go to the public school, either.
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It doesn’t as those who attend the Yeshiva school are not counted as the district’s students.
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“Tisch was appointed to the Board of Regents on April 1, 1996″
Well, that pretty much explains everything.
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Yes. She will leave us ceremoniously, having the grace to say she’s done all she could and asking us to support her Cuomo-chosen successor, who will continue her educational reformist, trailblazing work on behalf of all children. She will leave us to the sweetness of accolades and bouquets tossed her way by fond admirers amid flowing flurries of self-congratulations.
She will pledge herself to finally having the time to take richly rewarding walks or limo rides, bringing her grandchildren to private schools. And she will remain dedicated to doing good works in support of music, the arts, the museums and Central Park.
She’s not leaving us. She’s just devoting herself anew to enriching our lives. Thank you, Chancellor Tisch.
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