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Aren’t you going a bit too far by saying this decision is a bombshell? I mean the Supreme Court is the lowest court in New York State. I’m sure that this will be appealed, so forth and so on, etc. I have a nephew who is waiting for a match and he did not apply to any of the 19 so-called “failing” schools, so I think that is what most parents care about.

It’s too bad that it had to come too late to save some of the other schools this arrogant, incompetent, non educator closed thus depriving thousands of students of all the good things that going to high school is supposed to be about. What about the band classes (when I went to High School, that’s where I learned to play an instrument), what about the AP classes (small schools do not produce the numbers needed to run a viable class), what about the lack of true subject area specialists to properly supervise teachers in that subject area. Even if some of Klein’s new Principals, many of whom are inexperienced and shouldn’t be Principals in the first place, are excellent in one subject area, please pray tell explain to me how a Principal well versed in social studies can properly supervise a math class and know whather the math being taught is correct? I spent many years as a math Assistant Principal in a large high school and wouldn’t have the slightest idea of how properly to observe say an English class in literature? I could tell if the math being taught was correct. Teachers thus are deprived of the properr supervision and the ability to have proper staff development in their own subject area. Of course if Klein were an educator, he might have understood this. And of course when schools can choose their students and exclude the small number of trouble makers, all that happens is these trouble makers go to other schools bringing them down and re-cycling the whole sense of “failure” that this know nothing Chancellor claims are failing kids. The only ones failing kids are the incompetent, uncertified lawyer masquerading as an educator and his boss who knows little about education either. This is a victory for the kids and perhaps the start of putting these incompetents in their place.

…..This is bitter sweet.. of course the children will suffer..the current students now live with the stigma of attending a failing school how can this be good?… As for Tweed officials..good for them!!.. .. their reapted rouge behavior and arrogance when making decisions that affect minority families must be halted. They sit at their desks and collect their top heavy six figure salaries marching like little mice to flute of”fill in the blank” …I wish investigative reporters did their job and exposed the truth behind the wasted tax dollars in that building. You have an abundance of “officials” with insane titles such as Exc Dir of this and that….COO and Deputy COO of this and that..CNAN SOMEONE CHECK THEIR CREDENTIALS!!!!!!

Standard DOE public middle and high schools can choose who they accept and who they don’t. Charter public schools pick their students by lottery. Charter schools take all of those children who weren’t accepted by other schools and educates them. Unlike failing schools.

not a single student stood up at any hearing, meeting, or rally and proclaimed that they attended a failing or failed school. not a single student stood up and shared a story about how their school failed them. they stood up and proclaimed that they loved school, that they wanted their siblings and friends to have the opportunity to attend the same school, and that contrary to numbers on paper or to popular opinion their school was serving them well. they told stories about *other* schools – including private and more “reputable” schools that had shunned them or failed to teach them. they told stories about moving to this country with little to no academic history. they told stories about teachers who took them under their wing and helped them.

students who attend these schools will have the opportunity to tell those same stories. they won’t have to live with the stigma of attending these schools — unless people believe the DOE and “school reputation” and subsequently judge the student based only on the name of the school they attend. Look at the students who are succeeding – and there are many who are succeeding in these schools. they’re people – not statistics. they’re not stigmatized – they’re proud of what they’re achieving.

There’s a Social Studies lesson here…thank God for checks and balances!

I’m scared and confused; somebody please hold me.

Wow, this is great.  First a stop to the lawless closing of neighborhood schools, then a beautiful Daily News article by Juan Gonzalez on the city’s waste of millions of money in high priced “consultants” while threatening big layoffs of teachers and other municipal workers.

And don’t forget, B.Schmitt a fight against greed and corruption now is a fight for our children’s future.

No need to rain down on the party here but these education technocrats will try different, perhaps more airtight ways of getting the real estate that they want. It is not a question of closing a failing venture to make a more successful one, it is a question of shuffling things around in order to provide venues and jobs for their brand new people, ahem, principals.

Miss Teacher, I agree with you 100% and then some. Rev. Al Sharpton was on Morning Joe either today or yesterday. He clearly said that everyone’s accountable for a child’s education, but he wants parents to be much more accountable by getting involved in their child’s education. And he wants to hold them to that accountability! I, too, try very hard to do what’s best for each of my students but I am not in this alone. Parents need to realize that they, too, have an impact on their child’s achievement growth. That teachers are not social workers, or police officers, or health care workers, or psychologists, or any other title that the public wants to label us. We are educators who are trying to impart knowledge to the future of our nation. We are preparing our youth to become critical thinkers and decision-makers. But, this cannot be done without the support of parents who should take out the time to nurture the child’s soul and spirit while the teachers nurture the mind.

From one colleague to another, you’re right – Save Our Schools!

Bravo Mr. Mulgrew!

The Chancellor has failed at being the ultimate champion of our children. Nobody should fall victim to his expected response of “it’s a shame we are being forced to keep bad schools open.” Instead, he should be asked what did he do to support the schools to promote their success.

Once again the teachers union steps up as advocates of our children and our communities. Happy 50th UFT!

Although I’m all for parental involvement, a child’s ability to get a high quality education should not be dependent on that child having good parents or that child not having parents that are overworked or parents that are not well educated themselves. My son went to a very highly regarded elementary school that is actually pretty mediocre. That school has a student base of children from well educated, affluent families (not to say they are better parents). If you were to change ONLY the student base to children who are from families who cannot or do not support their child’s education as much, the school’s mediocrity would be very clear. No child or school’s success should be dependent on parental support. Also, I support all good teachers. I simply oppose the UFT, because they have disregard for the needs of the children. I believe the UFT to be an organization that is power mad and uses despicable tactics to promote their cause above all others, especially the above the needs of the children. I care ONLY about the needs of the children.

I am a teacher of 33 years, and former DoE Administrator.
I am developing a charter school, and applaud the schools in NYC for their diversity, as well as the dedication of our great teachers all over the City.
Charter schools offer an alternative, but can never replace the umbrella public school. With all of the issues faced on a large scale each day, public schools shine as the soul and mirror for all of our children. The charters do a great job too, but they are limited in resources and rely on corporate sponsorship. Although the charters do have the ability to attract corporate funding, the value of the mission diminishes when your growth is contingent upon private resources. Public schools are not restrained by the fund me principle, and to that end can be less constrained when proposing new programs, and creating an atmosphere that is inclusive, as well as collaborative.
The real villian is the business model approach to education which never puts our children’s lives first, but is motivated by financial greed.
I think the days of the big corporate bad boys are over. Let

Always remember that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. There isn’t an educator alive who doesn’t think that whatever he or she does is in the best interests of the children. Mr. Joel Klein, a man who never had one moment of experience in education, is totally ill equipped to occupy the position he does. From the start, most of his decisions have been disasters starting with his first director of curriculum who imposed discredited reading and math programs on the schools (remember Ms. Lam, what became of her?). Now Klein runs around the country as if he is an expert on education, how he introduced accountability into the city schools with many bird brained ideas that have blown up in his face and been a total disaster for kids. As I said earlier, this long overdue decision comes too late to save the Brooklyn high schools and their traditions that this lawyer masdquerading as an educator has perpetrated and his statement that I read in the Times trying to defend what he did is full of the same arrogance and lack of understanding that goes all through his work. Unfortunately by the time he leaves, he will have done so much to destroy education in this city that I do not know if it will ever recover.

But what goes around comes around. The day will come when people will look at having four or five schools in the same building and discover that by combining these organizations, we can bring subject area specialists to properly supervise teachers in their subject areas, to provide extra curricular activities such as music classes, to provide advanced placement exams as if 4 students in each of the small schools want to take A.P. Chemistry, that would mean 16 students; enough to form a class. What a novel idea that would be hailed as. And then how much money will be spent forming let’s see an Erasmus Hall High School, a George Wingate High School, a Canarsie High School, a Samuel J. Tilden High School, a South Shore High School, a Bushwick High School. Perhaps this is the start of restoring some sanity to the schools, especially the High Schools of this city that the lawyer running the school system has done so much to destroy. Mr. Klein, for the sake of the children you claim you know best how to educate, get the hell out now.

Nine years ago when Bloomberg began his arrogant campaign to mutate the BOE into the corporate model DOE, most citizens believed that corporations were honest legal endeavors that were driving our economy to endless wealth, creating billionaire like Bloomberg et la. Since then corporations have shown their true colors. As corruption, greed and illegal ponzi schemes dominate the headlines we now realize our naïveté as we reflect on how they have destroyed the fabric of our economy.

The corporate model destroyed the economy let’s not allow it to devastate our children’s future. Human beings are not commodities to be traded to the highest bidder. Klein has shown time and time again that he is interested in the redistribution of public funds to the private, profiteers who manipulate data to show success at yearly benchmarks. The NY Times has already documented his collusion with the Harlem Charters which at face value should be conflict of interest grave enough to precipitate his removal from office. The illusion of success clouds the judgment of many but as the corporate house of card crumbled so will this if we allow this insanity to continue driving school agenda.