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July 20, 2012

Bloomberg says this year’s test scores call for more charters

by Grace Tatter, at 11:00 am

(Credit: WOR)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said this morning that the test scores announced this week, which showed charter schools had out-paced district schools, are proof enough why the city should be expanding charters.

“There’s a reason people want to send their children to charter schools,” he said during his weekly morning appearance on the John Gambling radio show.

The average proficiency rate for charter schools students improved 7 percentage points on the state reading tests and 3.5 percentage points on math. The city’s district schools also improved but at a slower pace.

Bloomberg blamed the teachers union contract for the districts schools’ inability to duplicate the success of privately-managed charter schools, which have longer days and greater flexibility in hiring decisions.

But instead of making points about issues such as teacher tenure or seniority-based layoff laws, Bloomberg invoked more salacious news items.

“The union keeps protecting people that shouldn’t be in the classroom that touch, have sex, whatever it may be,” he said. “It embarrasses other teachers.”


He said that more charter schools, which are usually non-union, were one of the answers to circumventing the union contract. There are 136 charter schools currently open in New York City, with 24 more on the way next year. Soon, more than ten percent of the city’s public school population will be enrolled in the privately-managed schools.

United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew said the mayor’s comments are, at this point, quotidian.

“He just can’t get over the fact that he has been wrong on so many issues — from closing schools to test scores — in what was supposed to be his administration’s legacy,” Mulgrew said in an e-mail.

Bloomberg also touted the 24 so-called turnaround schools that were poised to replace half of their staff next year until an arbitrator ruled in court that the city would not be able to carry out the reforms. The city is appealing the arbitrator’s decision and is due back in court next week. He said this year’s score bear out the fact that struggling schools serve their students better post-turnaround, although he said they still aren’t as high performing as he would like.

Bloomberg said he was optimistic that the judge would rule in favor in the city.

One of the only groups whose proficiency did not improve on the state tests was students who are still learning the English language. But Bloomberg said those numbers weren’t as bleak as they might seem. He reasoned that many of last year’s English language learners improved their English enough that they were no longer classified as such in student demographics.

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  • Anonymous

    More circular thinking and base remarks by our educationally incompetent Mayor.

  • Pogue

    Teachers say 10 years of educational leadership failure call for the end of the business model.

  • I noticed that…

    Hey Mayor, Are you avoiding to read all the reports that show how charter schools creme for top students and how they “counsel out” the ELL’s, special needs and the most challenging, data damaging students?  A mayor who doesn’t read reports that state the true facts of charter school is a mayor who believes in and is using the Madoff business model – investing in a Ponzi scheme of charter schools. 

  • TeachmyclassMrMayor

    Charters are better, because they have more resources and less red tape and few needs students. Regular schools which have more needs students and get their resources slashed constantly, well, they did okay, just not as well as the charters so this is proof that we need more charters…Way to go Napoleon, the more you talk the more people realize you do not have a clue.

    Oh, and even according to you, the “turnaround” schools even did better, if only slightly. And not enough to suit your ego, but they did improve, post-turnaround, according to you. Congrats to those teachers. You have proven that people no longer have to wait for Superman…because you guys have managed to improve the scores, regardless of the amount, despite the most despicable set of working conditions, lack of supplies and support, and a demonizing administration ( as well as the commercial news media), that has only wanted to see all of you disgraced, destroyed, humiliated, and ostracized by the public. Way to go folks, you will never get the credit you deserve, but understand there are folks on your side.

  • Anonymous

    How could any union member…fire police sanitation, etc….vote for this man or the party he represents?   You can tell me he’s funny, you can tell me he’s a bilionaire but you cannot tell me that he is a man who respects his workers.
    He’s like a third grader himself.  When things don’t go his way his first, and it seems only, shot it to get potty mouthed.
    He makes Anthony Weiner look attractive as a cnadidate!

  • http://schooltutoring.com/ Robbie Daniels

    I think instead of dismissing the students who are learning the English language they should take that information and decide if there is something that they could do to help those students. Just flatly stating that those students did not do well because they are still learning English seems to be generalization. Maybe some of those students do have learning disabilities that need to be addressed but are just being skimmed over. Let’s do better and help all of these children.

  • Parentof3

    My friend just resigned from her teaching position in the “success charter” in Harlem…she lasted a week.  Administration made it sound like a great job – 2 teachers and an aid in the classroom of 20 students. She was ok with working during the summer and some Saturdays..but she was working 13 hour days in the school and 2 more hours planning in the evening.  There must be some balance between work and home; else it leads to disfunction for all.  Not to mention that the kids are treated like they’re in the military.  I would like to see how much time is spent on test prep at these charters.  Let’s throw out all critical thinking and prep, prep, prep so the mayor can tout how wonderful he is.  What a travesty!

  • http://www.facebook.com/davidrose313 David Rosenberg

    This is the only man on planet earth that I would punch in the face if the opportunity presented itself.

  • Anonymous

    How about “coaching” during the testing, otherwise known as cheating.

  • East Sider

    There is no evidence that the English Language Learner scores were negatively impacted by students “scoring out,” in fact, the problem is that long term ELLs, students in the program for more than three years fall further behind each year. The Department has no strategy, with the exception of the International Network high schools and one or two other sites, which precede Bloomberg, scors continue to decline.

  • Pogue

    Wow, 13 hour days, 2 more planning hours in the evening, working summers and some Saturdays for charter schools.  She should find something easier…like making iPads in China.

  • Anonymous

    To pogue…or working in school administration.

  • Davon

    When I saw Bloomberg’s statements after reading this article, the first thing I immediately did was put to fingers to the bridge of my nose and give a painful sigh.

    That aside, I think this guy either needs to just give up and admit it, he messed up, or be slapped silly. Because, there is a big difference between charters and district schools. As I’ve said before, charters are much different than normal schools. Different in terms of funding, and how everyone is interacted with. I dont know about you, but I doubt that charter moral will be affected in any such way like other district schools are, since are mayor constantly throws closure above everyone’s heads. And I dont know about you, but when you say closer, everyone ceases production, and grades drop. Its like being in the army, and telling your men that thier deaths will be meaningless, then send them out to fight.

  • Koozy14

    …in fact, they better keep his resting place a secret, because I’ll be the first one to walk my dog there…

  • Koozy14

    “Circumventing the union contract?”  Funny, I thought we lived by the “rule of law…;”  You know, civil law, marriage law, and “contract law.”

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