Submitted by Martin Krongold, Nov 29, 2007 21:55

Ms. Bennett's concerns are opportunistic, not heartfelt. As a union official who doesn't teach students, she has the luxury to take outliers like PS 35 and indict the whole Progress Report system. In reality, testing has been used by parents for years to decide where to send their kids. Now they're used to see whether schools are progressing objectively, not based on hearsay and one-year Report Cards, but on a year to year comparison basis. The Progress Reports are dynamic not static and pinpoint new winners and losers that vested interests like Ms. Bennet's union can't control. It's a Bloomberg/Klein policy and they hate it.. As a representative of parents, not unions, I look forward to the fresh ideas and perspectives that the Progress Reports open up for our children and school leaders just like Fair Student Funding has expanded instructional opportunities for all poor kids, not just Title 1 kids; just like state funding will be combined not segregated to help more special ed kids; and just like the end of 3rd, 5th, and 7th grade social promotion improved (not perfected) educational opportunities for the lowest achieving students. All of these inititatives took the calcified vested educational interests on in this City and drove them crazy. Here's to the kids and parents who don't have a strong voice, but deserve equal opportunity they didn't get from Board of Education apologists.

Martin Krongold

Member

Citywide Council on High Schools

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