NY state ed commissioner David Steiner on what NY must do to improve its schools (and win RttT money):

New York's application is rooted in the idea that we should not place a teacher in a classroom, nor a principal in a school, before each has demonstrated the capacity to be effective -- including the ability to raise the achievement of all children who make up New York's richly diverse student population. Our application would shift teacher preparation away from academic theory and toward a more clinically-based practice that centers on -- and then assesses -- the key teaching skills and content knowledge that actually make a difference in the classroom.

Our plan would create new incentives to bring effective teachers -- particularly in math and science -- into our neediest schools and to encourage more teachers to teach English-language learners and children with special needs. Because preparation and accountability for effective educators can't stop once they are certified, our application supports new induction programs and professional development tied to curriculum content.

To ensure that every student is well taught, the evaluation of teachers must be concrete, transparent, fair and demanding. New York's application proposes a program to encourage teachers unions and district administrators to use new, performance-based teacher evaluations -- incorporating student growth among multiple measures -- for professional advancement and employment decisions.

Finally, because certain schools have failed too many of our students for too many years, we endorsed a turnaround list of our least effective schools, requiring action plans that could include major re-structuring or school closures.

Our application also commits New York to building stronger assessments -- not only rigorous tests, but formative assessments too -- that fully capture the skills and knowledge we expect our students to master.

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