The teacher evaluation bill passed in NY this week as well – another huge step that would have been unthinkable a short while ago.  Here's a well-done NYT article on the latest events:

In another effort to improve New York's chances, the State Senate approved a separate bill on Friday to tie teacher evaluations to students' performance on standardized tests, as other states have done; the Assembly voted for the measure earlier this week.

New York could obtain $700 million from the grant pool, money that would blunt the impact of state budget cuts and perhaps avert some of the thousands of teacher layoffs that are expected this year.

In New York City, both City Hall and the teachers' union, which has opposed the growth of charter schools, ultimately found enough to like in the legislation.

Although more charter schools will be created, the bill increased oversight of the schools and added regulations on how they are formed and operated.

In a statement, Mr. Bloomberg, an enthusiastic supporter of charter schools, cautioned that while "it is not a perfect bill," it "preserved the key components of the nation's most successful system of charter schools."

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May 28, 2010

New York State Votes to Expand Charter Schools

By JENNIFER MEDINA

www.nytimes.com/2010/05/29/nyregion/29charter.html