Bloomberg's Education Plan Is Working: Don't Ditch It

Paul Hill, Founder of the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Research Professor at the University of Washington Bothell, with an in-depth article entitled Bloomberg's Education Plan Is Working: Don't Ditch It:

Bill de Blasio, the likely next New York City mayor, has made a lot of promises about public education.No additional charter schools; no free space for many charter schools educating city kids; less relianceon student test performance to judge schools; and a moratorium on the closure of low-performing schools.  Though these pledges have come piecemeal, together they would dismantle the reforms Michael Bloomberg implemented during his 12 years as mayor.  Before this happens, it's worth looking at what Bloomberg's policies have accomplished and what is at risk if they are tossed out.

This essay will show what has been accomplished—how children have benefited from Bloomberg's education policies and how the system has changed in positive ways. Then in later sections it discusses, first, how the positive results came about; and second, how the next can mayor make sure those gains are not lost.