I remember how it was -- JR
NYC public school officials grilled about plan to comply with controversial class-size law
This old, old class size fetish is ridiculous. There are plenty of instances of kids in large classes doing well.
It is teacher quality that matters and good teachers are largely born, not made. There are only so many good teachers around regardlesss of what teacher-training courses they undergo, so class size limitations can cause a lot of barely competent teachers to be hired, thus HARMING, not helping the education of the kids.
Below are links to some of my old posts on the matter that give more detail:
https://edwatch.blogspot.com/2006/11/public-school-class-size-doesnt-matter.html
https://edwatch.blogspot.com/2007/06/class-size-where-belief-trumps-reality.html
https://edwatch.blogspot.com/2008/03/great-class-size-myth-i-note-that-gos.html
City Department of Education officials were grilled Thursday about their plan to comply with a controversial state law that requires Big Apple public schools to reduce class sizes across the board by 2028.
The City Council hearing on the issue came as the legislative body’s education committee introduced legislation that would require the DOE to report data twice a year on the actual size of classes at all schools and special programs.
“Here’s my issue, the people that are making the decisions have never taught in New York City public schools,” Committee on Education Chair Rita Joseph told the panel of DOE officials during the hearing.
“You must apply the law,” added the council member, a veteran educator, challenging the DOE’s argument that it needs more funding to hire more teachers in order to comply with the mandate.
Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor David Banks have called on lawmakers to provide $1.4 billion to $1.9 billion — the projected cost of hiring between 10,000 to 12,000 educators — to help the city comply.
According to DOE’s “Class Size Reduction Plan” update, nearly half of all classes currently fall under the size caps set by the law. But the department’s plan noted that more work will be required
DOE Deputy Chancellor Emma Vadehra said the administration supports the goal to lower class sizes but reiterated that more work needs to be done in the 2025-26 school year and beyond to meet the requirements.
“In brief, we are currently fully in compliance with the class size legislation. In the coming years, however, we do have work and we will face some difficult choices to maintain compliance,” Vadehra told the education committee.
The department’s First Deputy Chancellor Dan Weisberg, NYC School Construction Authority President and CEO Nina Kubota and District 23 Superintendent Khalek Kirkland made up the rest of the panel speaking to the committee.
“Our work is not complete without New York City planning to make these changes and enact those changes,” Jackson said.
Liu said he doesn’t “begrudge” Adams and Banks over the mandate being fiscally difficult to deal with, but maintained a plan for compliance needs to be made transparent.
“The reality is, they’re in control of the public schools, and even though they did not make this problem, this problem they inherited, it is their responsibility to fix it,” he stressed.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature — under intense lobbying from the United Federation of Teachers union — approved the law in 2022.
It states that grades K-3 must have a maximum of 20 students, with 23 students in grades 4-8 and 25 students in grades 9-12 by the 2027–28 school year.
Earlier, Joseph held a rally with parents, educators, advocates and elected officials on the steps of City Hall in support of the law.
“The DOE has an incredible opportunity to change the educational lives of students by implementing class laws,” said Michael Sill, the UFT’s assistant secretary, who was at the rally.
“Sadly, the DOE’s engagement thus far has been typified by inflating cost estimates and inventing excuses for not doing what needs to be done,” Sill told The Post.
“While revenues are up, the reserves are overflowing, and the state has invested in New York City’s young people, the city continues to push a false austerity narrative that is designed to frighten the public.”
UFT President Michael Mulgrew claimed the DOE was “trying to sabotage the law.”
“Parents want this. Educators want this. We challenge the DOE to identify the schools that have the space right now to make this change and get started,” he told The Post.
“We ask the City Council to help us hold the DOE accountable.”
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University of Florida eliminates DEI office, will put its $5M toward recruiting faculty
The University of Florida on Friday closed its diversity office and fired 13 full-time staffers to comply with a new state law that bans Sunshine State schools from spending on such ideologies.
“The University of Florida has closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, eliminated DEI positions and administrative appointments, and halted DEI-focused contracts with outside vendors,” the memo issued by the university provost, the general counsel, and the vice president for human resources read.
The $5 million allocated for diversity, equity and inclusion will now be redistributed to faculty recruitment, it added.
The announcement comes in light of a 2023 statute prohibiting the university from spending state or federal funds on DEI initiatives, reported the Alligator, the school’s paper.
The statute was approved in its final form by the Florida Board of Governors on Jan. 24, the outlet added.
Employees whose positions were eliminated will receive 12 weeks of pay and will be encouraged to apply for other positions at the state university, according to its statement.
The memo did not touch on the future of the Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement, which received over $400,000 in the 2022-2023 UF operating budget – 85% of which came from the state, the Alligator noted.
The center includes officers for LGBTQ+, black, Asian and Hispanic student groups, according to its website.
Those who do seek new jobs at the university within the next three months will have their interviews fast-tracked.
“The University of Florida is — and will always be — unwavering in our commitment to universal human dignity,” the memo read.
“As we educate students by thoughtfully engaging a wide range of ideas and views, we will continue to foster a community of trust and respect for every member of the Gator Nation.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who passed the law banning DEI in state schools, cheered the announcement on X. “Florida is where DEI goes to die,” he wrote.
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US Education Dept. opens probe into nonbinary teen Nex Benedict’s Oklahoma school district
The US Education Department is launching an investigation into the Oklahoma school district where a 16-year-old nonbinary student was beaten by bullies in a bathroom one day before dying.
The probe was opened Friday following multiple complaints filed by the Human Rights Campaign alleging that Owasso Public Schools had “failed to respond appropriately to sex-based harassment that may have contributed to the tragic death of Nex Benedict.”
Nex, who used he/them pronouns, died Feb. 8, the day after getting into a fight with a group of girls who allegedly smashed the teen’s head into the floor until they blacked out.
In a video taken after the fight, the sophomore told a school resource officer that the girls had been “antagonizing” them and their friends in the days before over the way they dressed — bullying that the school allegedly knew about but did not address.
The probe was opened Friday following multiple complaints filed by the Human Rights Campaign alleging that Owasso Public Schools had "failed to respond appropriately to sex-based harassment that may have contributed to the tragic death of Nex Benedict."
Okla. schools chief says death of nonbinary student Nex Benedict is being exploited by ‘radical leftists’
“Their death is a gut-wrenching tragedy that exposes the chilling reality of anti-transgender hatred spreading across the United States, and that the Department must investigate as part of Owasso High School’s failure to address harassment and discrimination on its campus beginning in the 2023 school year,” HRC President Kelley Robinson wrote in a plea last week.
“Schools have an obligation to provide equal educational opportunities, including safe and affirming learning environments for the well-being of all students. We are deeply concerned about the failure of Owasso High School to address documented instances of bullying, violence, and harassment against Nex.”
The federal DOE notified the HRC Friday that it would be opening an investigation into the complaint, and would be namely probing whether the school district “failed to appropriately respond to alleged harassment of students” within the requirements of Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act
Okla. schools chief says death of nonbinary student Nex Benedict is being exploited by ‘radical leftists’
Owasso Public Schools confirmed to The Post that they recieved a notice for the investigation Friday.
“The district is committed to cooperating with federal officials and believes the complaint submitted by HRC is not supported by the facts and is without merit,” the district said in a statement.
Although an official autopsy report has not been released, officials said preliminary results indicate Nex did not die from trauma, but have not yet ruled out whether the bathroom brawl may have contributed to their death.
From their hospital bed the day before their death, Nex recounted to an officer the events leading up to the brawl, stating they had squirted water on the group of girls because they were fed up with the bullying.
Friends and family of the teenager have since said the relentless tormenting Nex faced because of their gender identity was an open secret at the school that administrators and faculty allegedly turned a blind eye to.
Nex’s family has opened their own investigation into the teen’s death, stating they are seeking “to hold those responsible to account and to ensure it never happens again.”
The family said some facts about the case have not been released and were “troubling at least” – and called on “school, local, state and national officials to join forces to determine why this happened.”
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My other blogs: Main ones below
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
http://jonjayray.com/blogall.html More blogs
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