The Economist on New York City School Reforms

As a follow-up to the e-mail we sent on November 6 about the “school report cards” in New York City, we are pleased to share with you two recent articles in the Economist, which offer a more general overview of the reforms implemented by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and School Superintendent Joel Klein.

The articles discuss how these reforms are holding traditional public schools to standards that are similar to those that apply to charter schools, enhancing accountability and competition in the system. These reforms have three main goals: (i) to improve access to information about student achievement; (ii) to increase the authority of principals and teachers; and (iii) to establish clear consequences linked to their performance. To this end, all schools in the city are graded annually through school report cards; teachers now have access to a computerized database with their students’ test scores; and principals can receive professional training at the new “leadership academy”. Those teachers and principals who obtain good results will receive bonuses; and those schools that persistently fail to achieve good results will face intervention and closure. 

The Economist | New York’s Schools: The great experiment