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There’s a new mayor in New York City, Bill de Blasio, and he has some good ideas. So does his new chancellor, Carmen Fariña. From the New York Times: “As he announced his choice of Carmen Fariña as the next chancellor of New York City schools, Bill de Blasio suggested on Monday that he would depart drastically from the policies of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. He pledged to reduce the emphasis on standardized testing in classrooms, and he said he would end, at least for now, the practice of closing low-performing schools. “But with expectations high for a new era of school reform, Mr. de Blasio, who takes office on Wednesday, may soon find that his powers are constrained. The strict testing regimen in reading and math that has irked some parents and students across the city is for the most part enshrined in state and federal law. While Mr. de Blasio has sought to slow the growth of charter schools, he will not have the power to block their creation. “More broadly, Mr. de Blasio and Ms. Fariña, a longtime city educator from Brooklyn with a reputation for bluntness, will confront a national political environment on education that has shifted during Mr. Bloomberg’s tenure.” |