(Long Island, NY) Billy Easton, Executive Director for the Alliance for Quality Education wrote an op-ed, now appearing on the Journal News website, on Gov. Cuomo’s stunning reversal on high-stake testing for teacher evaluations.
The Governor tossed out what he called his “greatest legacy” to save his poll numbers that have plummeted to an all-time low of 37 percent. In a separate poll, only 27 percent gave Gov. Cuomo a good grade on education.
Easton writes, “No longer considered viable presidential timber, Cuomo has nowhere to go except to run for a third term. If he cannot stop the bleeding on education, his political career may end in 2018.”
He goes onto write, “If Governor Cuomo is going to reverse his education poll numbers, he needs to do more than just reverse course on teacher evaluations. He needs to cut way back on the amount of standardized testing, he needs to reverse his test and punish policies for struggling schools, and he needs to invest in quality education opportunities in public schools, particularly in our poorest communities. That will require more than expedient, but skillful political maneuvering.”
