The DOE released this year's class size data today here.Class sizes increased citywide this year again for the 4th year in a row. In the early grades, the increase was sharper than in any year since records have been kept – at least since 1998.
This year, there were as many Kindergarten children in classes LARGER than 25 (the union contractual maximum) as were in classes of 20 or less –the goal that Bloomberg promised to achieve when he first ran for office.
These extremely large classes are especially unforgivable, given that the city has received more than $2 billion since 2007, in return for a promise to reduce class sizes in all grades, as part of the Contracts for Excellence law.
This law was passed to settle the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. This school year (2011-2012) was supposed to be the final year of the city’s five year C4E plan, and yet classes are far larger than before the law was passed.
If you have trouble reading the below, a more readable verOur power point with detailed class size trends and discussion of what went wrong with C4E is posted here.
C4E for Citywide
C4E for Citywide
The DOE and Bloomberg Administration don't care about the children, only about technology and consultants.
ReplyDeleteThat is why I call it "children last"
The graphs are interesting but don't tell us much, like: What size should classes be? How much difference does shrinking from 24 to 20 kids make? What is the cost of shrinking classes to that size? Could that money be better used to improve education?
ReplyDeleteDear All:
ReplyDeleteRead about the Bloomberg Administration's failure to reduce class size, and all other major education issues in my book: “The Education and Deconstruction of Mr. Bloomberg, How the Mayor’s Education and Real Estate Development Policies Affected New Yorkers 2002-2009 Inclusive,” available through the following new online channels (Google eBooks), SELLING FOR LESS THAN $4.00:
http://books.google.com/ebooks?id=cwPaF2XVtaYC&dq=the+education+and+deconstruction+of+mr+bloomberg&as_brr=5
http://www.commongoodbooks.com/google-ebooks/education-and-deconstruction-mr-bloomberg-how-mayors-education-and-real-estate-develop
Please feel free to view my appearance on the TV show, EdCast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDoNylTyT8s
and/or visit my book blog at http://educationanddeconstruction.com/?p=143 and https://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/book_excerpt.aspx?bookid=81047 to read excerpts. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Sally A. Friedman