Group Members: Basheera Abdus-Sabur Zuzana Bartosová Fernanda Gámez Ω (student formerly known as Wayne Jacobs) Christina McCarthy Ambareen Naqvi Joann Phelan Yanett Salazar Annie Yik Wai Tse Performance of New York City School System After the Reform

Make-up of New York City Public Schools 1,700 schools 1.1 million students 136,000 employees 80,000 teachers $21 billion operating budget

Management Strategies and Innovation Centralization/Leadership Performance management Financing and pay-for performance measures Autonomy Zone 2002 NYC Leadership Academy

History and Background Two main management philosophies: 1969 – 2002: Decentralized leadership, locally elected school boards 1969: School Decentralization Law 2002 – Present: Centralized leadership, mayoral control 2002: Mayoral control legislation due to parents believing local boards were not giving them the voice and control they had envisioned and continued student under-performance

Challenges Facing NYC Public School Students Parental limitations Limited English proficiency - Almost 150,000 students speak a language other than English at home (DOE) Enormous language diversity Varying ages of students when they enter the school system = distinct instructional needs Educator recruitment and retention

Key Players Michael Bloomberg Mayor of New York City, present Joel Klein Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, 2002 – present Randi Weingarten President of the American Federation of Teachers, 2009 – present Merryl Tisch Chancellor of New York State’s Board of Regents, present

How Education Strategy Worked More autonomy for schools, reducing of bureaucratic challenges Improved test scores Creation of 474 new schools Implementation of a new universal curriculum Increased parental involvement Performance-based union contracts Higher attendance rates and graduation rates Termination of unsuccessful teachers and failing schools

Initial Improvement in Test Scores Students Meeting Proficiency Standards

How Education Reform Didn’t Work 2010 statistics showed a decline in test scores Too much emphasis placed on test scores as only metric in evaluating student learning No real assessment tools in place Lack of transparency from DOE Autocratic Mayoral control

Recent Decline in Test Scores Percentage of Students Passing Exams

Obstacles Facing the Future of New York City’s Public Schools Overcrowding Unreliable performance metrics Achievement gaps between students of different races and economic backgrounds Financial reform

Conclusion Test scores should not be the only metric in determining student success Better evaluation methods should be put in place in determining educator performance A successful education reform must be complex in order to address such diverse student populations RECOMMEND OR NOT??