By Anna Gronewold and Madina Touré | 10/23/2018 09:58 AM EDT
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MOLINARO ED PLAN FOCUSED ON STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES — POLITICO's Anna Gronewold: Republican gubernatorial nominee Marc Molinaro blasted Common Core, standardized testing and the state's progress in serving students with disabilities during a discussion of education issues on Monday. Molinaro said he rejects Common Core learning standards and the state's reliance on standardized tests because they assume a single learning style, which can be alienating for children with developmental disabilities. He is the father of a special needs child.
"Because standardized testing treats every child as some sort of piece in a machine instead of inherently trying to teach them and inspire them to learn, it creates undue pressure, not only on general ed, but, by the way, on those with special education needs," Molinaro said. "Standardized testing is demoralizing for those with specialized education requirements because it says you're not good enough."
That position, and the suggestion that educators should have more power to judge progress based on an individual child's needs, has been championed by the politically powerful New York State United Teachers, which has not endorsed a gubernatorial candidate this year. It's also a not-so-subtle dig at Gov. Andrew Cuomo's record. He began his tenure as an advocate for stricter learning standards but distanced himself as criticism grew. Molinaro unveiled a policy proposal called ThinkDifferently, based on an initiative he has pushed during his time as Dutchess County executive, to improve access for individuals with disabilities. The other topics he's spent the majority of his campaign covering — transit, taxation and corruption — are important, he said, but less so than the state's treatment of vulnerable residents.
"At the end of the day we ought to be judged by how we treat one another. And this state should be ashamed of how it treats those with developmental disabilities," said Molinaro. Read more here.
GOOD TUESDAY MORNING. Kristina Johnson is meeting with leadership, faculty, staff and students at Erie Community College and College at Brockport as part of her 64-campus tour. Richard Carranza is in Queens to tour a new school and kick off college application week. Vita Rabinowitz, Betty Rosa and MaryEllen Elia did not release a public schedule by press time. This newsletter is for you, so tell us how we can make it better. Send feedback, tips and education-related events to mtoure@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com . Follow us on Twitter: @madinatoure and @annagronewold.
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AROUND NEW YORK:
BUFFALO SCHOOLS CLOSED YEAR WITH $12M SURPLUS — Buffalo News' Jay Rey: "Millions of dollars in unanticipated revenue helped the Buffalo Public Schools end the fiscal year in June with a $12 million surplus. That's a big change from the shortfall it had originally anticipated and some encouraging news for administrators trying to navigate budget deficits on the horizon. The surplus was among the highlights of the district's annual audit performed by independent auditors Freed Maxick and released to the Board of Education last week. Read more here.
MORE MONEY FOR FACULTY, ADJUNCTS — POLITICO's Madina Touré: Members of the Professional Staff Congress, CUNY's faculty and staff union, called on the system's Board of Trustees to ensure a fully funded contract for the union to support pay increases for full-time and adjunct faculty. Read more here.
PROTEST OVER PRINCIPAL'S REMOVAL — Chalkbeat's Reema Amin: "More than 600 people have signed an online petition urging the city Department of Education to bring Principal John Wenk back to Lower Manhattan Arts Academy." Read more here.
FROM HOMELESS SHELTER TO COLLEGE DORM — New York Daily News' Mikey Light and Ben Chapman: "More than 42,000 city high school grads entered college this fall, but few of them overcame as many obstacles as Odean Gray. The Brooklyn student enrolled as a freshman at State University of New York Cortland in August on a full scholarship — but unlike many of his peers, his previous residence was a homeless shelter in East New York, where his family still lives. He's one of roughly 30 students who made it to college from family shelters operated by WIN, the largest provider of family shelters in the city with more than 4,500 residents citywide." Read more here.
TORRES DEFENDS INVESTIGATIONS COMMISSIONER — POLITICO's Rosa Goldensohn: Bronx Council Member Ritchie Torres warned against the potential firing of de Blasio watchdog Mark Peters and said he still has full confidence in the Department of Investigation commissioner. Read more here.
EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTERS GET FEDERAL FUNDS — City University of New York colleges got nearly $6 million in federal funds this year that will go toward schools' Early Childhood Centers and student-parents who depend on those services. CUNY colleges have been awarded funds from the U.S. Department of Education since the grant program — Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program — started in 1999. New four-year awards were given to six CUNY schools, bringing the total number of university colleges that get the funding to nine. "This additional funding enables more New Yorkers to stay in college and build a better future for themselves and their young families," interim CUNY Chancellor Vita Rabinowitz said in a statement. — Madina
NYC SUES FOR-PROFIT SCHOOL — Inside Higher Ed's Ashley A. Smith: "Cities rarely sue colleges, but New York has received so many complaints against for-profit institutions that it brought a complaint Friday against Berkeley College New York in state court." Read more here.
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PERSPECTIVES:
UFT CONTRACT A MISSED OPPORTUNITY — David Bloomfield for City Limits: "At almost every turn, the contract benefits the Department of Education and does little to improve the lot of the vast majority of union members" Read more here.
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ACROSS THE RIVER:
ADVOCATES PUSH FOR $500M SCHOOL BOND REFERENDUM — POLITICO's Linh Tat: Legislative leaders and representatives for education, labor and business groups joined together Monday to urge voter support for a $500 million school bond referendum. Read more here.
AROUND THE NATION:
EXPERT TOUTS RACE-NEUTRAL ALTERNATIVES — POLITICO's Josh Gerstein: An education policy expert testifying at a federal trial over allegations that Harvard discriminates against Asian-American applicants claimed Monday that the school could achieve substantial ethnic and racial diversity without making race a direct consideration in the undergraduate admissions process. Read more here.
PROTESTS OVER TRUMP TRANSGENDER PROPOSAL — POLITICO's Caitlin Emma: Advocates for LGBT individuals gathered at the headquarters for the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C., on Monday to denounce a Trump administration proposal to narrowly define gender under federal law. Read more here.
GEORGETOWN STUDENT UNION ELECTION — POLITICO's Ian Kullgren: Georgetown University graduate students will vote Nov. 5-8 on whether to unionize, the administration said Monday. Read more here.
AROUND THE WORLD:
IMMIGRANT CRACKDOWN COMES TO ITALIAN SCHOOLS — The New York Times' Jason Horowitz: "In addition to the usual documentation needed for lunch and bus subsidies, the mayor now requires foreigners to prove that they do not possess property, bank accounts or other revenue streams in their countries of origin. Without that proof, children cannot get subsidized lunch and instead have to pay five euros a day, which many parents say they cannot afford." Read more here.
EXTRA CREDIT:
Bethany Hill, principal of Central Elementary School in Cabot, Ark., is an unconventional principal who has steered clear of a formal office so she can instead roam classrooms, hallways, the playground and the school cafeteria.
New York University's Stern School of Business offers a Fashion & Luxury MBA. It's the first fashion and luxury-focused MBA for an American business school.
The University of Rochester, the Rochester Institute of Technology and Suffolk County Community College each received nearly $1 million from the state as part of the Energy to Lead Competition.
The New York State Assembly's Education Committee is holding a public hearing on the current state of physical education, mental health and health instruction in New York's schools.
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