Much ado in New York these days, as ever. The school system created "pandemonium" among graduating seniors by retroactively increasing the grades of students who took advanced and AP classes. We're not necessarily opposed to giving extra credit to students who succeed in tough classes. But making the change after grades have been posted, in the middle of the college application season, and without telling anyone what was going on - the changes were applied to school computer files from the central office without notice - is a well-meaning but typically chaos-inducing move from the Bloomberg-Klein administration. They reversed course two days later, after an outcry from the New York Sun. The New York Times also chronicles the back-and-forth between Chancellor Joel Klein and distinguished education historian (and Fordham trustee) Diane Ravitch, who has grown increasingly critical of the incumbent management of the school system. The Ravitch we know is more than capable of holding her own with the mayor and chancellor, so we won't add to her comments on the performance of mayoral control of the schools in New York (other than to refer readers once again to Sol Stern's recent Fwd: on that very topic). We do, however, note a jaw-dropping comment from Arthur Levine, whom we once described as "often a sensible fellow, despite being president of Teachers College." Levine calls Ravitch "an ideologue" but adds that "her credentials make her more thoughtful than many other conservatives," a pretty backhanded compliment. We doubt that Dr. Ravitch's "credentials" have anything to do with her thoughtfulness. There are, after all, many highly credentialed people who spout nonsense. Some of them graduated from, or serve on the faculty of, Teachers College. Isn't the very definition of "ideologue" someone who dismisses out-of-hand the observations of whole groups of people (say, "conservatives") simply because of who they are? Not nice at all.
"In reversal, city alters AP policy," by Julia Levy, New York Sun, December 15, 2004
"Decentralization foe now assails mayor's role," by David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times, December 15, 2004
"Opportunities Lost: How New York City got derailed on the way to school reform," by Sol Stern, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, December 3, 2004