Radio interview blasts holes in DOE's reported 'successes'

November 14, 10:31 AMNY Education ExaminerLorri Giovinco-Harte

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We sometimes forget that the mayor of New York City owns one of the largest media outlets in the world.  This has caused many critics to question how much influence Mayor Bloomberg has over information that is reported about his office, performance, and the agencies which are under his control.

We've seen how deeply the mayor's influence runs in relation to his determination to eliminate term limits.  Tom Robbins at The Village Voice refers to Bloomberg's 'Velvet Coup'  in quietly influencing important media outlets in his bid.  Robbins writes:

Forgive me. Mike Bloomberg would never shut down newspapers or use brutal thugs against dissenters in order to hold onto power. He doesn't have to. He buys them.

Many argue that this influence extends to information that is reported about the school system which Bloomberg also controls.  Parents, educators, and students often paint a very different picture of the 'successes' which are touted in some local papers.  This morning, The Daily News ran an editorial which extolled the virtues of the mayor and chancellor, proclaiming:

There must be unrelenting, sustained leadership of the kind applied by Bloomberg and Klein.

The article discusses the vast improvements in graduation rates and test scores that have occurred under Bloomberg's control. 

Twenty fours hours prior to this publication, however, two educational advocates engaged in a radio interview which painted a very different picture.

Parental advocate, Leonie Haimson, and educational advocate, Norm Scott, were guests on WBAI's morning show, Wake Up Call in which they refuted many of the reported statistics and improvements touted by the Bloomberg administration about the public schools.

In regards to the much publicized advancements claimed by Bloomberg, Haimson stated:

This administration is very good at spinning statistics to make it seem like they've been successful in terms of raising student achievement.

She explained that when looking at national assessments of the school system, a very different picture emerges.  In fact, Haimson pointed out, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), there has been almost no progress during Bloomberg's control of the public schools. 

Haimson continued to explain that when looking at the 13 large, urban districts in the country, New York City was ranked '11th out of 13'.

This information certainly falls in direct contrast with that which is being reported in some mainstream news outlets.

Haimson is not the first to look at national assessments to clarify the reported 'progress' cited by the Bloomberg administration. Members of the Australian based group, Save our Schools have been looking at New York's statistics in light of the interest displayed in Joel Klein's 'reform methods' by the Australian Prime Minister.  They have created a research report entitled, New York is Not Working in which they express concerns over the lack of progress shown in New York City.

Average scores have not improved and the large achievement gaps between different groups of students have not reduced.

Average scores in reading and mathematics in Grades 4 and 8 in New York City have mostly stagnated since 2003, with virtually no improvements for Black, Hispanic and low income students.

In an age where the lines between reporting and propaganda often become blurred, it can be difficult to discern the truth about what we read and hear.  Luckily, we have a variety of sources from which we can make our determinations.  It just takes a little more work sometimes to find them.

Click here to listen to the radio interview or here for the entire show.