NEW YORK WINS NEARLY $700 MILLION IN RACE TO THE TOP COMPETITION

The United States Education Department today announced that New York State has been awarded $696,646,000 as a winner in the second round of the federal Race to the Top competition. Of the ten states named winners, only Massachusetts’s application scored more points than New York’s.

Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch said, “The Regents and I are absolutely thrilled that New York has been selected as a winner in the Race to the Top competition. We want to thank the State’s entire educational community, which came together in an unprecedented way to support the State’s RTTT application. We’d like to thank the Governor, Assembly Speaker Silver, and Senate Majority Conference Leader Sampson for their leadership and for enacting new laws that will support educational excellence.  I want to extend a special thank you to United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew and New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein for appearing with us in Washington to help successfully make the case for New York."

"Our application represents a truly comprehensive reform agenda – one that advances the bold changes needed to turn around failing schools, close the achievement gap, and prepare all children to succeed in college and careers. The Regents and I are confident that our success in Race to the Top will help lift the level of achievement for New York State’s more than three million students," said Education Commissioner David M. Steiner. 

John B. King, Senior Deputy Commissioner, added, "We are especially grateful to our partner organizations whose efforts in securing a high level of support strengthened our application, particularly: the New York State United Teachers, the New York State Council of School Superintendents, the New York State School Boards Association, the BOCES District Superintendents, and the New York City Charter School Center.  We also want to thank Assembly Education Committee Chair Cathy Nolan and Senate Education Committee Chair Suzi Oppenheimer for their leadership and support."

The funding that New York State receives from the competition will help advance the Regents reform agenda through 27 projects over four grant years. $348.3 million of the RTTT funds will be awarded to participating LEAs (school districts and charter schools) over the course of the grant to support implementation, while $348.3 million will be used to build the capacity of educators statewide and directly support new curriculum models, standards, assessments, teacher and principal preparation and professional development, and the statewide student data system.

New York State’s Race to the Top application incorporates reforms enabled by legislation enacted earlier this year. The legislation: (1) establishes a new teacher and principal evaluation system that makes student achievement data a substantial component of how educators are assessed and supported; (2) raises New York’s charter school cap from 200 to 460 and enhances charter school accountability and transparency;  (3) enables school districts to enter into  contracts with Educational Partnership Organizations (the term for non-profit Education Management Organizations in New York State) for the management of their persistently lowest-achieving schools and schools under registration review; and (4) appropriates $20.4 million in capital funds to the State Education Department to implement its longitudinal data system.

http://www.naea-reston.org/research/21st-century-skills-arts-map

Teaching Standards:

On July 16, 2010  Joseph Frey, Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Higher Education, sent a memo which included some of the following information.  That invitation in full can be found at http://www.highered.nysed.gov/memos/memo07162010.html titled -Invitation to Comment on the New York State Preliminary Draft of Teaching Standards.

 Some parts of the memo are:

The Teaching Standards “will be the basis for teacher preparation programs, assessments for certification, annual professional performance reviews, and professional/career development plans for New York teachers.”

The Office of Teaching Initiatives has posted the Preliminary Draft of New York State Teaching Standards and a Web Response Form with which you may submit your suggestions on web site.  If you are unable to access the draft online, please contact Jenese Gaston at jgaston@mail.nysed.gov.

The deadline to submit comments will be August 16, 2010. Written comments may be mailed to:

Patricia Oleaga
NYSED Office of Teaching Initiatives
Room 5N, Education Building
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12234

Thank you for your continuing support of Arts Education in the State. We appreciate your expressing your concerns and clarifying your position on the Middle Level Arts Requirements Regents Item on the June Board of Regents agenda. This item was provided to the Regents to update them.

 At this point in time the Department is waiting for the New York City Chancellor to submit a variance request to the commissioner of Education. Please note that the proposal is expected to be for a three year variance for NYC schools only.

 The annotation item is a separate arts education issue and has not had further discussion by the Regents at this time.

At their June 21^st meeting, the Regents reviewed the item available at http://www.regents.nysed.gov/meetings/2010Meetings/June2010/0610emscd2.htm. They asked for clarification on waivers and variances. One suggested adding Dance and Theater to the middle school requirements but the group acknowledged that would not be feasible at this time. Several members had questions on processing and evaluating variances.

Please know that we will continue to inform you about State initiatives related to Arts Education.