Bloomberg, Klein Recognize Science Teacher —Then Cut His Program

Ask veteran science teacher Steven Kaye what he thinks about Bloomberg’s and Klein’s “remaking” of New York City public schools, and you will get an earful.

Kaye was the recipient of the 2004 Mayor’s Award in Science and Technology for his work with the science research program at James Madison HS in Brooklyn. But with the pressures of overcrowding at Madison caused by the haphazard closing of other Brooklyn schools, the science research program, to which Kaye had dedicated many years of his career, was eliminated this year.

Madison has a great tradition of scientific research and inquiry, counting four Nobel Laureates among its graduates. “Quite a few of my students have been selected to the honor group in the Westinghouse and Intel competitions and many have won prestigious awards at the New York Academy of Sciences Expo,” Kaye reports.

Several of Kaye’s former students now have advanced science degrees. Kaye believes the accomplishments of his students illustrate the importance of adequate funding for science education. But the inept Bloomberg and Klein handling of school overcrowding has managed to kill a program which exemplified the very best of New York City’s science education.