Vperspective

To date, the Department of Education under Michael Bloomberg has closed more than 140 public schools and has now begun to close new schools created under its tutelage at the same rate that it closes older schools. It is no exaggeration to say that the Bloomberg DOE is bereft of ideas and solid educational strategies and has adopted school closure as its one and only policy.

Seven years ago, the UFT and PBS began a long-term relationship that has resulted in one of the most anticipated, praised and attended educational conferences in the country. The title of the conference says it all — A Celebration of Teaching and Learning — a perfect antidote to the not-quite-spring doldrums. This year’s conference on March 17 was that and more.

Want to get “oohs” and “aahs” from your students — while engaging them in New York State standards-based science and social studies programs at the same time? There’s a wonderful — though unfortunately little known — resource for hands-on learning that elicits that reaction. It’s the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, founded in 1899 as the first children’s museum in the country.

There is but one conclusion that can be drawn from the Department of Education’s last-minute walkout from negotiations over a teacher evaluation system for 33 schools placed in the transformation and restart models: It was always Tweed’s intention to refuse to enter into an agreement.

When I was a young girl in Argentina, living in another language, I read the newspaper columns that women wrote. Through the printed word, they were able to put forth new ideas, challenge the status quo and create new possibilities for our daily lives. The articles I was most drawn to were those that reported on the plight of “los maestros,” the teachers, and how they were always fighting to bring education and justice to all.

Over the last few years I have written several articles about middle school reform. I cited the various efforts that have been tried and abandoned under past administrations. These include the 1986-88 Middle School Task Force under Chancellor Nathan Quinones, the 1994-2000 Middle School Initiative by Chancellor Joseph Fernandez, the 2001-2002 Task Force on Improving Middle Schools by Chancellor Harold Levy and the 2005-2008 Middle School Reform Initiative by Deputy Chancellor Carmen Farina.

“Class Warfare” is the title Steven Brill gave his new book on the state of American education. With that title, you might think it would investigate how deep class divisions between America’s wealthy and our poor and working class — a gap that has grown immensely over recent decades — has harmed our schools and our students.

To help keep CTE thriving and our students in a high state of readiness for learning, the UFT has this year provided more than 500 teachers with keenly focused professional development adaptable to dozens of CTE programs in 34 schools spanning all the boroughs.

Tucked away on a back street in East New York, Brooklyn, is a wonderful, warm small school at PS 273. It felt like a community school from the old days. In the library, I spoke with Ms. Silver, a retired bookkeeper and community member who has been volunteering there for more than 14 years.