The Daily News is worried that the fabulous work being done in NY by the reform machine is somehow endangered by leaders coming to their senses-or even speaking out so honestly and accurately regarding the true burdens our students bring to school with them. TDN says:

Stunningly, Speaker Carl Heastie, who represents the Bronx, has gone along with a suburban-based movement that works to the disadvantage of the city’s largely minority student body.

Not sure that “stunningly” is a word that goes under Speaker Heastie because he dared to acknowledge the truth with these words:

I really think that we shouldn’t be looking at education alone anymore or mental health alone anymoreor poverty alone anymore. I think that we have to look at the total family structure and see why it is that students are going into school not prepared for these challenges. And I think a lot of it has to do with what’s going on at home and their neighborhoods. Even super teacher may not be able to get through to a student whose life outside of school has issues.

On my game board, I had “finally” under his name (as in “Finally someone in government with the guts to point out that whipping a mule harder makes less sense than putting wheels on the wagon it’s trying to pull”). “Understandably” I had under Commissioner Elia (she’s a policy foot soldier/message carrier and can’t be entirely blamed for what she says…she’s put there to take a fall if required)… then I switched it to being under the governor when he did his infamous “Coumo kow-tow” (as in “Understandably, the governor knows that the educated and aware parents in this state aren’t buying that firing teachers is the fastest way to student success so he needs to re-position himself as that “lobbyist for the students”).

But I guess I need to switch it to under NY Daily News now (as in “Understandably, special interest outlets like The Daily News need to be utilized to help those interests propagate their narrative without having to stand up to identify themselves and proudly claim their positions/effectively debate it.

That leaves me with the word “stunningly” still unassigned on my game board, along with “patiently”, “honestly”, “happily”… I’m hoping it can go with upcoming NYSED Regent action on an indescribably ridiculous rule that would make the efforts to force a standardized test-fueled bad teacher hunt the linchpin of school reform (whipping the mule), as opposed to looking at opportunities, funding, and a more collaborative approach. I’m hoping for a “Stunningly, the regents have taken the lead in setting a better, more student-centered course for school reform by voting “NO” on a potentially destructive new APPR rule”