Mayor Bloomberg branded each school in New York City with scarlet letter grades, A through F, scoring schools on how much their students improved in the past year, according a Nov. 11 op-ed in The New York Times.
Schools that were once lauded for their excellence were given less than stellar marks, which highlighted the underdogs of the education system based on a year's worth of data - what the No Child Left Behind Act mandates, instead of following the state's standard of three years.
Schools were compared to others with similar populations, even if they weren't in the same district. Schools receiving As didn't have a pizza party - their school had high-standardized test scores, meaning that next year they'd have to study even harder for the exam just to maintain the status quo. Preparing for standardized tests removes focus from creativity, problem solving and skills that prepare students for the real world.
Basing a school's grade on test scores adds an unnecessary stigma to the schools and students who attend it. Schools are made up of many different idiosyncrasies that can't be summed up by just one grade.
Teachers impact students' lives in ways beyond scoring well on a test. Forcing teachers to meet even stricter standards on top of the No Child Left Behind act limits their job performance, making students even less enthusiastic about learning.
Giving schools an ultimatum to improve is an ineffective method to motivate students to do well on standardized tests. In the long run, students remember the fun times they had in class with friends and teachers, not the scores they received on the English Language Assessment (ELA) or Performance Assessment in Mathematics (PAM) standardized tests.
As the students of the nation navigate the murky waters of education today, they should take time to recall the teachers they loved, the things they learned and the road they traveled, all of which are now being forsaken in a system as arbitrary as the SATs.
Thruway to Hell
New York Tolls are inept, expensive and contribute little to The Queen City
Students who use the Thruway to travel to and from home are forced to pass through overpriced tolls, spending money they could use for overpriced UB food. It wouldn't matter if the money spent at tolls benefited the immediate communities that UB students call home, but this is not the case.
Fourteen million dollars went to maintaining toll-free highways north of New York City, according to The Buffalo News. While New York City is the namesake of the Empire State, it does not deserve all the money that could be allotted to other cities in need.
Of the $554 million collected last year, $331 million from the tolls went toward the system's maintenance. The remaining money was up for grabs, going toward New York City. Since the authorities are not being upfront on how exactly the money is spent, one thing is for certain: it probably won't stay in Buffalo.
The Buffalo News has found that the toll roads work fine, yet $2.7 billion has been allotted to reforming it, meaning an even bigger piece of the pie will go toward operating the system. Soon, all the money earned from tolls will be used to keep the tolls open, as it's a costly and poorly executed plan.
The money from tolls would be better spent facilitating construction projects, rather than employee bonuses; a toll taker earned $72,000 last year, and employees enjoy free EZpasses.
For all the engineering majors out there, consider this: according to HotJobs.com, the median salary for a starting aerospace engineer in Buffalo is $55,212 - almost $17,000 less than some of the employees that take your money to drive on a crappy road. Starting accountants will earn even less. Maybe you should reconsider your career.
Doing away with tolls entirely would be ideal for some, since the costly operation contributes little to the community, save for a privileged few. Since politicians are unlikely to vote to eliminate it, more money should be sent to Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, not just New York City.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
