Policy Points
New York City
1. The School Environment:
Local control and accountability measures must be exercised in restructuring the school environment to insure that every child and family is known, staff has the necessary time for professional development, and partnerships with parents and the community are formed. This initiative includes creating smallness in school environments as well as lengthening school days—building in time for teacher collaboration and valuing this time as an important resource.
2. Standards, Testing, and Resources:
Schools must be adequately and equitably funded in order to obtain all the necessary supports for student achievement. These resources need to include professional developers, teacher spending allowances (e.g., NYC Teacher's Choice), and libraries and librarians. Schools also need more local control over decisions regarding how students should be assessed—and this assessment must be in multiple and diverse forms.
3. Teaching as a Profession:
Teaching must be viewed as a professional continuum--beginning with a school-based teacher preparation program, an apprenticeship year, supportive induction programs, continuing on as a career teacher and a teacher leader with multiple roles—with appropriate professional development opportunities at all levels. Also, the teacher's voice must be recognized as important and necessary in political discussions—including greater and more direct representation at all levels of education policymaking.
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