Spin City Schools
September 12th, 2007
Statistics say whatever you want them to say. That seems to be the lesson from the current dispute over a survey of parents on city schools. The results have become the latest battleground in the ongoing fight over how important it is to reduce class size in public schools.
Advocates who put a high priority on reducing the number of students in each class say parents endorsed that move as 24 percent of them ranked class size number one among 10 choices to improve city schools, more than those checking any other single box. But Mayor Michael Bloomberg said twice as many parents – 45 percent – prefer enriching programs to cutting class size. Bloomberg combined several categories: more or better arts programs, more challenging courses, more hands-on learning and more or better enrichment programs. After doing that addition, Bloomberg said, “When somebody stands up and says, ‘I speak for all parents and we want smaller class sizes,’ that’s just not true.” That “somebody” — Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters – told the Times that the mayor was making “a transparent attempt to minimize the importance of an issue that is staring everybody in the face as the top priority of parents.”
Yesterday Haimson and other advocates, along with teachers union president Randi Weingarten and City Council education committee chair Robert Jackson sent a letter to Bloomberg reiterating their belief that cutting class size came in number 1. The letter said, “We respectfully ask that you state clearly that smaller classes were the top priority of parents who responded to your survey.” But a spokesperson for the education department said the mayor was unlikely to relent. “Class size is a major concern, but the fact is that more than 40 percent of parents say improving academics is the most important issue facing our schools,” David Cantor told the Sun.
By Gail Robinson on September 12, 2007, 8:05 amIn category: Education | No Comments »

