Bloomberg & Klein
Visit PS 126, Manhattan
by Michelle Accorso
On a recent afternoon, reporters piled into the cozy second
floor library at P.S. 126. Draped with literature ranging from
children's books to Time magazines, the library is just one
reason that P.S. 126 is leading the way in the New York City
public school system.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor
Joel Klein's purpose for coming to P.S. 126 was to applaud
Principal Jose Monta–ez
and P.S. 126 for setting high standards and enabling children
to achieve in one of the most ethnically diverse schools in
the city comprised of 40 percent Hispanic, 36 percent Asian
and 18 percent African-American. "Only 9 percent of African-Americans
earned a Regents diploma last year in New York State. Shame
on us for letting a group fall by the wayside," stated
Bloomberg.
"Among the reasons why P.S. 126 seems to be doing so
well," explained Chancellor Joel Klein, "is the leadership
advisory committee. The school does intensive assessment right
from the beginning. The children are then educated based on
those assessments." Klein described P.S. 126 as being
the model, a school that understands the need for an exciting
learning community that attracts and retains good teachers.
"We're trying to get as much funding as we can," Mayor
Bloomberg stressed; "the political reality is we will
never have enough—we have to do the best with what we
have." Klein when asked about third-grade promotion policies
said, "If we start in 1st and 2nd grades focusing
on students, then we can make sure these children have the
skills they need. The jump from 3rd to 4th grade is a big deal
and if we let kids pass without the skills they need, we will
end up with poor testing numbers throughout the city."#
