Mayor Looks to Reform Social Promotions In All Grades

Mayor Bloomberg looks to take a hardline against social promotion for all grades. The Daily News reports that the Mayor will see how ending automatic third grade promotions works and may apply the stricter stance, but the interesting this is that poor test scores may not be the sole criteria for promotion, and the Mayor concedes holding all kids back may not work: "Whether you want to hold [older students] back or try other things remains to be seen. But I think if we can show that you really can make a difference for all the problems that these kids have - and remember, a lot of these kids were really dealt a bad hand by God ... then it sets the blueprint." The article mentions that City University's tactics of improving their graduation rate inspired the Mayor.

The Times looks at the political implications of the Mayor's decision.