After the Daily News revealed that a school officials actually forbade school deans to call 911 (in order to lower crime stats) only for a 14-year-old student who suffered a stroke to wait 90 minutes for medical attention, the Department of Education is launching an investigation. The News now reports that Schools Chancellor Joel Klein will launch a probe, saying, "We'll look into it and take appropriate action." more ›

President Bush is taking his No Child Left Behind Act education platform to Harlem today, with an afternoon visit to the Harlem Village Academies charter school on West 144th Street today. Yes, that's what all the traffic and security is for- as well as the lack of garbage cans. The school and Department of Education are proud that Harlem Village Academy was selected; founder Deborah Kenny tells the Sun, "We take in kids that are really struggling, but they just get better and better, and stronger and stronger." more ›

Did the sidewalks and subways seem a little more crowded this morning? See more yellow school buses? That's because New York City public schools are open for the 2006-2007 school year. This year, the Department of Education is continuing to change, most notably with one-fifth of school principals becoming more autonomous (aka "empowerment schools") - they'll have more oversight over budgets, no more superintendents, but needing to meet DOE's performance goals. Here that principals with supers? You're empowered. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg, you remain an enigma wrapped in a mystery, cloaked in a conundrum. Our mayor, who recently said he'd support Joe Lieberman's independent bid for Senate, wrote an editorial in the Washington Post about the No Child Left Behind Act with Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Clearly, Dubya isn't talking all the calls from Jebby these days. Bloomberg and Bush's editorial outlines how the NCLB Act could be more meaningful and effective, and Bloomberg's involvement does make sense, since he has trumpeted himself as an education-minded mayor (though it's unclear whether or not his policy changes have resulted in real progress). The two Republicans propose four "lessons" for Congress as they reconsider the act:

- Make standards meaningful. Ensure that every state sets a high standard for proficiency. The existing law left room for states to define proficiency levels, and some have dumbed them down to create the illusion of progress. We need a uniform measuring stick... more ›