Grading System Leads To Academic Disqualification For Six NYC Schools

Honestly I did not know too much about the whole grading system Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein at first. After doing some petitioning work over the weekend, I ran into a woman that made her own pitch to me about a site called Timeout from Testing, a group that opposes this system. After scrawling my name with a pen on her hand, she was determined that I sign the petition on the website. Once I read their viewpoint, it wasn't hard for me to endorse their stance.

Basically, they would rather reform and improve our city's school system rather than Klein's plan of closing the ones that aren't performing to their standards. It turns out, Klein wasn't issuing an empty threat, since six schools were marked for closure today. Parents were shocked and will now have to find their children new schools to continue their education.

Klein says its about giving the community options, but this is more of a mandatory decree than an independent choice. You would think that if a parent saw their child in a school that wasn't up to their standards, then they would petition to have their child transferred. Now that would be a choice.

The community that Klein talks about is speaking up for itself. Ordinary citizens and politicians alike are unhappy with this new policy and are fighting to undo this bureaucratic nuttiness. If you agree, sign their petition here.