Mayoral control of the city schools — fiercely opposed by the teachers union in a new campaign — has dramatically increased student achievement, a new study found.
In some cases, the student improvement has been “spectacular” since Mayor Bloomberg won control over the sprawling system in 2002, the analysis concluded.
The report, by Kenneth Wong, chair of the education department of Brown University, examined 11 large urban school districts, from Boston to Los Angeles, that are under some kind of mayoral leadership.
The study, released by the Center for American Progress, found that New York was one of five cities that narrowed the student achievement gap.
An analysis of reading and math test scores for fourth- and eighth-graders in the city showed regular improvement, it found.
“Only 47 percent of New York City’s fourth-graders were proficient in reading in 2002, but that number rose to 69 percent in 2009,” it said.
“At the eighth-grade level, the math gains were, in a word, spectacular — the percentage of students who scored proficient or better more than doubled, leaping from 30 percent to 71 percent,” it added.
“For eighth-grade reading, the percentage of children who scored proficient or better rose from 30 percent to 57 percent.
“Between 1999 and 2010, New York City closed the gap with the statewide average. It should be noted that a significant change in the state’s proficiency standards in 2010 yielded much lower scores throughout the state that year, including in New York City.”
The study comes as the United Federation of Teachers is renewing its campaign to water down mayoral control.
Commenting on yesterday’s report, a mayoral spokeswoman said, “Our schools’ progress is historic, and this report shows how much we stand to lose if the UFT gets its way and dismantles this critical reform.”