From Day One, Michael Bloomberg’s mayoralty was animated by the belief that public education in New York City could be rescued, revived and redeemed.
It’s been eight years.
How’s he done?
By and large, pretty well.
Certainly, on that score, Bloomberg succeeded where none of his predecessors — not even Rudy Giuliani — could: He seized control of the schools and reversed their decline.
Comptroller Bill Thompson, meanwhile, has spent much of the last eight years carping about Bloomberg’s bold work.
And he says that one of his first acts as mayor would be to fire Joel Klein — arguably the most successful city schools chancellor in decades.
Actually, that’s no surprise: Thompson once headed the old Board of Education — the politically driven behemoth that so utterly failed the city’s children.
It is bewildering, though, that the comptroller is so nostalgic for such a bleak past.
Now students must prove that they are ready to move on to the next grade. And teachers, principals and supervisors all must show results.
Failing schools have been closed, school crime has fallen, graduation rates have risen, and the so-called achievement gap between African-American and other students appears to have narrowed.
Perhaps most important, Klein and Bloomberg have greatly expanded the number of charter schools — institutions on the cutting edge of education reform.
This year, after a hard-fought political battle, the mayor and chancellor won renewal of the mayoral-control law, ensuring that reform — and accountability — will continue.
Thompson originally opposed the law, then claimed to support it — even as he released a series of tendentious audits meant to undercut its renewal.
He complains that education decisions are being made by “executives with no education experience.” That would be Chancellor Klein.
Hmm: Given the gains of the last eight years, maybe it’s time to go out and find more such folks.
To be sure, the mayor’s record is not beyond criticism: Questions have been raised about whether tests have been made too easy.
And Mike has made promises and offered new proposals for the schools as if the cash-strapped city were rolling in dough.
At the same time, Thompson has made constructive suggestions — most notably his call two years ago for greater support of vocational education.
But, on balance, when it comes to schools, the scale tilts heavily — if not decisively — in the mayor’s direction.
Yes, public education still has a long way to go. But there’s no denying that New York City’s schools have shown dramatic improvement over the last eight years.
Credit where credit is due.