Hoping to capitalize on a new study showing that the end of social promotion has produced measurable gains for fifth-graders, supporters of Mayor Bloomberg charged yesterday that Democratic rival Bill Thompson had to be dragged to support the successful policy.
“Mr. Thompson, as president of the Board [of Education], did not help us at all until the last minute,” said Herman Badillo, who was among the first to demand that students not be promoted if they couldn’t do the work of the higher grade.
“If [Thompson] supported it, he took no action to implement it,” Badillo said.
Thompson aides shot back, citing a Post editorial on April 2, 2001, lauding Thompson as he left the board presidency to run for comptroller.