Today, New York State was awarded $700M in federal Race to the Top Education Funding that will "help ensure a better future" for students across the state, Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. "However, it is the first step, not the last, if New York is going to win the real 'race to the top' and become a leader in education reform."
Cuomo thanks the Governor, State Senate and the Assembly for passing the reforms needed to qualify for the funding and the Congressional delegation for pushing so hard to ensure New York received it.
In Cuomo's 5-step Plan for a New NY, he outlines four education reform principles that underlay the federal Race to the Top process:
1) A commitment to rigorous standards and assessments;
2) Recruiting, preparing and supporting great teachers and school principals;
3) Building instructional data systems that measure student success and inform teachers and principals how they can improve their teaching practices; and
4) Turning around struggling schools.
Governor Cuomo today continued his "People First Campaign" at Hofstra University, where he outlined his legislative priorities and told Long Islanders that their voices must be heard in order to get Albany to act on these key reforms.
Governor Cuomo today urged House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to block a proposal to slash federal homeland security funding given to the states by 50 percent. In his letter, Governor Cuomo said the dramatic cut would hamper New York's efforts to prevent terrorist attacks and protect New Yorkers.
Governor Cuomo today sent the following letter to the Chancellor of the Board of Regents Merryl Tisch regarding changes needed to improve and accelerate performance evaluations for teachers.
