This comparison of New York's handling of the pandemic compared with Seattle in the New Yorker says so much. Dow Constantine held a press conference in Seattle on February 29th. The scientists said this is really serious and the politicians took a back seat. After Constantine predicted that telecommuting was likely going to be needed, the people listened and voluntarily stayed home. Mandatory restrictions were put in by the Governor on March 11 but most workers were already staying home. Meanwhile in NY:
In early March, as Dow Constantine was asking Microsoft to close its offices and putting scientists in front of news cameras, de Blasio and New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, were giving speeches that deëmphasized the risks of the pandemic, even as the city was announcing its first official cases. De Blasio initially voiced caution, saying that “no one should take the coronavirus situation lightly,” but soon told residents to keep helping the city’s economy. “Go on with your lives + get out on the town despite Coronavirus,” he tweeted on March 2nd—one day after the first covid-19 diagnosis in New York. He urged people to see a movie at Lincoln Center. On the day that Seattle schools closed, de Blasio said at a press conference that “if you are not sick, if you are not in the vulnerable category, you should be going about your life.” Cuomo, meanwhile, had told reporters that “we should relax.” He said that most infected people would recover with few problems, adding, “We don’t even think it’s going to be as bad as it was in other countries.”
The results of Cuomo and de Blasio's dithering and delaying are tragic. Back to the New Yorker piece:
Tom Frieden, the former C.D.C. director, has estimated that, if New York had started implementing stay-at-home orders ten days earlier than it did, it might have reduced covid-19 deaths by fifty to eighty per cent.
Why isn't Cuomo blasted like President Trump or Mayor de Blasio are for screwing this up?
Look at these poll numbers from Sienna released today:
Loudonville, NY. New Yorkers give Governor Andrew Cuomo record high job performance and favorability ratings. His favorability rating is 77-21 percent, up from 71-23 percent last month, matching his highest ever in February 2011. His job performance rating is 71-28 percent, up from 63-35 percent last month, his best ever. By a 78-16 percent margin, voters say they trust Cuomo over President Donald Trump to make a determination about opening New York, according to a new Siena College Poll of registered New York State voters released today.
I can't explain Cuomo's approval numbers. Scientists are not front and center ever in NY. Cuomo could easily mess up the reopening like he did the closing.
This is from the NY Times on April 26:
A survey of New Yorkers last week found that one in five city residents carried antibodies to the new coronavirus — and in that, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo saw good news.
If so many had been infected and survived, he reasoned, the virus may be far less deadly than previously thought. But many scientists took a darker view, seeing instead a vast pool of people who are still very vulnerable to infection.
Like the leaders of many states, Mr. Cuomo has been hoping that the results of large-scale antibody testing may guide decisions about when and how to reopen the economy and reintegrate society.
Few scientists ever imagined that these tests would become an instrument of public policy — and many are uncomfortable with the idea. Antibody tests, which show who has been infected, are often inaccurate, recent research suggests, and it is not clear whether a positive result actually signals immunity to the coronavirus.
Of course, UFT President Michael Mulgrew is in the same category of arrogant leader who failed us at the start of this pandemic. Why should anyone trust him when it comes to reopening school buildings? He didn't pull members out of schools he knew were infected in March. Now, the UFT's petition on reopening is counting on the unreliable antibody testing as one of the main criteria for opening up school buildings. From the Change.org petition:
Widespread access to coronavirus testing to regularly check that people are negative or have immunity
We might not know who has immunity based on antibody testing according to the scientists, however, the virus may very well come back strong in the fall so where is social distancing in the UFT petition on reopening? It isn't there. It could very well be necessary. All the masks in the world more than likely won't help contain a virus if there are 34 students in a high school classroom doing group work. It will be impossible to social distance in that situation.
If this pandemic has taught me anything, it's that New York union leaders and elected executives have no clue about science and it has cost lives. I don't claim to be an expert either but shouldn't the scientists be holding the daily briefings in Albany and City Hall? Shouldn't a science expert speak at a Delegate Assembly or UFT Town Hall? Having scientists lead was a big success in Seattle.
At least everyone now sees de Blasio as an arrogant idiot. Maybe, Cuomo's popularity will finally take a hit. This is from Ross Barkan on Twitter:
Fact: New York's COVID-19 death toll is staggering. It far exceeds any other state in America and, at this point, anywhere on Earth. Denser places have weathered the storm far better.
This can only be argued against for so long. New York massively and tragically screwed up.
I don't get the Cuomo love. If only he has the power to open and close NYC schools, like he said in his pissing contest with DeBlasio, why didn't he do so sooner? I also don't know why he isn't being blasted everywhere for his policy of allowing COVID patients in nursing homes.
ReplyDeleteAs states continue to roll out plans to reopen their economies, President Trump told governors during a Monday phone call that they should also “seriously consider” reopening their schools, ABC News reports.
ReplyDeleteSaid Trump: “Some of you might start thinking about school openings. Because a lot of people are wanting to have the school openings. It’s not a big subject, young children have done very well in this disaster that we’ve all gone through. So a lot of people are thinking about the school openings.”
ny is a deep blue, tds-infected state. most democrats know biden is toast for a bunch of reasons. cuomo is "reimagining"/socialist enough for people who want government to take care of them and tell them how to live. that's why he is popular.
ReplyDeleteTotally disagree with the analysis. Cuomo is not a socialist. Won't raise taxes a dime on his wealthy donors.
ReplyDeleteStop believing your stupid Fox News bull shit that anyone with a D after their name is a socialist. Cuomo is a pure crony capitalist.
ReplyDeleteCuomo is benefitting from what Elaine Bennis would have called "skinny mirrors."
ReplyDeleteCompared to his useless counterparts in NYC and DC, he's looked brilliant. But that's been in a complete crisis atmosphere.
He may not do as well in the full light of day.
Teachers who preach rugged individualism but who rely on a union to negotiate salary and benefits and who ultimately are going to live off a state pension are absolute hypocrites. They usually are pro-life, anti-welfare, pro 2nd amendment, religious freedom types who have the propensity to open fire on any church or other public gathering when/if their fragile little world is threatened. Funny that you choose this profession. I always wonder about your psychology. Why be a teacher at all, but specifically, why in an urban setting? Reminds me a of a famous Kipling poem: White Man's Burden.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eva. DOE grades should be like this. It is called grading fairly.
ReplyDelete“True equity honors the integrity of learning,” she added. “A child who studies and achieves mastery deserves an A, and the student who struggles but overcomes and earns a hard-fought B deserves that B.
“It would be an abdication of our responsibility to treat grades like candy,” she said. “Now is not the time to throw out standards and give up on kids.
“Are the schools just going to say, ‘Hey, you seem like a nice person, welcome to Harvard’ ? ”
“Now is not the time to throw out standards and give up on kids.”
"We don't give out grades like candy."
Too bad the DOE uses the everyone must pass policy..
Dear SA families,
ReplyDeleteWe are living in uncertain and very difficult times, amid a global health catastrophe and economic shutdown. Charting a way forward calls for bold action, but that boldness must stay true to our core values and belief in children’s capabilities. With your extraordinary help, we are continuing to teach seriously and productively every day. We continue to celebrate joy in learning and the importance of students’ working and creating ideas and insights.
Two weeks ago, in response to coronavirus, the entire city of San Francisco decided to give every student an A. Seattle followed suit last week, and New York City is currently debating the elimination of grades. These decisions are made in the name of equity, but the outcomes for children will be far from fair.
True equity honors the integrity of learning. It ensures accountability for students and educators alike. A child who studies and achieves mastery deserves an A, and the student who struggles but overcomes and earns a hard-fought B deserves that B. Teachers and parents share responsibility as well — guiding, challenging, supporting, and motivating scholars to do their best. At Success, we believe it would be an abdication of our responsibility to treat grades like candy and to have no standards for ourselves or your children.
The world has fundamentally changed, but the benefits and requisites of education have not. Now is not the time to throw out standards and give up on kids. Today’s fourth graders should be ready to do fifth-grade math next year. Freshmen will still need to be ready to tackle calculus in high school. Being prepared for life — economically, civically, socially, and emotionally — will be even more important once this pandemic is behind us. As educators and adults, we embrace our job of preparing kids for their academic and life journeys.
For two-thirds of this school year, our scholars were in class, getting live, in-person instruction and taking assessments. For the remainder of the school year, we have modified our instructional priorities. To reflect the context we find ourselves in, we have made adjustments to our assessments and promotional criteria. Just as we did before coronavirus, when we were in our school buildings, we will work as hard as we possibly can over the remaining weeks to ensure all scholars are learning and growing academically. All of us must be in this together, parents and educators, especially now, when your children’s only contact with us is through their screens.
ReplyDeleteFundamentally, we have faith in our educators and our students. Over the past six weeks, from kindergartener to senior, our scholars have not given up. They have continued to gain mastery and understanding, to expand what they know and learn more. At dining room tables and makeshift desks, from southeast Queens to brownstone Brooklyn to the South Bronx, they have done the reading, writing, and mathematics; studied Shakespeare and the Mongol invasion; learned geometry and biomedical engineering. Not all have learned equally. Some have adapted to distance learning better than others. Some were struggling before coronavirus, and others have been newly challenged in this difficult time. But we owe it to all of them to assess their learning, identify whatever gaps need to be filled, and plan accordingly for each individual scholar.
The pain and suffering brought on by coronavirus are real, and the hardships families have endured cannot be overstated. Despite this, we cannot wave a magic wand and declare all children achieved mastery. That would cheat students with real gaps of the education they deserve. Instead, we are being practical: revising and simplifying our academic priorities, while also aiming high and being ambitious for our students — loving them dearly and doing everything we can to help them achieve their full potential.
In the coming days, you will receive an email from your principal with specific information about these modifications by grade as they relate to your scholar.
Thank you for your support, for your belief in us. Together, we will ensure a strong future for our scholars.
Warmly,
Eva Moskowitz
New York State imposes policy requiring nursing homes to admit patients with coronavirus. Can't 'discriminate' on basis of virus! Disastrous results. Gov. Cuomo claimed he didn't even know about it. From NYT
ReplyDeleteA pension is earned. Cradle to grave dependency is very different. Sitting at home smoking weed from 15 years old to 60 is very different than going to work from 22 years old till 55 years old.
ReplyDelete7:36 What a stupid comment. Are you a principal? What does being pro-life have to do with anything and no prolifers don't want to shoot up schools. The ones who shoot up schools are the ones whose teachers passed them when they should have failed. You're a disgrace!
ReplyDelete8:24-8:27 and right winger 10:33, Please take a job at Success Academy where your personal philosophy is accepted. Oh no, you won't take the pay cut. You want Eva's goals but not the low salary she pays with awful working conditions. You would rather work in the higher paid public schools. See the hypocrisy.
ReplyDeleteHer grading policy is fair. There is no argument. All i want is to avoid grade fraud.
ReplyDeleteLet us understand, we have to quit the DOE because they pass everybody? Why not fix the problem?
ReplyDelete7:36, You’re stereotyping everyone that disagrees with you. Let me guess - your anti-life, anti- union, anti- gun and anti -teacher. You’re anti everything. Oh well, who cares? I’ll be living on that nice pension, while your buying Alpo because you bought into the greed that vilifies unions.
ReplyDeleteAs of 4-28-2020,
ReplyDeleteThe 4 days have not been added to CAR.
I’m betting we don’t get the raises and the. 4 days and mulgrew will tell us the doe has antiquated computer systems and not enough personnel to input this into the system.
Any idea on when , and how much we will be paid for all those extra days worked. Forgive me for asking, I sorta like to prepare for my life?
ReplyDeleteIt's the teachers who pass everyone who caused all this mess in the doe. Kids were passed in grade school and promoted to Middle school then were passed in Middle school and ended up in High School with grade level skills. Then the high school teachers just make it worse by passing all the kids so they graduate making it hard for the teachers who give the kids honest grades.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note there is an opinion piece in the Post today about how the city could save money by postponing our Oct. retro payment until 2025! This is why the UFT should never have accepted those retro payments spread so far apart. A lot of people are depending on that money.
75% voted for 2014 contract. Look in the mirror when thinking who to blame.Either you voted yes or could not convince enough of your colleagues to vote no. That is why those payments on work done in 2010 are on the table to be postponed again.
ReplyDelete@11:14- while I agree about the defferd retro being wrong
ReplyDeletei could live with that if we get some interest on it and a NO excessing clause.
the No excessing is a must though imo
No excessing? No way that's happening. For no layoffs, Mulgrew will defer the payments and more. Bet on it.
ReplyDeleteExcessing will occur to prevent layoffs.
ReplyDeleteWhat people don’t get is there will be excessing bc of FSF.
James has written about this topic for years.
Until fsf goes, excessing stays.
Atrs will be at an all time high and this hiring freeze won’t occur. Games will be played.
What are Chirlane McCray's specific credentials to co-chair the racial inequality task force. What metrics from ThriveNYC show she's been able to reduce inequalities?
ReplyDeleteRobert Holden
ReplyDelete@BobHoldenNYC
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"Another former NYC health commissioner told me that “de Blasio was just horrible,” adding, “Maybe it was unintentional, maybe it was his arrogance. But, if you tell people to stay home and then you go to the gym, you can’t really be surprised when people keep going outside.”
First, halt the final payment to teachers and other civilian workers due in October for work done more than a decade ago under then-expired contracts. De Blasio engineered this giveaway in his first year, as payback for support. Defer this payment until 2025 and assess the situation then: If the city’s economy has bounced back, fine. This would save $1.5 billion.
ReplyDeleteNew Zealand
ReplyDelete"In New Zealand, it has been a wonderful link between good science, and brilliant leadership, and the two together are I think are really highly effective," said Baker. "I've been really disappointed that countries who have far more, absolutely the top science resources in the world, that is the US and UK, many countries in Europe, have not fared better than countries like New Zealand which has limited resources."
If the ATR continues to exist, we should write to the heads of all those programs they cut. The only teachers I can see who might be excessed are teachers of Art, Music and electives.
ReplyDeleteCity and State
ReplyDeleteNew York confirmed its first positive coronavirus case on March 1. By March 20, when Cuomo issued a statewide shelter-in-pace order, New York already had 8,310 confirmed cases, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s coronavirus website. By the time New York’s shelter-in-place order took effect on March 22, there were 15,800 cases confirmed in the state. That is the highest total of any.