Dinowitz warns Portrait could become compliance checklist or lose rigor
Dinowitz says the Portrait could radically transform schools or become a compliance checklist that sacrifices quality education for graduation rates. He thanks committee members and staff for their work on the hearing.
The portrait has the ability to radically transform our school system in a way that will finally allow our schools to fully invest in programs that we know actually benefit students.
And allow our students to display their vast knowledge and skills in ways unconstrained by poorly written or poorly graded Regents exams.
I do, however, fear the portrait runs the risk of removing all rigor from our school system by doing what we so often do in the DOE.
Turn a well-meaning policy into a compliance checklist, and allow the DOE pressures to improve graduation rates and credit accrual at the expense of quality education.
The future of our school system and therefore our city
rests on our ability to properly implement this directive.
I look forward to today's important hearing.
And I also want to thank the members of the Education Committee who have joined us today, including Council Members De La Rosa, Gutierrez, Lewis, Narcisse, Lee, Wong, and Joseph.