Hard Truth on the Schools

We’ve long warned that the supposed “gains” by city schools under Mayor de Blasio are utterly empty — and now the proof is in. Universally accepted as the gold standard in measuring US student performance, the National Assessment of Education Progress tests large numbers of fourth- and eighthgraders all across the country every two years, with exams carefully written to allow clear comparisons over time.

And the latest NAEP results show that New York City students are overall right where they were when de Blasio took over — except that the “achievement gap” between white and Asian students on the one hand, and blacks and Hispanics on the other, is getting wider.

The mayor has been pointing to rising city scores on New York state tests as proof that his policies are making a difference, but the NAEP results confirm our warning that the only real change is that the state has been watering down its exams to make it look like schools are doing a better job.

Recent Post reporting has shown that de Blasio’s other claimed success, higher graduation rates, is also the result of lower standards — even skipping most classes doesn’t stop you from graduating. Notably, the Miami-Dade school district

been making progress. It’s led by Alberto Carvalho — who pulled out at the last minute two years ago after agreeing to become New York’s new schools chancellor.

Rumor had it that Carvalho realized that he wouldn’t have a free hand to emphasize learning fundamentals, not social-justice obsessions. So instead, New York wound up with Richard Carranza, who’s all about such obsessions — and nothing else.

Maybe someday the city will have a mayor who actually puts a top priority on delivering better schools for its children.