Uncle Mike and the DOE Celebrate Failure

We all read about it this week in the Daily News. Ninety percent of high school students in five Bronx neighborhoods are not college or career ready when they live the wonderful world of the NYCDOE that Uncle Mike has created for them. But, in "swanky Tribeca," 79% of high school students are college and career ready.

We all know the reasons for this disparity, no reason to go into it here on these pages. Only a dead person or an insane person would not understand such disparate numbers. Wait, did I mention "insane person?"

The NYC DOE in defending poster boy for insanity Uncle Mike's insane handling of city schools had this to say in the article about the lack of students that are college and career ready;
"noting that the citywide college readiness rate — currently 13% for black students and 15% for Latinos — is better than when Bloomberg took office. 'Since our administration’s reforms, college readiness rates have nearly doubled for black and Latino students — but there is still more work to do,' spokeswoman Erin Hughes said."

So if we take the 13% for black students and the 15% for Latinos and average it out, it comes to a whopping 14% of blacks and Latinos are ready for college and careers once they leave Uncle Mike's fantasy world. 

Funny how the DOE, and of course Uncle Mike are proud of such numbers. What about the 86% that are not college and career ready? But, let's look at those numbers in the real world. Since the DOE and Uncle Mike are so proud of only that 14%, how will one fare when one is successful  14% of the time in real life? 

If Uncle Mike only received 14% of the vote in any of the 3 elections he ran for mayor, he would not be mayor. 

If a NBA player on made 14% of his free throws, he would not be an NBA player. Of course Shaquille O'Neal is the exception. 

 

If Alex Rodriguez batted .140 in the 2012 post-season he would have been benched, and he was.

If Eli Manning completed 14% of his passes, the Giants would try to get Tim Tebow.

If a teacher's evaluation under the new evaluation system totaled 14 out of 100 that teacher would be terminated. Hint, hint, Uncle Mike. 

If a district attorney only won 14% of his cases he would be sacked.

If a teacher was late 14% of the time, she would be terminated.

If a school only had 14% of its students at grade level in literacy or math, it would be closed.

If President Obama had a 14% approval rating, he would no longer be president.

If Princess Cruises had only 14% capacity on it's ships, Captain Stubing would be out of a job.

If Lawrence Tynes made only 14% of his FG attempts, he would be beat up by Tom Coughlin and looking for work.

If Martin Brodeur stopped only 14% of all shots, guess what? Yep, he would be an Islander.

If the subways ran only 14% on time, the people of NYC and media would be calling for Uncle Mike's head.

If only 14% of the city's streets were plowed after a major snowstorm, the people of NYC and media called for Uncle Mike's head.

If the city's crime rate rose by 14%, the people of NYC and media would be calling for Uncle Mike's head.

If during a summer, 14% of all swimmers drowned in city pools and beaches, the people of NYC and media would be calling for Uncle Mike's head.

If 14% of all pedestrians crossing Queens Blvd were ran over and killed, Uncle Mike would do something.

If 14% of all those who live on the Upper East Side could not get to the Hamptons Jitney on time, Uncle Mike would intercede.

If 14% of those that live in the Mitchel Houses have to live with rats, mold, and crime, well Uncle Mike thinks they are shit out of luck.

And we are all out of luck in the NYC DOE. The students, the families, the communities, and the teachers. Only Uncle Mike and his minions at the DOE can make failure look like success. But it is easy. No one, not the media, and worse, the communities of those most affected by his education decisions say anything. We have fourteen months left with this train wreck of a mayor and the path of destruction he has laid out through the education landscape. It will be at least a decade to undo the damage he has wrought.