It grieves NCTQ to report that a smart accountability initiative in New York has been laid to rest. New York Governor David Paterson (whose father is a consultant to Randi Weingarten) signed into law an explicit prohibition of the use of student data performance data when deciding whether to award teachers tenure.

New York City has made serious reforms over the past few years, but the state has dealt a powerful blow to the district's intentions. While other states such as Florida and Tennessee are increasing the use of student performance data, New York State is battening down the hatches to ensure this doesn't happen.

NCTQ extends its deepest sympathy to New York's schoolchildren, and pledges our commitment to making sure such initiatives don't get killed elsewhere.