In 2010 the New York State Board of Regents adopted an education reform plan in response to the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) grant program. This plan and New York State's RTTT grant application reflect the four RTTT areas of reform: standards and assessments, effective teachers and principals, instructional data bases and turning around the lowest performing schools. New York State was awarded $697 million from the United States Department of Education to further the education reform plan outlined in the application.

New York State's application addressed the RTTT assurance area for turning around the state's struggling schools by requiring the State Education Department to identify the lowest performing schools and focus resources, including federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) funds, where they are needed most, as well as to assist school districts in developing and implementing one of the four federal school intervention models. The New York City Department of Education has recently decided to place 33 city schools, including those which started the school year with a different school intervention model, into the turnaround model with plans to close the schools and reopen them under a different name.

This hearing will examine efforts in New York State and New York City to identify and improve the lowest performing schools in the City School District and related impacts to the schools, their communities, principals, teachers and students. It will also examine how the State Education Department targets resources to support new school intervention models and the technical support and oversight provided to these schools.

Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Committee at the above hearing should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be limited to 10 minutes' duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committee will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Committee staff as early as possible.

Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committee would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Committee's interest in hearing testimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

Hon. Catherine T. Nolan
Member of Assembly
Chair
Committee on Education

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Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on Implementation of Federal School Intervention models in New York City are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail, email or fax it to: