ALBANY, N.Y. Jan. 9, 2015 - New York state's public education system ranks among the country's top 10 and nearly one-third of this year's semi-finalists in the prestigious Intel science competition are from New York state, according to two new reports.
"While we know multiple measures are needed to assess performance, these results, once again, refute the lie that our public schools are underperforming," said New York State United Teachers President Karen E. Magee. "The fact is, despite years of chronic underfunding, New York's public education system is among the nation's very best and could be made even better with a renewed dedication to equitable funding statewide."
New York state ranked ninth nationwide, according to Education Week's annual Quality Counts report card that takes a comprehensive look at the state of education in America. Acknowledging a decrease from 2013's ranking, Magee cautioned that New York's "corporate model of hyper-testing and blame" - along with its botched implementation of high-stakes tests - has caused schools to lose some ground.
NYSUT Vice President Catalina Fortino said there now must be a "collective effort to capitalize on our strengths to further enhance the education of our students. We must listen to parents, educators and other stakeholders so that we are meeting the needs of students and ensuring they receive the best education possible."
Also making news this week was a report that 90 of the 300 semifinalists in this year's Intel Science Talent Search - the nation's oldest and most prestigious student research competition - attend New York schools, according to organizers of the event.
"Our educators are dedicated and hardworking professionals," said Fortino. "On a daily basis, they give their all to deliver a quality education to their students who are rising to the occasion."
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO
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